England discovered on Friday that they will face Croatia, Panama and Ghana in Group L at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
United States president Donald Trump attended Friday’s World Cup draw, where he was presented with a special “peace prize” by FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who gave him a medal and a certificate — just in case anyone might doubt the validity of the new award.
Trump conducted phase one of the draw alongside his Canadian and Mexican counterparts, Mark Carney and Claudia Sheinbaum. The three political leaders each pointlessly opened a ball to unveil the name of their own nation.
Donald Trump pictured wearing his FIFA peace medal during the draw ceremony for the 2026 World Cup
Former Three Lions defender Rio Ferdinand later led an all-star footballing cast in conducting the real draw, while the glitzy ceremony featured musical performances by Robbie Williams and Nicole Scherzinger.
England boss Thomas Tuchel will likely be quite happy with Ferdinand’s work. The average position of England’s opponents in the FIFA world rankings is 37, with Croatia, Panama and Ghana ranked 10th, 30th and 72nd respectively.
Furthermore, England are currently 13 places above Croatia in the all-time World Cup league table, while they are 30 above Ghana and 68 ahead of Panama.
World Cup group stage draw in full
| Group A | Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, UEFA play-off D winner* |
| Group B | Canada, UEFA play-off A winner*, Qatar, Switzerland |
| Group C | Brazil, Morocco, Haiti, Scotland |
| Group D | USA, Paraguay, Australia, UEFA play-off C winner* |
| Group E | Germany, Curaçao, Ivory Coast, Ecuador |
| Group F | Netherlands, Japan, UEFA play-off B winner*, Tunisia |
| Group G | Belgium, Egypt, Iran, New Zealand |
| Group H | Spain, Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay |
| Group I | France, Senegal, FIFA play-off 2 winner*, Norway |
| Group J | Argentina, Algeria, Austria, Jordan |
| Group K | Portugal, FIFA play-off 1 winner*, Uzbekistan, Colombia |
| Group L | England, Croatia, Ghana, Panama |
* Play-off paths and participating teams are as follows:
UEFA play-off A: Italy, Northern Ireland, Wales, Bosnia & Herzegovina
UEFA play-off B: Ukraine, Sweden, Poland, Albania
UEFA play-off C: Turkey, Romania, Slovakia, Kosovo
UEFA play-off D: Denmark, North Macedonia, Czech Republic, Republic of Ireland
FIFA play-off 1 (Inter-confederation Path A): New Caledonia, Jamaica, DR Congo
FIFA play-off 2 (Inter-confederation Path B): Suriname, Bolivia, Iraq
England’s head-to-head records against Croatia, Panama and Ghana
England have winning head-to-head records against both Croatia and Panama, while their only previous meeting with Ghana ended in a 1-1 draw in 2011.
The Three Lions have also played Panama only once but they still have a history of dominance against the Central American nation, having thrashed them 6-1 in the group phase of the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Croatia knocked England out of that tournament in 2018. But England have defeated Croatia twice since then and have a winning record overall, with six victories and just three losses.
England vs Croatia head to head
| Date | Competition | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Jun 2021 | Euro 2020 | England 1-0 Croatia |
| Nov 2018 | Nations League | England 2-1 Croatia |
| Oct 2018 | Nations League | Croatia 0-0 England |
| Jul 2018 | World Cup | Croatia 2-1 England |
| Sep 2009 | WC qualifying | England 5-1 Croatia |
| Sep 2008 | WC qualifying | Croatia 1-4 England |
| Nov 2007 | Euro qualifying | England 2-3 Croatia |
| Oct 2006 | Euro qualifying | Croatia 2-0 England |
| Jun 2004 | Euro 2004 | Croatia 2-4 England |
| Aug 2003 | Friendly | England 3-1 Croatia |
| Apr 1996 | Friendly | England 0-0 Croatia |
England’s route to the World Cup final
England, who finished third in FootballBlog.co.uk‘s recent 2026 World Cup simulation, will play a third-place team in the round of 32 if they win their group.
That opponent would come from groups E, H, I, J or K. Should England progress past that challenge then the winner of Group A would most likely await in the round of 16.
Due to being fourth in the world rankings, England cannot meet any of the other top-four teams until the semi-finals — presuming all four finish first in their respective groups.
Should all four reach the semi-finals as per their seedings then England would face Argentina, with Spain and France contesting the other semi.
But Thomas Tuchel will be focused first on episode 12 of England vs Croatia. That will take place on June 17.
