Panama vs England Preview

Saturday evening at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey brings Group L to a close as Panama host England in what amounts to a dead rubber for one side and a chance for experimentation for the other. England sit in first place on four points, their qualification is on the line and everything hinges on this result. Panama are bottom with nothing from two games and cannot progress — for the Central Americans, this is a final opportunity to end a difficult tournament on a positive note and give their fans something to celebrate.

Panama have found this group stage a stern test. Their most recent outing was a 1–0 home defeat to Croatia on 24th June — a result that ended their qualification hopes at the third-round stage. Prior to that, they lost 1–0 away to Ghana on 18th June in a tight contest where chances were limited. Earlier in this run, a 1–1 draw at home to Bosnia & Herzegovina on 6th June, a 4–2 home win over the Dominican Republic on 4th June, and a 6–2 thrashing away in Brazil on 31st May complete a mixed preparation — one win, one draw, and three losses. Panama have shown moments of quality but have been unable to string together the kind of performance needed to trouble stronger opposition consistently.

England head into this game having already done the hard work. Their most recent outing was a goalless draw at home to Ghana on 23rd June — a disappointing result given they were expected to run through their opponents. Prior to that, they put in their best display of the tournament with a 4–2 home win over Croatia on 17th June — an emphatic and entertaining result. Earlier in this run, a 3–0 home win over Costa Rica on 10th June and a 1–0 home win over New Zealand on 6th June confirmed their pre-tournament quality in friendly action, while a 1–0 home defeat to Japan on 31st March was a useful reality check. Three wins, one draw and one defeat across five — England have been solid and will use this fixture to cement their place in the knockout stage.

In Group L, England lead on four points with a goal difference of +2. Ghana sit second on four points with a goal difference of +1. Croatia are third on three points with a goal difference of -1. Panama are fourth with no points and a goal difference of -2. England are virtually through; the race for second between Ghana and Croatia will be settled in the simultaneous fixture at Lincoln Financial Field.

The only previous meeting between these sides ended in a comprehensive England victory. England won 6–1 at home against Panama in a World Cup group stage fixture in June 2018 — a result that remains the only head-to-head data point between these nations.

In the UK, the match is live on ITV 1 and available to stream via ITVX and STV Player, with radio coverage on TalkSport Radio UK and BBC Radio 5 Live. In Panama, audiences can follow on RPCTV, N Panama, TVMax, Medcom GO, Tigo Sports Panama, and FOX Panama. US viewers can catch the action on FOX Network, fuboTV, Telemundo, and Telemundo Deportes En Vivo.

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Possible Lineups

Panama (5-4-1) Mosquera, Murillo, Ramos, Córdoba, Andrade, Blackman, Martínez, Harvey, Bárcenas, Rodriguez, Fajardo

England (4-2-3-1) Pickford, Spence, Rice, Guéhi, Konsa, James, Gordon, Bellingham, Anderson, Madueke, Kane

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Group L Table

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

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Panama Form

Result	Home Team	Score	Away Team	Competition	Date
❌	Panama	0–1	Croatia	World Cup	24-06-26
❌	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

England Form

Result	Home Team	Score	Away Team	Competition	Date
🤝	England	0–0	Ghana	World Cup	23-06-26
✅	England	4–2	Croatia	World Cup	17-06-26
✅	England	3–0	Costa Rica	Friendly	10-06-26
✅	England	1–0	New Zealand	Friendly	06-06-26
❌	England	0–1	Japan	Friendly	31-03-26

Head-to-Head

Home Team	Score	Away Team	Competition	Date
England	6–1	Panama	World Cup	24-06-18

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TV Listings / Streaming

Country	Channel
Great Britain	ITV 1 UK, ITVX, STV Scotland, TalkSport Radio UK, BBC Radio 5 Live
Ireland Republic	ITV 1 UK, RTE 2, ITVX, RTE Player, BBC Radio 5 Live
Panama	RPCTV, N Panama, TVMax, Medcom GO, Tigo Sports Panama, FOX Panama
USA	FOX Network, fuboTV, Telemundo, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, FOX One
Germany	ORF eins, SRF zwei, MagentaTV
France	M6, beIN Sports 1, M6+, myCANAL
Australia	SBS, SBS On Demand
Canada	TSN+, TSN1, RDS, CTV
Sweden	SVT 1, SVT Play, Discovery+
Spain	DAZN Spain, DAZN Mundial, Movistar+