Panama vs Croatia Preview

Panama vs Croatia

Competition –  2026 World Cup 

Stadium: BMO Field

Date: 23rd June 2026

Kick-off time – 23:59 GMT

Tuesday’s late Group L fixture at BMO Field sees Panama take on Croatia, with both sides already facing an uphill battle after defeats in their opening matches against England and Ghana. With both nations sitting bottom of the group on zero points, this represents a genuine must-win scenario for whoever wants to keep their qualification hopes realistic.

Panama’s tournament opener ended in a 1-0 defeat away to Ghana on 18th June, a narrow result that leaves them with no points despite a competitive display. Prior to that, they drew 1-1 at home to Bosnia and Herzegovina in a warm-up friendly. Before that, a 4-2 home win over Dominican Republic. Earlier in this run they lost 6-2 away to Brazil, and in their oldest result here they won 2-1 away to South Africa. Los Canaleros have shown they can score goals when their attacking players click, but defensive consistency has been a recurring issue throughout this run.

Croatia’s World Cup bow brought a 4-2 defeat away to England on 17th June, an entertaining but ultimately costly result against the group’s form side. Prior to that, they beat Slovenia 2-1 at home in a friendly. Before that, they lost 0-2 at home to Belgium. Earlier in this run they were beaten 3-1 away by Brazil, and in their oldest result here they won 2-1 away to Colombia. The Checkered Ones still possess significant individual quality through their experienced midfield, and they will need to find defensive solidity quickly against Panama.

There is no previous meeting on record between these two nations, making this the first-ever fixture between Panama and Croatia.

Both sides sit bottom of Group L on zero points, with Croatia’s goal difference of -2 the worse of the two compared to Panama’s -1. A win for either side here would move them to three points and keep alive a realistic hope of qualification heading into the final round, while a draw would leave both nations needing a positive result against England or Ghana to have any chance of progressing.

In the UK, this match is live on BBC One and available to stream via BBC iPlayer. In the United States, viewers can watch on FOX Network or fuboTV. Panamanian fans can follow the action on TVN Panama or Telemetro, while Croatian viewers can tune in on HRT 2 or MAXtv To Go.

Possible Lineups

Panama (3-4-3) Mosquera, Córdoba, Andrade, Murillo, Ramos, Harvey, Bárcenas, Martínez, Rodriguez, Blackman, Waterman

Croatia (3-4-2-1) Livakovic, Vuskovic, Sutalo, Stanisic, Sucic, Modric, Baturina, Gvardiol, Perisic, Pasalic, Musa


Group L Table

Pos Team MP W D L GF GA GD P
1 England 1 1 0 0 4 2 +2 3
2 Ghana 1 1 0 0 1 0 +1 3
3 Panama 1 0 0 1 0 1 -1 0
4 Croatia 1 0 0 1 2 4 -2 0

Panama Form

Result Home Team Score Away Team Competition Date
Ghana 1-0 Panama World Cup 18.06.26
🤝 Panama 1-1 Bosnia & Herzegovina Friendly 06.06.26
Panama 4-2 Dominican Republic Friendly 04.06.26
Brazil 6-2 Panama Friendly 31.05.26
South Africa 1-2 Panama Friendly 31.03.26

Croatia Form

Result Home Team Score Away Team Competition Date
England 4-2 Croatia World Cup 17.06.26
Croatia 2-1 Slovenia Friendly 07.06.26
Croatia 0-2 Belgium Friendly 02.06.26
Brazil 3-1 Croatia Friendly 01.04.26
Colombia 1-2 Croatia Friendly 26.03.26

Head-to-Head

No previous meetings on record between these two nations.


TV Listings / Streaming

Country Channel
Great Britain BBC Sport Web, BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Radio 5 Live
Ireland RTE 2, BBC Sport Web, BBC One, RTE Player, BBC iPlayer
USA FOX Network, fuboTV, Telemundo
Panama TVN Panama, Telemetro, Tigo Sports Panama
Croatia HRT 2, MAXtv To Go, HRTi
France beIN Sports 1, beIN SPORTS CONNECT
Germany SRF zwei, MagentaTV
Australia SBS, SBS On Demand
Canada TSN1, TSN+, RDS
Italy DAZN Italia

About Bet.ax Staff

Driven by passion, precision, and a love for the sport, we’re dedicated to delivering the best football content possible that informs, excites, and connects fans everywhere.

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