Group favourites
England
Manager: Thomas Tuchel · FIFA rank: 4 · Route: UEFA Group K winners · Last World Cup: 2022 · Best result: Winners (1966)
Tuchel’s first World Cup with England. The squad still leans on the Bellingham-Saka-Kane spine; Reece James and John Stones bring elite defending; Declan Rice anchors the midfield. The headlines for 2026 are Rashford and Gordon both at Barcelona, Kane still at Bayern Munich. Tuchel’s pragmatism has tightened England’s structure compared to the Southgate era.
Key man: Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid) — the most decisive English player when in form.
Betting angle: England around 13/2 outright (per Racing Post). Group winner short. Kane Golden Boot is one of the most-backed player markets at the tournament.
England full squad
GK: Jordan Pickford, Dean Henderson, James Trafford.
DF: Reece James, Ezri Konsa, Jarell Quansah, John Stones, Marc Guehi, Dan Burn, Nico O’Reilly, Djed Spence, Tino Livramento.
MF: Declan Rice, Elliot Anderson, Kobbie Mainoo, Jordan Henderson, Morgan Rogers, Jude Bellingham, Eberechi Eze.
FW: Harry Kane, Ivan Toney, Ollie Watkins, Bukayo Saka, Marcus Rashford, Anthony Gordon, Noni Madueke.
European seed
Croatia
Manager: Zlatko Dalic · FIFA rank: 11 · Route: UEFA Group L winners · Last World Cup: 2022 (third) · Best result: Runners-up (2018)
Croatia bring more recent tournament pedigree than any side outside the top seeds — runners-up in 2018, third in 2022. Luka Modric is still pulling strings, now at AC Milan; Mateo Kovacic anchors midfield from Man City; Petar Sucic at Inter and Luka Sucic at Real Sociedad are the next generation; Gvardiol leads the back line. Dalic is the most-experienced tournament coach in the group.
Key man: Luka Modric (AC Milan) — at 40, this is likely his final World Cup.
Betting angle: Croatia to qualify is short. Group winner price is the value if you back tournament experience over Tuchel’s first World Cup.
Croatia full squad
GK: Dominik Livakovic, Dominik Kotarski, Ivor Pandur.
DF: Josko Gvardiol, Duje Caleta-Car, Josip Sutalo, Josip Stanisic, Marin Pongracic, Martin Erlic, Luka Vuskovic.
MF: Luka Modric, Mateo Kovacic, Mario Pasalic, Nikola Vlasic, Luka Sucic, Martin Baturina, Kristijan Jakic, Petar Sucic, Nikola Moro, Toni Fruk.
FW: Ivan Perisic, Andrej Kramaric, Ante Budimir, Marco Pasalic, Petar Musa, Igor Matanovic.
African qualifier
Ghana
Manager: Carlos Queiroz · FIFA rank: 74 · Route: CAF Group I winners · Last World Cup: 2022 · Best result: Quarter-finals (2010)
Carlos Queiroz — veteran of Portugal, Iran, Colombia and Egypt national-team roles — took over Ghana for the 2026 qualifying campaign and got them through. Antoine Semenyo at Manchester City headlines the attack; Inaki Williams at Athletic Club provides the experience; Thomas Partey still controls midfield. The 2010 quarter-final run is the high-water mark; this generation isn’t quite at that level but has flashes.
Key man: Antoine Semenyo (Manchester City) — the rising star of the squad.
Betting angle: Ghana via the third-place route is the realistic qualification angle. Semenyo anytime goalscorer is the popular player pick.
Ghana full squad
GK: Benjamin Asare, Lawrence Ati-Zigi, Joseph Anang.
DF: Baba Abdul Rahman, Gideon Mensah, Marvin Senaya, Alidu Seidu, Abdul Mumin, Jerome Opoku, Jonas Adjetey, Kojo Oppong Peprah, Elisha Owusu, Derrick Luckassen.
MF: Thomas Partey, Kwasi Sibo, Augustine Boakye, Caleb Yirenkyi, Abdul Fatawu Issahaku.
FW: Kamaldeen Sulemana, Christopher Bonsu Baah, Ernest Nuamah, Antoine Semenyo, Brandon Thomas-Asante, Prince Kwabena Adu, Inaki Williams, Jordan Ayew.
CONCACAF qualifier
Panama
Manager: Thomas Christiansen · FIFA rank: 33 · Route: CONCACAF Group A winners · Last World Cup: 2018 · Best result: Group stage (2018)
Panama’s second World Cup, eight years after their debut. Danish-Spanish coach Thomas Christiansen has built a side around defensive discipline — Murillo at Besiktas, Jose Cordoba at Norwich, Andres Andrade in Austria — with Adalberto Carrasquilla providing midfield experience. Ismael Diaz leads a limited attack. Hard to break down; rarely score.
Key man: Michael Amir Murillo (Besiktas) — the most-experienced European-based name.
Betting angle: Under 2.5 goals in every Panama match is the popular angle. Qualification is for outsider backers only.
Panama full squad
GK: Luis Mejia, Orlando Mosquera, Cesar Samudio.
DF: Eric Davis, Fidel Escobar, Michael Amir Murillo, Roderick Miller, Andres Andrade, Cesar Blackman, Jose Cordoba, Jiovany Ramos, Jorge Gutierrez, Edgardo Farina.
MF: Anibal Godoy, Alberto Quintero, Yoel Barcenas, Adalberto Carrasquilla, Jose Luis Rodriguez, Cristian Martinez, Cesar Yanis, Carlos Harvey, Azarias Londono.
FW: Jose Fajardo, Ismael Diaz, Cecilio Waterman, Tomas Rodriguez.
