The path to global glory for the England men's football team has been set following the official draw for the expanded 2026 FIFA World Cup, held in Washington D.C. on Friday, 5th December 2025.
A Familiar Foe Awaits in Group L
England's first assignment in the 48-team tournament will be a highly-anticipated rematch against Croatia, the nation that famously ended their 2018 World Cup dream at the semi-final stage. The draw, conducted with the help of NFL legend Tom Brady, placed the two European sides together in Group L, alongside Ghana and Panama.
The Three Lions, managed by Thomas Tuchel and considered among the pre-tournament favourites, were seeded in Pot 1 due to their high world ranking. They will be looking for a positive start when they open their campaign against Croatia on 17th June 2026. The precise venue for that match will be either BMO Field in Toronto or the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Full Fixture List and Venue Details
The complete schedule for England's group stage has been confirmed, with exact kick-off times and final stadium allocations to be announced at 5pm GMT on Saturday, 6th December.
England's World Cup 2026 Group L Fixtures:
- 17 June 2026: England v Croatia (BMO Field, Toronto or AT&T Stadium, Arlington)
- 23 June 2026: England v Ghana (BMO Field, Toronto or Gillette Stadium, Foxborough)
- 27 June 2026: England v Panama (MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford or Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia)
This sequence of matches presents a challenging but navigable group for Tuchel's squad, blending a technical European rival with physically robust opponents from Africa and Central America.
Potential Knockout Stage Pathway
Should England progress as winners of Group L, their high seeding offers a theoretically favourable route through the latter stages of the competition. As group winners, they would avoid other top seeds like Argentina, Spain, and France until at least the semi-finals, assuming those nations also top their respective groups.
The expanded format for the 2026 finals, jointly hosted by the USA, Canada, and Mexico, promises a marathon tournament. For England, the dream of lifting the trophy for the first time since 1966 will begin with navigating this intriguing trio of opponents next summer.
The full World Cup draw is as follows:
- Group A: Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, UEFA Playoff D
- Group B: Canada, UEFA Playoff A, Qatar, Switzerland
- Group C: Brazil, Morocco, Haiti, Scotland
- Group D: United States, Paraguay, Australia, UEFA Playoff C
- Group E: Germany, Curacao, Ivory Coast, Ecuador
- Group F: Netherlands, Japan, UEFA Playoff B, Tunisia
- Group G: Belgium, Egypt, Iran, New Zealand
- Group H: Spain, Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay
- Group I: France, Senegal, FIFA Playoff 2, Norway
- Group J: Argentina, Algeria, Austria, Jordan
- Group K: Portugal, FIFA Playoff 1, Uzbekistan, Colombia
- Group L: England, Croatia, Ghana, Panama
