England have beaten Panama 2-0 to seal top spot in Group L after two wins and a draw in their World Cup 2026 campaign so far.
Thomas Tuchel’s side were not at their best but managed to find a breakthrough eventually thanks to second-half goals from Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane.
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There will surely be some concerns from an England point of view, with Tuchel making a few changes to the line up, but with the likes of Bukayo Saka and Marcus Rashford not making the impact many would have hoped.
Reece James was also missed at right-back and his injury looks a real concern, but at least England are through and can start looking ahead to their next game.
England’s potential opponents in the World Cup last 32
As group winners, England are now preparing to play one of the eight of the best third-placed teams who will qualify for the next round in this expanded edition of the World Cup.
As it stands, England are set to take on Senegal, but it seems likely that will change as DR Congo prepare to take on Uzbekistan later tonight.
Congo will be the favourites to win that game, but a draw or a defeat could still mean England play Senegal next.
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An even less likely scenario could see England play Portugal if Cristiano Ronaldo and co. lose to Colombia and there’s also a seven-goal swing.
All in all, it’s looking like a pretty favourable draw for England, though if they do come up against Senegal then they’ll be facing a team that did beat them 3-1 in a recently friendly.
What else happened in Group L?
Croatia beat Ghana 2-1, meaning Luka Modric’s team ended up in second in the group, though Ghana’s tally of four points seems likely to mean they’ll go through as one of the best of the third-placed sides.
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