Soccer
Everything you need to know about England’s Group L opponents
There is a temptation, whenever England land what looks like a favourable World Cup draw, to assume smooth passage. But Group L – featuring Croatia, Ghana and Panama – offers a far more nuanced test than the headline names suggest.
Different styles. Different rhythms. Different ways to make England’s life mildly miserable.
So, to keep everyone's expectations where they should be, here is a guide to each one of the Three Lions' group opponents.
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Croatia
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Manager: Zlatko Dalic | Key player: Luka Modric
Croatia remain the group’s most tactically mature opponent, still shaped by the long-standing influence of Zlatko Dalic and a footballing culture built on control and game management.
Even at 40, Luka Modric remains their defining figure. He is no longer required to dominate matches for 90 minutes, but his ability to dictate tempo in phases remains central to Croatia’s structure. Around him, the supporting cast – including Manchester City duo Mateo Kovacic and Josko Gvardiol – provides a balanced physical and technical base.
This is not the Croatia of relentless tournament runs built purely on generational midfield genius. It is a slightly more pragmatic evolution, but the identity is intact: slow the game, control the ball, frustrate opponents, and stay in matches long enough for quality and experience to tell.
Ghana
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Manager: Carlos Queiroz | Key player: Antoine Semenyo
Ghana arrive under the experienced leadership of Carlos Queiroz, appointed in early 2026 to bring structure and discipline after a volatile qualification cycle and inconsistent friendlies.
Queiroz’s fingerprints are already visible. Ghana are becoming more compact, more organised and more cautious in their defensive spacing than previous iterations that leaned heavily on transition chaos.
But they still carry threat.
Their key attacking outlet is Antoine Semenyo, whose blend of pace, power and direct running makes him their most reliable forward reference point. In a team built increasingly around structure, Semenyo provides the unpredictability, the player most likely to turn a half-chance into a full sprint at goal.
Behind him, Ghana remain athletic and dangerous in transition, even if less anarchic than in past tournaments. They are still capable of stretching games vertically in a way that can trouble even well-drilled defences.
Panama
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Manager: Thomas Christiansen | Key player: Aníbal Godoy
Panama arrive as the group’s clearest underdog, but also its most structurally stubborn opponent.
Under Thomas Christiansen, they have built a side defined by organisation, compact defending and experience-driven cohesion. They are not interested in dominating possession or controlling tempo. Instead, they aim to compress space, disrupt rhythm and force opponents into slow, frustrating patterns.
Their most important figure is captain Aníbal Godoy – the midfield anchor, record appearance holder and emotional leader of the squad. Around him, Panama’s system is built on collective discipline rather than individual stardom.
Creativity comes in spells rather than waves, with players like Adalberto Carrasquilla offering the most consistent technical quality in midfield transitions. But the overriding identity remains defensive resilience, set-piece threat and game management.
Edgar Barcenas adds experience and width, but Panama’s real strength is structural: staying compact, staying organised and staying annoying.
Group L, then, is not about glamour. It is about contrast.
Croatia slow you down. Ghana speed you up. Panama try to grind you into submission.
England, as ever, will expect to win it. But expectation and execution have a habit of diverging at World Cups, especially when every opponent arrives with a very different way of ruining your day.
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