World Cup Group L Preview, Odds & Betting Tips

Close but no cigar was the unofficial motto of English football under former head coach Gareth Southgate. England made it to the semifinals of the 2018 World Cup and the quarterfinals of the 2022 World Cup, and they were runner-up at both Euro 2020 and Euro 2024 under Southgate. Now, famed club manager Thomas Tuchel is in charge, and Tuchel is looking to lead long-suffering English fans to their first World Cup title in 60 years. England have the third-lowest World Cup odds behind Spain and France.  

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Odds to win Group L

England -325
Croatia +340
Ghana +1300
Panama +4750

There’s no doubt that English soccer fans cringed when they saw their draw in the Group Stage. England was placed in the same group as Croatia, the country that bested the Three Lions in added time in the 2018 World Cup semifinals. However, Croatia’s Golden Generation is aging out, and that has led the oddsmakers to install England as odds-on favorites to win Group L according to the World Cup futures.

Odds to Win World Cup for Group L Teams

England +650
Croatia +9003
Ghana +50018
Panama +165053

Oddsmakers have found no shortage of action on betting odds for England to win the World Cup, but it is a bit curious to see Croatia at almost 100-1. Croatia finished runner-up to France at the 2018 World Cup, and the Checkered Ones made it to the semifinals of the 2022 World Cup before falling to eventual champions Argentina.

Match Schedule

Team Previews

England

Thomas Tuchel wasted no time in putting his touches on this team. Tuchel raised more than a few eyebrows with his omission of veterans Harry Maguire, Trent Alexander-Arnold (despite his injury woes), Cole Palmer, and Phil Foden. The decision to leave Maguire and Alexander-Arnold off the roster was particularly surprising as this back line is now very inexperienced aside from John Stones.

There was no denying captain Harry Kane of top billing on the roster though. The former Tottenham star has averaged more than a goal a game for Bayern Munich in Bundesliga action since joining the club three years ago, and he has netted 78 times in 112 appearances for the Three Lions to make him England’s all-time leading scorer by a wide margin. Kane will be joined by Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka and Barcelona’s Marcus Rashford up top.

England’s strength will likely be the midfield. Jordan Henderson is on the downslope of his career, but he is still expected to start alongside Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice. Bellingham has been seen as a prodigy since becoming the youngest player to be called up for England at the age of 16, and much more will be asked of him at this World Cup.

John Stones will be the anchor in defense, but there are a lot of questions surrounding him in the back line. Manchester City teammates Marc Guehi and Nico O’Reilly are likely to be the starters around Stones given the continuity, and both players are coming off excellent campaigns in the Premier League. In particular, O’Reilly could be a breakout star at this World Cup due to his versatility and ability to attack on the edge.

Jordan Pickford has been England’s first-choice goalkeeper for almost a decade. The long-time Everton standout has played 331 matches for his club and has made 82 appearances for the Three Lions. Pickford earned the Golden Glove at Euro 2020 for logging five clean sheets, and he has been a rock in the back for England.

Croatia

It’s been incredible to watch Croatia’s international success over the last three decades. Croatia has under 4 million people, but the Checkered Ones have made it to the World Cup semifinals in three of the last seven tournaments. The legendary Davor Suker was the first great Croatian star, leading the country to the semifinals of the 1998 World Cup and winning the Golden Boot before falling to eventual champions France.

Captain Luka Modric took the baton from Suker and then some. Modric has already etched his name as the greatest player in Croatian history, and this will be his swan song at the age of 40. The 2018 Ballon d’Or and World Cup Golden Ball winner will make his 200th appearance for Croatia at this World Cup if he doesn’t get injured, and he still plays quality football even though he is no longer the same playmaker.

Forwards Ivan Perisic and Andrej Kramaric are probably making their final World Cup appearances too. Perisic has been incredible in major international competitions with 10 goals and eight assists combined between the last three World Cups and the last three European Championships for Croatia. Meanwhile, Kramaric has been very consistent for both club and country with 135 goals in 305 appearances for TSG Hoffenheim and 36 goals in 115 caps for the national team.

Manchester City midfielder Mateo Kovacic is the fourth player on the roster with over 100 caps, and he will be deployed in a defensive role. Mario Pasalic and Nikola Vlasic will also likely see a lot of action in the midfield, but 22-year-old Petar Sucic might break into the Starting XI.

The back line is a potential issue. Josko Gvardiol and Josip Stanisic are solid players in their mid-20s, but there are concerns at the other positions. It’s good we have seen a youth movement in one position group, yet goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic would likely rather see some experienced players in front of him. 

Ghana

There is not a lot of belief in Ghana ahead of the 2026 World Cup. Otto Addo steered the Black Stars to qualification, but he was fired following four straight losses in international competition. Although a 2-1 loss to Germany was respectable, a 5-1 defeat at the hands of Austria left Ghana looking for new leadership, and the Black Stars turned to veteran head coach Carlos Queiroz. This will be the eighth national team that Queiroz has coached since 2000.

Former captain Andre Ayew was left off the roster, and his brother Jordan Ayew will be leading the squad. Jordan Ayew has netted 34 goals in 120 matches for Ghana, and he will surpass his brother as the most capped player in Ghana’s history this summer. The rest of the forwards called up to national duty have a combined seven goals for the Black Stars, so it will largely be up to Ayew on the attack.

Thomas Partey and Antoine Semenyo will be the leaders in the midfield. Semenyo is coming off a great club campaign, and he could turn some heads at this tournament.

There are major concerns about the back line, especially the center back position. Mohammed Salisu suffered a major knee injury in January and expected starter Alexander Djiku was dropped from the roster due to a hamstring injury in early June. That leaves plenty of questions for Queiroz’s squad, especially against two great attacks like England and Croatia.

Panama

This will be Panama’s second World Cup appearance. The Canal Men made their first entrance into this competition in 2018, where they were roundly trounced 6-1 by England and 3-0 by Belgium in their first two matches. Panama was ranked dead last of the 32 teams in the competition, so they will be just happy to earn a result this summer.

Panama has fared well against CONCACAF opponents, but they have struggled outside of those matches. They were hammered 6-2 by Brazil at the end of May, and they could only muster a 1-1 draw against Bolivia in their first match of 2026.

There isn’t a lot of talent on this roster. Luis Tejada and Blas Perez retired in 2018, and the active leading scorers are Ismael Diaz and Jose Fajardo with 17 goals apiece. Diaz is probably the most talented player on the roster, and he thrived for Panama in the two most recent Gold Cups, winning the Golden Boot at the 2025 Gold Cup.

Fortunately, Panama has plenty of experienced defenders. The Canal Men will likely load up in the back and try to park the bus as much as possible against both England and Croatia. Don’t be surprised if Panama shifts from a 3-4-2-1 to a 5-4-1 formation as a result.

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