England's World Cup opponents in profile: Croatia, Panama & Ghana

England were drawn out to play Croatia, Panama and Ghana in the FIFA World Cup 26 group stage on Friday evening.

The Three Lions were placed in Group L at the ceremony in Washington DC and will open their campaign on Wednesday 17 June against Croatia before Panama follow on Tuesday 23 June and then the final group stage game with Ghana on Saturday 27 June. Venues and kick-off times for all fixtures will be confirmed on Saturday afternoon at 5pm GMT.

Further information on ticket categories, pricing and next steps will be shared on Monday 8 December, when the ESTC initial registration of interest opens.

England's opponents for the two March internationals at Wembley will be confirmed in due course. Before the tournament begins, England are also expected to play two warm-up games in the USA, with details yet to be confirmed.

And as we start to look ahead to the tournament, let’s take a look at our group stage opponents in more details.

Croatia
Head coach: Zlatko Dalic
Last meeting: England 1-0 Croatia, 13 June 2021, UEFA EURO 2020

The Three Lions will lock horns with fellow UEFA nation Croatia, just over five years after their last meeting which came in England’s opening game of UEFA EURO 2020 at Wembley Stadium.

A first-half goal from Raheem Sterling secured victory on that occasion, as England went on to reach the Final of that competition.

In the World Cup of 2018, it didn’t quite go England’s way though as Zlatko Dalic’s team beat the Three Lions by 2-1 in the semi-final after extra time.

The nations have met eleven times in total over the years, with England winning six, drawing two and losing three and this will be their fourth meeting in a major tournament final.

Dalic’s team, who qualified for the World Cup after topping a group containing Czechia, Faroe Islands, Montenegro and Gibraltar, were pulled from Pot Two to join England in Group L.

Panama
Head coach: Thomas Christiansen
Last meeting: England 6-1 Panama, 24 June 2018, FIFA World Cup 2018

Another relatively recent World Cup opponent for England, following the first-ever and only meeting with the Central Americans at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

It was a memorable day for England too, as Gareth Southgate’s team clocked up a 6-1 victory on that occasion, thanks to a hat-trick from Harry Kane and further goals from John Stones and Jesse Lingard.

Panama qualified for the 2026 edition after finishing first in their Concacaf qualifying group against El Salvador, Suriname and Guatemala, having previously emerged past Nicaragua, Guyana, Montserrat and Belize in the earlier round of qualifying.

Led by Danish coach Thomas Christiansen, who once had a spell as Leeds United manager, this will be Panama's second appearance at the World Cup Finals, following the aforementioned 2018 edition.

Ghana
Head coach: Otto Addo
Last meeting: England 1-1 Ghana, 29 March 2011, International Match

England and Ghana will meet for the first time in a competitive fixture, after the African nation were drawn out from Pot 4 to join Group L.

The only previous game between the nations at men’s senior level came back in 2011 at Wembley Stadium when an Andy Carroll goal in the first half saw England take the lead.

But a stoppage-time equaliser from former Sunderland striker Asamoah Gyan, a star of the 2010 World Cup, saw the Black Stars rescue a draw from an entertaining match in front of an 80,000-strong crowd including what was the largest away following for a national team.

Ghana sealed their spot at the 2026 edition, which will be their sixth appearance at a World Cup, in October when Tottenham’s Mohammed Kudus scored the winner over Comoros in a qualifying group which also contained Madagascar, Mali, Central African Republic and Chad.

As well as Kudus, the Ghana squad could also feature a number of familiar faces for English fans, with AFC Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo, former Chelsea and Brighton player Tariq Lamptey, Coventry’s Brandon Thomas-Asante and Leicester City pair Jordan Ayew and Abdul Fatawa all having been in recent squads.