England can book their place in the last-32 of the 2026 World Cup with a game to spare when they face Ghana in a high-stakes Group L clash at Gillette Stadium on Tuesday.
Both sides arrive in Boston full of confidence after winning their opening fixtures, with England edging Croatia 4-2 in an entertaining contest, while Ghana scraped past Panama 1-0 thanks to a dramatic late winner.
Match preview
England made an explosive start to their World Cup campaign, producing one of the tournament’s standout performances so far with a 4-2 win over Croatia.
Thomas Tuchel’s side were ruthless in attack, with Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford all involved in a display that underlined England’s status as one of the favourites for the trophy. The result also ended a frustrating run of poor outcomes against top-ranked opposition at previous tournaments.
Despite defensive concerns after conceding twice, England’s attacking numbers were remarkable, including a record number of penalty-area touches that highlighted their dominance in advanced positions.
A win on Tuesday would guarantee England a place in the knockout rounds and extend their winning streak across all competitions to four matches, strengthening their bid for top spot in Group L.
Ghana, meanwhile, also opened their campaign with a crucial victory, though in far more dramatic fashion.
The Black Stars looked set to be held by Panama until Caleb Yirenkyi struck in stoppage time to seal a 1-0 win and continue their encouraging start to the tournament. The result marked Ghana’s first World Cup opening victory since 2006 and boosted hopes of a long-awaited return to the knockout stage.
Carlos Queiroz’s men now find themselves in a similar position to England: another win would guarantee progression to the last 32 before a final group fixture against Croatia.
However, Ghana’s attacking output remains a concern, having struggled for goals in recent matches and failing to consistently trouble opponents for long spells.
The only previous World Cup meeting between the sides came in 2011, when they played out a 1-1 draw in a friendly encounter.
Head-to-head
This will be only the second meeting between England and Ghana at senior international level, with the previous clash ending all square.
Form guide
England World Cup form: W
England form (all competitions): W D L W W W
Ghana World Cup form: W
Ghana form (all competitions): W L L L D W
Team news
England have no major injury concerns, although there are ongoing fitness doubts over Bukayo Saka, Marcus Rashford and Declan Rice. Both Rashford and Rice returned to training, but Saka remains a doubt after being limited to individual sessions.
Tuchel is expected to make at least one defensive adjustment after England conceded twice against Croatia, with Marc Guéhi pushing for a starting role.
In attack, Noni Madueke could again start on the right flank if Saka is not risked.
Ghana’s preparations have been complicated by uncertainty over goalkeeper Lawrence Ati-Zigi, who was substituted at half-time in the opener. Benjamin Asare is expected to step in if the St. Gallen man is ruled out.
Carlos Queiroz is also expected to welcome back Thomas Partey into midfield, while Caleb Yirenkyi is set to retain his place after scoring the winner against Panama.
Predicted lineups
England possible starting XI:
Pickford; James, Stones, Guehi, O’Reilly; Anderson, Rice; Madueke, Bellingham, Gordon; Kane
Ghana possible starting XI:
Asare; Senaya, Adjetey, Opoku, Minseh; Yirenkyi, Partey; Fatawu, Sulemana, Semenyo; Ayew
Prediction
Ghana’s resilience was impressive against Panama, but their lack of sustained attacking threat could be exposed against a far more clinical England side.
With England’s attacking depth and momentum from their opening win, the Three Lions should control large phases of the game and create enough chances to secure qualification.
We say: England 2-0 Ghana
