England Pin Hopes on the World’s Best Player: Group 12 Guide for the 2026 World Cup
The main story: Can Kane carry England? England does not arrive at the World Cup in ideal shape, neither in terms of the odds given to it by bookmakers and pundits, nor in terms of the level it showed in most of its matches under Thomas Tuchel, and above all not in terms of the form of most of its leading players. But this may be the first time it comes to the World Cup with the best player in the world.
Harry Kane may not draw the mass appeal of Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal, but it is certainly not far-fetched to say he is better than them, and at 32 he arrives at the tournament after the best season of his life, after leading Bayern Munich to a double with 61 goals in 51 appearances in all competitions. He is a footballer unlike any other, a striker who looks a little awkward but is actually an ideal blend of a goal machine and an altruistic player who can operate as a kind of creative No. 10. With 78 goals for the national team, more than any other player in England’s history, many already regard him as the greatest player the national team has ever produced, and of course that debate will be settled if he leads the Three Lions to the title. For that to happen, Tuchel and the fans need to pray that, unlike in previous major tournaments, Kane stays healthy throughout the World Cup. England depends on him more than ever.
Power balance: England are favorites, but Croatia should not be underestimated. England are the favorites to finish first, but, as noted, many of the players expected to lead them, including Jude Bellingham and Bukayo Saka, have had a fairly difficult season, while Phil Foden and Cole Palmer were not called up at all in a decision that shocked the country. Tuchel took plenty of risks in selecting the squad and was unbothered by the criticism from fans and the media, including those who claimed the German had been sent to sabotage England’s chances. As under Gareth Southgate, England have not exactly dazzled so far under the new coach, but they have certainly been efficient. They finished their qualifying group, which included two challenging mid-tier teams in Albania and Serbia, with a perfect record and without conceding a single goal, the only European team to do so. However, their results against stronger teams in warm-up matches were worrying, including a first-ever loss to an African team, 3-1 to Senegal, and a first-ever loss to an Asian team, 1-0 to Japan. Perhaps the fact that England are coming to North America without the huge expectations that have accompanied them in recent years will help them spring a surprise and finally end a 60-year drought without a major title.
Croatia, who reached the 2018 World Cup final and finished third in Qatar, will try once again to prove they are underrated, and that the setback at Euro 2024, when they failed to get out of a group that included Spain and Italy, did not signal the end of an era. They were already very old then, and now they are even older, with Luka Modric already 40, recovering from a cheekbone fracture, while Ivan Perisic, 37, Andrej Kramaric and Ante Budimir, who will soon turn 35, are also expected to play important roles. Even so, their qualifying campaign was one of the most successful in their history, as they finished unbeaten with 26 goals scored and only four conceded, although it should be noted that a group with Czechia, Montenegro, the Faroe Islands and Gibraltar is not exactly a group of death. They also have some excellent young players such as 22-year-olds Petar Sucic and Martin Baturina of Inter and Como respectively, Manchester City center back, full back Josko Gvardiol, who broke through at the last World Cup, and another super talent who will be discussed later. On paper, Croatia are not expected to go very far, but that is exactly what was said about them the last two times.
Ghana is one of the teams with the biggest gap between talent and results and performance. It finished its qualifying group in first place, ahead of Madagascar and Mali, but it also failed to qualify for the most recent Africa Cup of Nations and mainly tends to play very defensive, uninspired football. That is despite having excellent attacking players such as Antoine Semenyo, one of Manchester City’s stars since he was bought by them in January, Inaki Williams and many others. Coach Otto Addo was fired 78 days before the opening match after five straight losses, and his replacement Carlos Queiroz, who will coach at the World Cup for the sixth time, matching the record, was appointed only two months before the tournament, so it seems they arrive at the decisive moment as a very unprepared team. After the last two World Cups they took part in, in 2014 and 2022, the Black Stars were eliminated in the group stage, this time they have a good chance to reach the knockout round thanks to the new format, but it could also end in fiasco.
Panama will appear in only its second World Cup ever after making its debut in 2018 and wildly celebrating its first goal in the tournament, which reduced the score to 6-1 against England. In terms of talent, it is one of the weaker teams in the tournament, as shown by the fact that Itturani Kiryat Shmona midfielder Christian Martinez has an important role, but unlike Ghana, it is a whole that often manages to be greater than the sum of its parts. That was the case at the most recent Copa America, when it finished ahead of host nation the United States and Bolivia in its group thanks to a hard-working style and defensive discipline. It did less well in qualifying, and despite being one of the strongest teams in North and Central America, especially in the absence of hosts the United States, Mexico and Canada, it advanced directly only because Suriname choked on the final matchday. At the World Cup it is expected to sit deep and rely on the creativity of its star Adalberto Carrasquilla to create chances.
Who are you anyway? (Luka Vuskovic, Croatia)
Croatia may have an aging squad, but it also has one of the world’s most special and biggest talents. The 19-year-old center back was bought last summer by Tottenham and loaned to Hamburg, where he became a sensational success story and a major factor in their survival in the league. Not only because he was a defensive anchor, but also thanks to his unusual attacking contribution with superb passes and six Bundesliga goals. One of them, a stunning backheel volley, was chosen as the German league’s Goal of the Year for 2025. In January he was also named the Bundesliga’s overall “player of the season so far” in a poll conducted on the league’s website, ahead of even Kane. He has also already found the net for the national team, in only his third appearance, with a superb long-range strike in a 2-1 win over Colombia in a warm-up match, and was named man of the match. It would not be surprising if soon there is not a football fan who does not know him.
Must watch: England vs. Croatia. The Three Lions will try to avenge their loss in the 2018 World Cup semifinal. The teams have met three times since then and England have not lost any of those matches, including a win in the Euro 2020 group stage, but nothing compares with the World Cup stage. It will also be Thomas Tuchel’s first match as coach in a major national-team tournament, and England will try to make a statement against an opponent that could certainly cause them trouble.
Can miss: Ghana vs. Panama. The truth is that this is a match with the potential to be fun and chaotic, but in a World Cup with no fewer than 104 matches, you also need to know when to pass.
Take note: 4. Croatia are by no means a team that opponents want to meet in a penalty shootout. They have won on all four occasions when they went to penalties at the World Cup, twice in 2018 and twice in 2022, the best record in World Cup history alongside Germany.
Prediction: Goal difference will decide it. England and Croatia will each earn seven points, and the Three Lions will finish first thanks to a better goal difference. Ghana will beat Panama in a high-scoring match.
First published: 15:51, 03.06.26
