FIFA World Cup 2026: From Harry Kane to Luka Modric, a look at best players of Group L

The focus in Group L will be on whether the Three Lions can bring it home this time, after 60 years. They had decent success in the Gareth Southgate era, even though there was criticism that he, at times, played too safe for a man with the amount of talent at his disposal. That burden now moves to Thomas Tuchel, who has, at least in picking the squad, shown that safety is not the top priority.

With England in the group are Croatia, who have done better than them in the previous two editions, but find themselves as one of the oldest teams in the tournament this time. Luka Modric is 40. And that age is expected to show as they go deeper into the tournament.

Ghana, on the other hand, have no weight of expectations. Since their first appearance in 2006, their best outing has been a quarterfinals finish in 2010. They will rely heavily on Antoine Semenyo in attack, and would expect some magic from youngster Caleb Yirenkyi who has drawn comparisons to Michael Essien.

Rounding out the group are Panama, who have been to the World Cup just once before, in 2018, where they exited in the group stage without a win.

Group L: England, Croatia, Ghana, Panama

England: Harry Kane

The England captain is in the form of his life, having scored 61 times in 51 appearances for Bayern Munich, and is arguably the best striker on show at this World Cup. No pressure.

Add to that his role as a leader of the group, and this could be the most Kane has had on his plate at a World Cup. Before the tournament, coach Thomas Tuchel had said: “From day one, we were clear that we are trying to select and build the best possible team, which is not necessarily to select and collect the 26 most talented players.” He followed through on that with the omissions of Cole Palmer and Phil Foden.

With this focus on chemistry, it will on Kane to keep the flock together, even while ensuring his own scoring doesn’t dry up.

Winning the trophy will be goal one; going past Gary Lineker as England’s all-time scorer at World Cups—he is three away—would be the side quest.

Croatia: Luka Modric

The old warhorse was the jewel of a golden generation, but now finds himself and others like Kovacic, Ivan Perisic and Andrej Kramaric, in a side that has lost some of that sheen. This set has perhaps set the bar too high, and it will take a last hurrah from the veterans, led by Modric, to have a respectable tournament.

For his part, Modric has been central to AC Milan’s hopes, but a facial injury in a match against Juventus, where he collided with Manuel Locatelli, forced him into surgery this April. He is cleared to play, but will most likely turn up in a protective mask.

Ghana: Antoine Semenyo

The London-born Manchester City forward has not had the expected returns from his international career so far, having scored only thrice in 34 appearances. But recent form—11 goals for City and the winner in the FA Cup final—hold him in good stead to leave a mark on the world stage. For the Black Stars to go somewhat far into the tournament, Semenyo will have to be on song. “I think that’s the intention (to make history),” he told FIFA. “I feel like we do want to write our own story. We just need to prove that we can be up there and compete with everyone else.”

Panama: Amir Murillo

In a recent podcast, Amir Murillo, right-back for Turkish club Besiktas, recalled a moment with his grandmother. “She always told me, ‘They (Panama) will never make it because they always lose.’ And I always answered, ‘When I play for the national team, then we’re going to be in the World Cup.”

That day has now come, and Murillo, Panama’s talisman, has a chance to live beyond his life if he pulls off something memorable at the World Cup. Having played for a few years in the US could help, at least in terms of familiarity with the settings.