England manager Thomas Tuchel said the Three Lions are confident but must show Croatia, Ghana and Panama the respect they deserve after Friday's World Cup draw.
After narrowly missing out at two Euros and World Cups under Gareth Southgate, England head to North America as one of the favourites as they aim to end a 60-year wait to win a major tournament.
The start of our @FIFAWorldCup journey 🔜 pic.twitter.com/KTESKBGHOU
— England (@England) December 5, 2025
Croatia beat England in the 2018 World Cup semifinal and also reached the last four at the 2022 World Cup.
The two will meet in their first game in either Toronto or Dallas before England face Ghana and finish the group against Panama, who they beat 6-1 at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
"Difficult opener with Croatia and Ghana, two regulars in World Cups and two proud, strong nations," Tuchel told the BBC.
"Panama I don’t know much about at the moment but we will find out more about before the tournament starts.
"For me I only experienced group football in Champions League formats and the way to approach it was to give it the biggest respect and put all the focus into winning the group.
"It always seems difficult but we are confident and we will be well prepared when we arrive."
Looking forward to it 🤩
— England (@England) December 5, 2025
The boss reacts to the @FIFAWorldCup group draw 👇
By landing in Group L, England will not begin their tournament until June 17, which could afford some of Tuchel’s players extra time to recover should they be involved in major European club finals at the end of the season.
However, Tuchel’s men will then be met with a condensed schedule should they progress to the knockout stages.
"We know now we will start late in the tournament, it gives us a bit of time if players are involved in European finals, hopefully," the German added. "But we did not desire any (single) scenario because it is a more condensed schedule later."
Should the top seeds win their groups, England could face Brazil in the quarterfinals before a potential semifinal against Argentina