Panama seek World Cup upset against England in final Group L clash

Panama went into their final Group L meeting with England already eliminated, but Thomas Christiansen’s side still carried enough experience to make the night awkward at New York/New Jersey Stadium. FIFA’s squad list showed a 26-man group built around several familiar names from Russia 2018, and that continuity gave Panama a route to trouble England if the favorite lost concentration.

The fixture kicked off on Saturday, 27 June 2026, with England Football listing it at 10pm BST and FIFA’s match centre setting the local start for 21:00 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. England needed a positive result to strengthen their position at the top of the group, while Panama were playing for pride after going out of the tournament. It was a familiar setting in another sense too: Panama’s only previous World Cup appearance came in 2018, when they shared a group with England, Belgium and Tunisia.

That history still shapes the matchup. England won 6-1 in Russia, but Panama’s consolation goal that day was their first ever at a World Cup, a milestone that came in the same game that sent England through to the last 16 and eliminated Panama. FIFA said many of the same faces were back in the squad for 2026, giving Christiansen a seasoned core rather than a team learning on the job.

The player England had most reason to worry about was Adalberto Carrasquilla. FIFA’s current team profile described him as the midfielder who “stirs the drink,” a description that points to Panama’s main route into danger: quick central combinations, a steady tempo and the ability to pull opponents out of shape. Captain Aníbal Godoy added experience beside him, while Michael Amir Murillo, Ismael Díaz and José Fajardo gave Panama runners who could turn loose balls and second phases into chances. José Córdoba and goalkeeper Orlando Mosquera completed a spine that has seen this stage before.

That mix of age, caps and familiarity gives Panama a narrow but real opening against England. If England were slow in midfield, careless in transition or relaxed about details, Carrasquilla and Panama’s veteran core had the pieces to make a routine group match feel uncomfortable before the knockout stage.