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England at the World Cup 2026 — squad, group, fixtures & odds

England are competing at the 2026 World Cup in Group L, alongside Croatia, Panama, Ghana. Onside's model gives them 88% to reach the Round of 16 and 14.1% to win the trophy. Full schedule, projected XI, advance scenarios and Premier League players inside.
● GROUP STAGE COMPLETE

When does England play next?

England have completed their Group L fixtures. Knockout-round opponent depends on other group results — see the live bracket for the projected path.

FIFA #4 · GROUP L · EUROPE

England

FIFA · #4ENGGROUP LEUROPE

England sit among the model's pre-tournament favourites — a clear path to the final, anchored by a top-8 FIFA ranking and the depth to grind out knockout games.

ONSIDE AI · TOURNAMENT MODEL v5

CHAMPION PROBABILITY
14%
vs 47 OTHER NATIONS
0%17%
ENGLAND'S TOURNAMENT JOURNEY
ROUND OF 16
88%
QUARTER-FINAL
61%
SEMI-FINAL
37%
FINAL
24%
CHAMPION
14%

Cumulative probabilities · Updated each match · 60-min refresh

L
Group
3
Group fixtures
21
PL stars

At the first 48-team World Cup, hosted across USA, Canada and Mexico from 11 June to 19 July 2026. Drawn in Group L with Croatia, Panama, Ghana.

THE GROUP

England vs the rest of Group L

FIFA ranks at draw time. Top two from the group advance directly to the Round of 32; the eight best third-place finishers across all 12 groups also progress.

ONSIDE INTELLIGENCE · POWERED BY THE ENGINE
AI-MODELLED

England's tournament path — the fantasy angle

QUALIFY %
79%
to reach R32
GROUP xP
7
across 3 games
EXPECTED FINISH
#1 in group
WC FANTASY CAPTAIN(C)
Bukayo Saka
Arsenal
Highest projected impact in this squad
LIKELY SCORERGOAL
Bukayo Saka
Arsenal
Top attacking PL contributor
DIFFERENTIALDIFF
Ollie Watkins
Aston Villa
Lower-owned, upside play
TOP 3 CONTRIBUTORS · PROJECTED PTS/90
1
Bukayo Saka
6.4
2
Eberechi Eze
5.6
3
Kobbie Mainoo
5.6
VERDICTStrong qualification probability (~79%). Build around Bukayo Saka for World Cup Fantasy.
SHARE ENGLAND'S TOURNAMENT
SHAREXRedditWhatsApp
GROUP RIVAL H2H · LIFETIME WC

England's ledger vs Group L

All-time World Cup meetings against this group's other three nations. The history that walks onto the pitch.

vs Croatia
FIFA #11 · Group L
NEVER MET
0W0D0L
GF 0GA 0GD 0
No prior World Cup meetings in our 2002-2022 window. First meeting could come at MD1.
FULL COMPARISON →
vs Panama
FIFA #33 · Group L
NEVER MET
0W0D0L
GF 0GA 0GD 0
No prior World Cup meetings in our 2002-2022 window. First meeting could come at MD1.
FULL COMPARISON →
vs Ghana
FIFA #74 · Group L
NEVER MET
0W0D0L
GF 0GA 0GD 0
No prior World Cup meetings in our 2002-2022 window. First meeting could come at MD1.
FULL COMPARISON →
FIXTURE RESULTS
CELL COLOUR = ACTUAL RESULT

England's 3 group matches at a glance

Played matches show actual outcome from England's perspective. Unplayed cells keep the pre-tournament FIFA rank-delta projection.

MD1H
Croatia
FIFA #11
W · 4-2
Wed 17 Jun
MD2H
Ghana
FIFA #74
D · 0-0
Tue 23 Jun
MD3A
Panama
FIFA #33
W · 2-0
Sat 27 Jun
2
Easy
1
Toss
0
Hard

England is FIFA #4. Group avg rank is #31 27 places stronger than the group mean.

FIXTURES

England's group-stage matches

MDDateUTCUKOpponent
1Wed 17 Jun20:0021:00
2Tue 23 Jun20:0021:00
3Sat 27 Jun21:0022:00
THE PL × WC FUNNEL

21 Premier League players representing England

Track these names — their tournament minutes shape your FPL 2026/27 GW1 captaincy shortlist. 4 from Arsenal alone.

Arsenal
4
Eberechi Eze
Declan Rice
Noni Madueke
Bukayo Saka
Aston Villa
3
Ezri Konsa
Morgan Rogers
Ollie Watkins
Man City
3
James Trafford
Nico O'Reilly
John Stones
Newcastle
3
Dan Burn
Tino Livramento
Anthony Gordon
Crystal Palace
2
Dean Henderson
Marc Guéhi
Brentford
1
Jordan Henderson
Chelsea
1
Reece James
Everton
1
Jordan Pickford
Man Utd
1
Kobbie Mainoo
Nott'm Forest
1
Elliot Anderson
Spurs
1
Djed Spence

Source: Premier League official article (29 May 2026). ~ marks players inferred from secondary reporting where the squad wasn't formally announced.

FPL ANGLE

Why England's tournament matters for FPL 2026/27

England's 21 PL players will play 3 group matches before the FPL deadline locks. Watch for minutes, form, and tactical fit at international level — the strongest available signal before pre-season friendlies start.

WORLD CUP FANTASY · ENGLAND

Pick England stars in FIFA World Cup Fantasy

Use the Onside captain / differential / value picks to assemble a England-heavy XI, then build it in the official FIFA game. In FIFA Fantasy, open the player list and filter by country = England to surface every eligible name.

Onside is not affiliated with FIFA. We publish picks; you play them in the official game.

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