England’s World Cup draw was revealed at the John F. Kennedy Centre for Performing Arts in Washington, DC, USA. The Three Lions have been drawn with Croatia, Panama and Ghana for the World Cup in 2026 in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
England last won the World Cup in 1966, but have since reached the semi-finals of the tournament in 1990 and 2018.
England manager Thomas Tuchel has been appointed with the grand ambition of winning the World Cup. However, England’s World Cup draw has been a bit tricky, considering the teams they have been drawn with.
England’s World Cup Draw
England’s World Cup draw pits them with the team that knocked them out in the semifinal of the World Cup in 2018, Croatia. The Croatians finished runners-up that year and remain a really formidable team. They reached the semifinals of the 2022 World Cup as well.
Croatia
However, one feels that the Golden Generation that did amazing things for the Croats have mostly passed on. The likes of Ivan Rakitic, Mario Mandzukic, Domagoj Vida, Ante Rebic and Dejan Lovren have all retired from the international game.
Luka Modric, the 40-year-old talisman of Croatia and also a Ballon d’Or winner, will play in his last tournament in the 2026 World Cup. The Croatians would like to give him a fitting farewell, which will definitely mean getting past the group stage at the very least. 36-year-old Ivan Perisic should also be there, having already played in 150 international matches for his country.
Andrej Kramaric is another experienced player, who should look to extend his tally of 112 caps for his country at the upcoming World Cup. All of that makes Croatia a quite experienced team, which has done amazing things at the top level in international football.
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Ghana
Ghana is a very dangerous African team, which managed to reach the quarterfinals of the 2010 World Cup. The likes of Andre Ayew and Asamoah Gyan caught the attention of the football fraternity in that tournament.
Ghana are four-time AFCON champions. They have also finished runners-up five times in the tournament. However, their glory days as an African powerhouse were primarily in the previous century. Aside from the aberration in the World Cup in 2010, which was held on the African continent, Ghana have mostly flattered to deceive in the recent past. Now, it remains to be seen whether they are able to make things for the England team.
Antoine Semeneyo, the forward who has been really impressing in Premier League football this season, will be a star attraction for them.
Panama
Panama, the fourth team in the group, are not regular entrants into the World Cup. They have qualified for the quadrennial tournament only for the second time, the last time being in 2018. They do not have a particularly strong team, but belong to the CONCACAF region, where the tournament will be held in 2026.
Hence, they will always be in a position to pose a threat to the Three Lions, as England’s World Cup draw has been moderately tough.
It remains to be seen whether Tuchel’s men are in a position to deal with those challenges and qualify from their group for the 2026 World Cup, which is the bare minimum that is expected from such a resourceful group of players. England’s World Cup draw is fairly difficult, but it has not been extremely difficult either.
Main Photo
Credit: IMAGO / NurPhoto
Recording Date: 05.12.2025
