England will face Croatia in the opening match of their 2026 World Cup campaign, a rematch of the 2018 semi-final that saw Croatia win 2-1 in extra time. Drawn in Group L, England will also play Panama, whom they beat 6-1 in the 2018 group stage, and Ghana, a side they have never faced at the tournament. The group matches will be held across four US cities and Toronto, with venues and kick-off times announced on Saturday.
Manager Thomas Tuchel described the group as 'difficult', noting Croatia and Ghana as strong opponents. Croatia's golden generation has largely retired, with Ivan Perisic and Luka Modric now aged 36 and 40 respectively. England have since beaten Croatia 1-0 in the opening match of Euro 2021. Ghana have reached four of the last five World Cups but have not matched their 2010 quarter-final run. Their squad includes Tottenham's Mohammed Kudus and Bournemouth's Antoine Semenyo.
Scotland were drawn in Group C alongside Brazil, Morocco, and Haiti, a partial repeat of their 1998 World Cup group. The 'Group of Death' is Group I, featuring France, Senegal, Norway, and a playoff winner. The USA face Australia, Paraguay, and a European playoff winner in Group A.
If England win their group, they will face a third-placed team from a set of groups in the last 32, potentially leading to a quarter-final against Brazil and a semi-final against Argentina, following FIFA seeding changes. The draw was complicated by the expansion to 48 teams and ongoing playoffs, with FIFA preventing top-ranked sides from meeting before the semi-finals.
The event in Washington DC included a FIFA peace prize awarded to Donald Trump, who praised World Cup ticket sales in a two-minute speech. FIFA president Gianni Infantino also moderated a segment where leaders of the host nations drew their own teams.
