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World Cup Draw: Profiles of England's Group Stage Opponents Croatia, Panama and Ghana
The 2026 World Cup expands to 48 teams, introducing Group L with England, Croatia, Ghana, and Panama playing in venues across the US and Canada.
- FIFA's Washington draw placed England, Croatia, Ghana and Panama into Group L with fixtures on June 17, June 23 and June 27, and England opening against Croatia on June 17.
- Because the World Cup expanded to 48 teams, organizers added Group L for 2026, the first since 1982, and FIFA's seeded bracket ensures top-four seeds avoid early clashes.
- Croatia's 2018 semi-final win over England adds history to the opener, and Thomas Tuchel, the coach, called the group difficult while urging focus on winning it.
- The Group L winner is placed in the bracket's top half, while the runner-up enters the bottom half; third-place qualifiers face variable opponents due to 495 mathematical combinations.
- Kickoff times and stadium assignments will be finalised at 5pm GMT on Saturday, and if England win Group L they would face a third-place team in Atlanta on July 1 en route to a July 19 final in New Jersey.
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England to start World Cup quest against familiar foe Croatia
Dec 5 : England will begin their World Cup quest next June against a very familiar foe with seasoned tournament regulars Croatia the first hurdle for Thomas Tuchel's highly-fancied team.The 48-nation World Cup is full of unknown quantities but Tuchel's research for his Group L opener on June 17 in either Dall
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources57
Leaning Left8Leaning Right7Center9Last UpdatedBias Distribution38% Center
Bias Distribution
- 38% of the sources are Center
38% Center
L 33%
C 38%
R 29%
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