The England World Cup draw was announced at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC, USA. The Three Lions have been drawn with Croatia, Panama and Ghana to participate in the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

England last won the World Cup in 1966 but have since reached the World Cup semi-finals in 1990 and 2018.

England manager Thomas Tuchel was appointed with big ambitions of winning the World Cup. However, the World Cup draw is a bit tricky given the teams England are drawn with.

England World Cup draw results

England were drawn at the World Cup against Croatia, who eliminated them in the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup. Croatia finished second that year and is still a very strong team. They also reached the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup.

Croatia

However, most of the golden generation who are believed to have made amazing contributions to Croatia have passed away. The likes of Ivan Rakitic, Mario Mandzukic, Domagoj Vidal, Ante Rebic and Dejan Lovren have all retired from international competition.

Croatia international and Ballon d’Or winner Luka Modric, 40, will play in the final game of the 2026 World Cup. The Croats want to give him a proper send-off, which will surely mean at least getting through the group stages. Ivan Perisic, 36, who has played 150 international games for his country, should also be present.

Andrei Kramaric is another experienced player who should look to extend his record of 112 caps for his country at the upcoming World Cup. All this makes Croatia an experienced team that has achieved amazing results at the top level of international football.

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Ghana

Ghana is a very dangerous African team that reached the quarter-finals of the 2010 World Cup. The likes of Andre Ayew and Asamoah Gyan caught the attention of the football world during that game.

Ghana are four-time African Cup champions. They also finished second in the championship five times. However, their glory days as an African power were mainly in the last century. Apart from an aberration at the 2010 World Cup on the African continent, Ghana’s recent performance has been mostly flattery and deception. Now, it remains to be seen whether they can contribute for England.

Forward Antoine Semenejo, who has been in fine form in the Premier League this season, will be their star player.

Panama

Panama is the fourth-placed team in the group and is not a regular at the World Cup. They have qualified for the quadrennial event for only the second time, the last time being in 2018. They do not have a particularly strong team, but they belong to the Central and North America and Caribbean region, where the tournament will be held in 2026.

Therefore, they will always be able to pose a threat to the Three Lions, as England’s World Cup draw is quite difficult.

It remains to be seen whether Tuchel’s side are capable of meeting these challenges and qualifying from the group for the 2026 World Cup, which is the minimum expected from such a resourceful group of players. England’s World Cup draw was quite difficult, but not particularly difficult.

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Credit: IMAGO/NurPhoto

Recording date: December 5, 2025