Group L looked competitive on paper - then England put 4 past Croatia in their opener. Ghana's 1-0 over Panama makes for a tight race for 2nd and 3rd. Group L's 3rd-placer has a 67.9% chance of best-third qualification per Football Meets Data.
Where Group L stands now
| Pos | Team | Pts | GD | Played |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | England | 3 | +2 | 4-2 vs Croatia |
| 2 | Ghana | 3 | +1 | 1-0 vs Panama |
| 3 | Croatia | 0 | -2 | 2-4 vs England |
| 4 | Panama | 0 | -1 | 0-1 vs Ghana |
Matchday 2 (June 23): England vs Ghana in Boston, Panama vs Croatia in Toronto. Matchday 3 (June 27): Panama vs England in New York/New Jersey, Croatia vs Ghana in Philadelphia.
Croatia's path to 3rd
Croatia must win their last two matches to climb out of the eliminated zone. Panama on matchday 2 is winnable; Ghana on matchday 3 is the bigger test. With 6 points Croatia would be a strong best-third candidate (lowest FIFA rank among likely qualifiers at #11).
If Croatia draw with Panama, they're realistically eliminated. If they lose, certainly eliminated. Panama-Croatia on June 23 is therefore the make-or-break for Croatia's tournament.
R32 path: Match 82 vs Belgium
FIFA's Annex C allocation places Group L's third-placer into Match 82 against the winner of Group G - heavy favourite Belgium.
Projected R32 fixture: **Croatia vs Belgium at Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, on Wednesday July 1 at 8:00 PM PT (11:00 PM ET)**. A heavyweight tie - both teams have made deep runs at recent World Cups; Croatia were finalists in 2018 and 3rd in 2022 while Belgium have the talent that fell short in Qatar.
What to watch
- •Panama vs Croatia on June 23 - Croatia must win or they're out.
- •England vs Ghana on June 23 - Ghana can clinch 2L with a result.
- •Belgium's final group form - sets the R32 difficulty for Croatia.
More on the best third-placed teams pillar.