England looks to bounce back to winning ways after playing out a goalless stalemate with Ghana, against already-eliminated Panama in New Jersey in their final Group L game, to secure their place in the Round of 32 stage of the FIFA World Cup 2026.

Panama vs England FIFA World Cup 2026 Match Details

Date: Saturday, 27 June 2026 / Sunday, 28 June 2026

Kick-off: 17:00 (EST) / 02:30 (IST)

Venue: MetLife Stadium, New Jersey

Panama vs England FIFA World Cup 2026 Match Preview

Panama put up another tremendous fight but came up short again, conceding back-to-back 1-0 defeats this time to Croatia and bowing out of the competition. After losing to Ghana in stoppage time, they kept the 2018 finalists at bay for the majority of the game, except for Ante Budimir’s tap-in four minutes into the second half and despite their best efforts, could not get past an excellent Dominic Livakovic at the other end. Thomas Christiansen’s team lacked prolificness and the continued absence of star player Adalberto Carrasquilla, who is set to play no part in the tournament as he is unlikely to be fielded in a stakeless final group game, contributed to their early exit. With no chance of entering the top two of their group, with England and Ghana both registering four points in the first two games and no way of finishing third because of the head-to-head record against Croatia, they have nothing left to play for except pride before jetting back to their nation. Los Canaleros will hope to produce a major upset against the Three Lions, who, in contrast, have plenty on line, to gain their first point in the tournament and leave with heads held high, but they are facing a side that demolished them 6-1 in the only other meeting in their debut World Cup campaign in 2018. Moreover, the Canal Men have hit a drought after scoring 11 times in the 12 games leading up to the contest and with 13 goals conceded in the finals, Christiansen fears his team is heading towards another heart-wrenching defeat. Here’s the England FIFA World Cup Records and Stats                      

England will be hoping to repeat that result against Panama after hitting their second-game syndrome yet again with a dull scoreless draw against Ghana, as they have now failed to get more than a point in the second game of each of their last four major tournaments. The enthusiasm and energy from their excellent win against Croatia in their opening group game evaporated in the unimpressive showing against the African nation managed by Carlos Queiroz, in his joint record fifth World Cup as head coach, who added this result to the list of instances where he has stunned big hitters of the tournament in charge of an underdog side. Thomas Tuchel’s men became the first team in World Cup history to register a higher possession figure without scoring, as the frustrating result leaves them all to do in the final group game to secure their qualification to the knockout stage. However, the Three Lions could have easily left empty-handed from the game as Ezri Konsa’s challenge on Prince Kwabena Adu inside the penalty area late in the game was surprisingly overlooked by VAR. The side is also sweating on the fitness of star midfielder Declan Rice, who appeared to pick up an injury in the encounter. The starting eleven selection from Tuchel for the game also came into the scanner, but England will have no excuse if they don’t progress to the Round of 32, as, thanks to their big opening game win, a draw will be enough for them. However, the 1966 champions are aiming for a victory to stand the chance of being the group winners, provided Ghana does not beat Croatia by a margin of two goals or more in the subsequent game.                           

Panama vs England FIFA World Cup 2026 Recent Form (Last Five)

Panama: LWDLL

England: LWWWD

Panama vs England FIFA World Cup 2026 Recent Form (2026 World Cup)

Panama: LL

England: WD

Panama vs England FIFA World Cup 2026 Predicted Lineups

Panama (5-4-1): Mosquera; Murillo, Córdoba, Ramos, Andrade, Blackman; Martínez, Barcenas, Harvey, Rodriguez; Fajardo

England (4-2-3-1): Pickford; James, Guehi, Konsa, O'Reilly; Mainoo, Anderson; Madueke, Bellingham, Rashford; Kane

Panama vs England FIFA World Cup 2026 Match Prediction

England were held to a goalless draw for the first time since suffering the same fate against Slovenia in Euro 2024 in their previous second game of a major tournament and only the second time they failed to score under the watch of Thomas Tuchel, who lauded Ghana’s defensive performance as one of the best he has seen. But the German will wish he won’t be singing praise for the opposition again, especially facing a team that has nothing to play for and with a Round of 32 berth almost sealed for them. Panama is expected to face the same fate as other CONCACAF nations, except for victor Mexico, in their final group games of this tournament, so the Three Lions' main focus will be to increase the goal count as they know a Ghana win by two or more goals will cost them the top spot of the group in a double whammy by the African nation.         

FT: Panama 0-2 England