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England and Ghana lead tied on four points after completing the second matchday on Tuesday, while Croatia remains in the race with three points and Panama is mathematically eliminated without having scored a single point.
The first match, held on June 17, ended with a resounding result: England crushed Croatia 4-2 at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, with a brace from Harry Kane in the 12th and 42nd minutes —equalling Gary Lineker as the highest English scorer in World Cup history with 10 goals— along with goals from Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford.
In the other match, Ghana defeated Panama 1-0 in Toronto, thanks to a last-minute goal by Caleb Yirenkyi in the 90+5 minute, a 20-year-old midfielder from the Danish club FC Nordsjælland.
The second match, however, halted the English momentum. England could not surpass Ghana and the game ended 0-0 at Gillette Stadium in Boston, with the Ghanaian defense withstanding the assault from Thomas Tuchel's team.
At the same time, Croatia defeated Panama 1-0 in Toronto with a goal from Ante Budimir in the 53rd minute, assisted by Josip Stanišić, to earn their first three points of the tournament.
Table after round 2
The standings are as follows:
1st England (4 pts, GD +2)
2nd Ghana (4 pts, GD +1)
3rd Croatia (3 pts, GD -1)
4th Panama (0 pts, GD -2)
Both England and Ghana are directly qualified for the Round of 16; Croatia is currently listed as the best third-place team.
Scenarios for Matchday 3
The final match day will take place on Saturday, June 27 at 17:00 (Cuba time and host time) simultaneously: Croatia vs. Ghana at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, and Panama vs. England at MetLife Stadium in New York/New Jersey. The simultaneous format is FIFA's standard to prevent collusion between teams.
For England and Ghana, the pass is already guaranteed; they are just playing for who finishes first. The goal difference could be decisive: England has an advantage over Ghana in that criterion (+2 versus +1), so it is in the Africans' interest to win to secure the top spot.
The most tense scenario is that of Croatia. A victory against Ghana would give them six points and place them in a position to even compete for the top spot in the group. A draw would leave them with four points, tied with England and/or Ghana, and the tiebreaker based on goal difference would put them in a precarious position to qualify among the eight best third-placed teams out of 12 groups. A defeat would condemn them to finish with three points, a figure that practically shuts down their chances of qualifying.
Panama, eliminated, only plays for honor in its final World Cup match.
In the 2026 World Cup, the top two teams from each group will qualify, along with the eight best third-placed teams among the 12 groups, which means that four of the twelve third-placed teams will be eliminated. Croatia knows that winning on Saturday is the only way to ensure their advancement without depending on the outcomes in other groups.
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