Group L is ready to take center stage in the largest World Cup in history. There will be 48 nations battling for the ultimate prize, and this group features none other than the founding father of modern football.
Traders on Polymarket already favor one of these four teams to top the group, but if tournament history has taught us anything, it's that nothing can be taken for granted.
The protagonists of Group L are England, Croatia, Ghana, and Panama.
Group L Odds
England: The Inventors of the Game
The case for England is always striking. They invented modern football as we know it, organizing the game and establishing the rules to transform it into a professional sport. Because of this heritage and their star-studded squads, England never goes unnoticed in pre-tournament predictions. Yet, despite participating 18 times in the World Cup, they have only once been crowned world champions.
That lonely title came back in 1966, when they defeated East Germany 4-2. Since then, their best performances have "only" been two fourth-place finishes, with Russia 2018 being the most recent.
In Qatar 2022, their journey was cut short after a tight 1-2 loss against France in the quarterfinals.
The squad England brings to the United States includes heavyweights like Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), and Anthony Gordon (Barcelona). It’s a clear demonstration of England's raw power, boasting elite talent across some of the world's biggest clubs.
Croatia: A European Rollercoaster
Croatia’s World Cup track record deserves its own separate analysis. As an independent nation, they have participated in the World Cup six times. Half of those times, they couldn't even break out of the group stage. The other half? They came agonizingly close to winning it all.
1998: Secured a brilliant third place.
2018: Finished as runners-up after a thrilling 2-4 defeat against France.
2022: Fell 0-3 in the semifinals against Argentina, but left with their heads held high by winning the third-place playoff 2-1 against Morocco.
For Croatia, there is no middle ground: they either pack their bags early or march all the way to the final weekend. Leading the charge is the eternal and experienced Luka Modrić, who, at 40, has played in the past two World Cups and still possesses an unquenchable hunger for glory.
The Challengers: Ghana and Panama
You cannot underestimate the sheer power of Ghana. They are an African side with relatively little historical volume in the tournament, having only played four World Cups before this one, but that was more than enough for them to leave a mark by reaching the quarterfinals back in 2010 during the historic African World Cup.
On the other hand, Panama’s reality is entirely different. They have only experienced one World Cup before this, Russia 2018, where they were eliminated in the group stage.
