It took what felt like an eternity, but Thomas Tuchel and England FINALLY found out who they’ll be facing in the group stage of next year’s World Cup. At least Donald Trump got his special award and a bunch of old men in suits learned who Lauryn Hill is.
Ultimately, it could have been worse, but it could also have been better for Tuchel and his lads, Croatia, Ghana, and Panama await for England. There are no easy games in knock-out football though, so they’ll still need to come prepared.
So, on the off-chance Tuchel or any England players comes across this little piece, here is what you can expect from your group stage opponents.
Croatia – June 17th
The last time England faced Croatia in the World Cup, Luka Modric and co sent them packing and earned a place in the final against Kylian Mbappe’s France. On another day they might have won it, and although it wasn’t meant to be, it remains their greatest achievement.
Eight years later, a lot has happened, and while England have gotten stronger in almost every aspect, Croatia aren’t quite the same side they used to be. Modric is still knocking about, in fact he’s showing very little sign of slowing down.
Beyond the legendary midfielder is where it starts to look a little dicey. Man City’s Josko Gvardiol, Ivan Perisic, Mateo Kovacic, and Marcelo Brozovic are the only other household names, but they’re entering the twilight of their careers (other than Gvardiol) and shouldn’t pose too much of a threat to the players Tuchel has at his disposal.
Tactically, manager Zlatko Dalic still heavily relies on Croatia’s aging midfield, focussing on keeping the ball with slow, melodic build up. It’s fair to say that they’re not the most exciting side and mobility in the centre of the park is a major issue.
Ghana – June 23rd
One of Africa’s footballing powerhouses, Ghana pose the biggest threat to England from an attacking aspect at least. Wingers Mohammed Kudus and Antoine Semenyo are two of the Premier League’s best and have already proven themselves against some of the best defenders in the world.
Ghana qualified with relative ease, but that doesn’t mean there wasn’t a little drama. A shock 1-0 defeat to Comoros really set a fire under them, and after that they only dropped points once, a 1-1 away draw with Chad.
Otto Addo’s side have an entirely different tactical profile to Croatia, playing these two teams back-to-back should be interesting. Ghana play a flexible 4-2-3-1/3-4-3 system, relying on quick transitions from defence to attack to catch the opposition off guard. When you have wingers like Kudus and Semenyo, it makes total sense.
Defensively, Ghana may not have the same star power they do further up the pitch, but they make up for it by being disciplined. Their defensive line moves up in tandum, and the goalkeeper, Benjamin Asare’s, distribution is solid.
Panama – June 27th
Little will be expected of Panama in this group, but they’re probably the best side in Central America at the moment. The 2026 World Cup will mark their second appearance at the tournament, with their first being in Russia 2018.
A 3-0 win over El Salvador in their final qualifier saw them leapfrog Suriname at the top of Group A of the third round of CONCACAF qualifying after breezing through the second round with four wins from four matches in a group with Nicaragua, Guyana, Montserrat and Belize.
Usually playing a 3-4-3, most of Panama’s attacking output comes from their wing-backs, usually Cesar Blackman and Eric Davis. This game will bring back memories of England’s 0-0 draw with Costa Rica back in 2014, it would be a nightmare if it ended in the same result.