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2026 World Cup Soccer Group L Odds and Expert Betting Predictions

by Spencer Toth - 3/25/2026

World Cup soccer Group L predictions Harry Kane England

The revamped World Cup group stage has created new betting markets we can exploit, and Group L might be the most thrilling quartet of teams in the tournament. England has a long history in this competition and was bounced in the quarterfinals of the 2022 Qatar World Cup. Croatia finished third in that tournament and holds a historic win over England in the 2018 World Cup knockout stage. Ghana cannot be forgotten after their run to the quarterfinals in 2010 and their group stage victory over South Korea in 2022. Panama rounds out the group for what will be their second World Cup qualification, leaving Group L poised for fireworks this summer. There are a variety of angles we can take on these matchups, with odds on who will win the group and whether a team will qualify for the knockout stage currently available. Here is your 2026 World Cup Group L breakdown with free best bets. 

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Odds to Win Group L:

England: -220

Croatia: +340

Ghana: +700

Panama: +4500

Odds to Qualify: 

England: -5000

Croatia: -350

Ghana: -190

Panama: +175

England:
England has entered the last few World Cup tournaments as one of the odds-on favorites, but they have been unable to break their World Cup drought dating back to 1966. They haven’t even made the finals since then and have only three knockout-stage wins in the last four tournaments. Once again, England finds itself with the second-best odds to win the World Cup, at +600.

The Premier League predictably develops great English talents, but this year’s squad could be their best yet. In the midfield, Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice are two of the best in the world. Rice’s Arsenal teammate, Bukayo Saka, has been able to link up nicely with English frontman Harry Kane in the past, and the duo will be difficult to slow down in this group. The English defense is much more wide open with no clear-cut starters, but there is still no shortage of talent for Thomas Tuchel to call upon. 

Croatia:
Croatia is routinely seen as a dark horse at the World Cup, and they have lived up to expectations in recent tournaments. They finished third in their first World Cup in 1998 in a historic run and have matched that with a second- and third-place finish in each of the last two World Cups. Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic have been the faces of the Croatian national team for the last decade, and while Rakitic is retired and Modric is 40, they have inspired the next generation of Croatian talents. 

Josko Gvardiol and Mateo Kovacic are the top players for Croatia, with both playing for Manchester City at the club level. A year-long Achilles injury for Kovacic derailed his campaign, but he is expected to recover in time for the World Cup this summer. Croatia doesn’t have the household names like the English side, but they have a sturdy defense and playmakers on offense who can create chances. Anything short of a second-place finish, with top spot being the primary goal, would be seen as a huge failure for a team of this stature. Croatia has been underestimated in the past, and with the 16th-lowest World Cup odds this year, they are once again being overlooked in this competition. 

Ghana:
Ghana famously went to the quarterfinals of the 2010 World Cup before Luis Suarez eliminated them with a goal-line handball clearance. Ghana hasn’t been able to put together a deep tournament run since, but it has a real chance to do so in this group. The African side will be comprised of several players from the top leagues in the world, with a dozen players playing in either the Premier League or Ligue 1. La Liga stars Thomas Partey and Inaki Williams will headline the side, while prized talent Antoine Semenyo will be dangerous on the wing. This isn't the same Ghana side that made their famous World Cup run, but this team is arguably even more dangerous. They have a wide range of options to cause chaos in one-on-one situations and will be deadly on the counterattack. They lack the defensive and goalkeeping talents that many African sides do, but a few clutch performances could see this side upset the pair of European giants in Group L. 

Panama: 

This will be the second World Cup appearance for Panama, which went winless in 2018 in Russia. The fact that Canada, the United States, and Mexico were automatically qualified left the CONCACAF region wide open, and Panama took full advantage with an undefeated showing in the qualifying round. They don’t have the same level of quality as the other Group L participants and will instead look to frustrate teams with a deep defensive line. While sneaking into third place with a win over Ghana will be Panama’s dream scenario, if they can claim their first point at the World Cup in this tough group, that will also be seen as a success. 

Best Bets:
This is the most tantalizing group of the World Cup. England’s World Cup failures are well documented, while Croatia has finished on the podium in each of the last two World Cups. Ghana has the talent needed to upset, which means one of these hopefuls could see their tournament end early. While it is hard to overlook England, this group is far more wide open than the odds suggest. The +340 odds on Croatia and the +700 odds on Ghana are both intriguing. While I expect Ghana to advance, they are unlikely to take the 4+ points needed from their matchups against the European teams to finish on top of the group. On the other hand, a positive result against England will set Croatia up to finish on top, and the +340 odds are too good to pass up. Croatia has players playing at the very highest level, and an ever-changing England side has yet to develop coherent chemistry. Even if England is more likely to finish first, Croatia only needs to do so ~23% of the time to justify the price. 

For the second bet of the group, we will take Panama not to qualify at -220 odds. Eight of the best 12 third-place teams will qualify, but I have Panama finishing last in the group with 0 points. Even if they were to upset one of the other three teams in this group, goal difference is the tiebreaker, and the other two teams will likely run up the score against a helpless Panama side. Surprisingly, a single win might not even be enough, and we are still getting very reasonable -220 odds for Panama to miss out on the knockout stage. 

Pick: Croatia to Win Group L +340

Pick: Panama NOT to qualify -220

Predicted Table:
Croatia 7 Points

England 5 Points

Ghana 4 Points

Panama 0 Points 

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