Group L and Group K round out the second set of matches in group play on Tuesday.
World Cup 2026: What are the knockout round scenarios for England and Group L?
What are the knockout round scenarios for England, Ghana, and the rest of Group L?
Mark Schofield is a former college quarterback and attorney covering the NFL and F1.
And in Group L, England and Ghana square off in a match that could not only see a winner clinch a spot in the knockout round, but also win Group L entirely.
Then in the other match between Panama and Croatia, a loser could see dreams of a World Cup title shattered early.
Here are the scenarios for Group L ahead of the second set of matches.
What are the Group L standings?
Ahead of the matches set for Tuesday, June 23, here are the standings in Group L.
Team | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 3 |
| Ghana | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 3 |
| Panama | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0 |
| Croatia | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | -2 | 2 |
What are the next matches in Group L?
Here are the remaining matches in Group L, starting with the two matches set for Tuesday, June 23. All times listed are Eastern.
Tuesday, June 23
England vs. Ghana, 4:00 p.m.
Panama vs. Croatia, 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, June 27
Panama vs. England, 5:00 p.m.
Croatia vs. Ghana, 5:00 p.m.
What are the scenarios in Group L?
Ahead of the matches set for Tuesday, June 23, here are the scenarios in Group L.
England
Fresh off a command performance against Croatia, England can clinch a spot in the Round of 32, and potentially Group L, on Tuesday. With a win against Ghana, England is through to the Round of 32. In addition, if England beats Ghana, and Panama loses or draws against Croatia, England will win Group L. More on that in a moment.
A draw against Ghana does not clinch a spot in the knockout round for England.
Ghana
Along the same lines, the Black Stars can also book a spot in the knockout round and potentially win Group L on Tuesday. With a win against England, they will clinch a spot in the Round of 32 as one of the top two teams in the group. With a win, Ghana will win Group L provided Croatia loses or draws against Panama.
A draw against England does not clinch a spot in the knockout round for Ghana.
Croatia
Croatia can be eliminated on Tuesday with a loss to Panama, provided Ghana draws or wins against England.
Panama
Panama can be eliminated on Tuesday with a loss to Croatia, provided England draws or wins against Ghana.
What about tiebreakers in Group L?
Now we get to the tiebreaker scenarios that come into play with Group L, starting with the matches set for Tuesday, June 23.
Here is how tiebreakers work at the World Cup this year. If two or more teams in the same group are equal on points following the group stage, a three-step process will be followed to determine tiebreakers.
In the first step, the greatest number of points in the group matches between the tied teams will be applied. Then, the superior goal difference from the group matches between the tied teams will be applied, and finally, the greatest number of goals scored in all group matches between the tied teams will be applied.
If that cannot determine a tiebreaker, then the teams that are still equal will advance to step two. In this stage, the first step is the goal difference in all group matches, then the greatest number of goals in all group matches, and finally the highest team conduct score (relating to yellow and red cards) will be applied.
If that does not break the tie, then the teams still equal on points will be ranked according to the most recent FIFA World Rankings.
That first step, which reads “greatest number of points obtained in the group matches between the teams concerned” according to FIFA, effectively turns into a head-to-head tiebreaker in the case of ties between two teams.
Now we can turn to how these tiebreakers impact Group L, using England as an example. As noted above, England can win Group L on Tuesday with a win over Ghana, provided Panama loses or draws against Croatia.
Why is this the case? Because of that first tiebreaker. A win for England against Ghana moves the Three Lions to six points in group play. But if Panama beats Croatia, Panama would have three points, and a chance to still win the group when England plays Panama on the final day of matches in Group L. A Panama win in that match would see Panama finish with six points, just like England, and win the group thanks to the head-to-head win.
That same scenario applies to Ghana, and is why they will win the group with a win against England plus a Croatia loss or draw against Panama, as Ghana and Croatia play on the final day of matches in Group L.
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