World Cup 2026: Ghana can upset England and Croatia in Group L – Zlatan Ibrahimovic

The global showpiece officially kick-started on Thursday, June 11, 2026, with Ghana expected to open their account against Panama on July 17.

Ghana are set for their fifth World Cup appearance, after booking a place for the expanded tournament co-hosted in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

The West African football heavyweights are paired in Group L against European giants, England, 2018 World Cup finalists, Croatia and Panama. The Black Stars will take on Panama in their first game of the tournament before facing England and Croatia respectively.

“I’m supporting Croatia in this tournament. We have Ghana, a side blessed with immense talent, so it will be interesting to see what they can bring to the competition. We also have Panama, but unfortunately this is a very tough group for them. I believe England and Croatia will battle for top spot, But Ghana might disturb England and Croatia and take some points.I don’t mean any disrespect to Panama, but this group will be a challenging one for them to pick up points in,” he said.

The Black Stars, have already arrived in Providence, Rhode Island, marking the beginning of the final phase of their preparations ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The squad departed Virginia on Thursday afternoon and touched down at T.F. Green International Airport at approximately 6:00 p.m., bringing an end to a productive week-long training camp in the Washington area.

The Black Stars will use Bryant University in Smithfield as their official base camp, training at the university’s world-class facilities before making the move to Toronto on June 15 – just two days before their World Cup opener against Panama on June 17 at BMO Field.

The squad enters the competition seeking its first qualification for the World Cup knockout stages since the memorable 2010 tournament in South Africa.

Ghana has previously competed in 2006, 2010, 2014, and 2022, with their best performance coming in 2010 when they reached the quarterfinals.

Source:Fiilasports/ghanasoccernet