World Cup 2026 Group L

Group stage complete: 72 group matches played, 48 of 48 teams with group results.

England finished first in Group L with 7 points (7.01 xPts). Croatia took the other automatic Round of 32 slot; Ghana finished third and qualified via the best-third-place table. Panama are the unlucky side here — 0 points from 2.27 expected (Δ -2.27). On expected points, Croatia would rank 1 place lower.

Quick answers

Finished firstWho finished first in World Cup 2026 Group L?
Group L finished with England first on 7 points and Croatia second on 6 points.
Points tableWhat are the Group L points?
Group L points: England 7 points, Croatia 6 points, Ghana 4 points, Panama 0 points.
xG and xPtsWhat does xG say about World Cup 2026 Group L?
By expected points, England finished first in Group L on 7.01 xPts. England have the strongest xG difference at +4.59. Panama are the unluckiest side on points versus xPts (Δ -2.27).

Published-rank context: Group L averages 23.8 in World Cup field rank, with England (4th of 48) highest and Ghana (44th) lowest; 2 top-half teams, 1 top-quarter team. Published FIFA rank context

Strongest Group L opposition faced: Ghana faced opponents averaging 17.0/48 in the World Cup field and FIFA #20.3 globally; level on xG against a strong opponent field. Team schedule context

#TeamPW-D-LGFGAPtsxGFxGAGroup xPtsΔ
1England32-1-06276.121.537.01-0.01
2Croatia32-0-15562.774.393.47+2.53
3Ghana31-1-12242.062.513.66+0.34
4Panama30-0-30401.944.462.27-2.27

Knockout paths

Match 80Who do England play in the Round of 32?
England vs DR Congo xG form guide. England: 6.12 xGF, 1.53 xGA, 7.01 xPts in the group stage.
Match 83Who do Croatia play in the Round of 32?
Croatia vs Portugal xG form guide. Croatia: 2.77 xGF, 4.39 xGA, 3.47 xPts in the group stage.
Match 87Who do Ghana play in the Round of 32?
Ghana vs Colombia xG form guide. Ghana: 2.06 xGF, 2.51 xGA, 3.66 xPts in the group stage.

More: all groups & xPts · by confederation · results · Round of 32 guides · the xG visualizer