World Cup Hero
Predict the 2026 World Cup your way
England and Panama share Group L at the 2026 World Cup and meet in the group stage. Both sides are fighting to reach the knockouts. On the FIFA ranking, England are the favourite — a 35-place gap.
England - Panama will be played on Thursday 2nd July 2026 at 19:00 ET in MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford (New York/New Jersey). ⏳ Date subject to confirmation.
| England 🏴 | Metric | 🇵🇦 Panama |
|---|---|---|
| #4 | FIFA Ranking | #39 |
| Group L | Group | Group L |
| UEFA | Confederation | CONCACAF |
| Thomas Tuchel | Head coach | Thomas Christiansen |
| 17 | WC appearances | 2 |
| World champion (1966) | Best WC | Group stage (2018) |
England have reached at least the semi-final of every major tournament since 2018 — and missed out on the trophy every time. This is the Bellingham, Foden, Saka and Kane generation, and it's literally now or never. Tuchel was appointed in 2024 to deliver the one thing Southgate couldn't: a trophy. Tuchel won the Champions League with Chelsea and knows tournament football. Group L with Croatia looks tough on paper, but England are enough of a favourite to win it. Strength: midfield depth. Weakness: still the mental block on penalties. It would be poetic if England became world champions again 60 years after 1966 — but English poetry rarely ends well.
Second World Cup appearance ever. Strong growth under Christiansen. Reached the 2023 Gold Cup final and the 2024 Copa América semi-final. In Group L with England and Croatia, advancing is difficult, but a point is achievable.
Set your 10 sliders and decide which teams win according to your model — including this group-stage match.
Start predicting →Yes — England and Panama meet in the group stage of the 2026 World Cup (Group L).
On the FIFA world ranking, England (#4) are favoured over Panama (#39). The gap is 35 ranking places.
England: World champion (1966) (17 World Cup appearances). Panama: Group stage (2018) (2 World Cup appearances).
England are coached by Thomas Tuchel. Panama are coached by Thomas Christiansen.
England play in Group L. Panama play in Group L.
Last updated: 2026-06-07