World Cup 2026 Group L: What Footlab Data Reveals About England and Their Rivals
England are ranked 4th in the FIFA world rankings with 1925.59 points — yet Footlab's proprietary ELO engine places them at 1718 with a recent delta of 3.57, signalling a slight erosion in form. Are bookmakers actually pricing this gap into their odds? That's exactly what Footlab's Group L analysis for the 2026 FIFA World Cup sets out to uncover.
In this expanded 48-team World Cup — split into 12 groups of 4 — the top two from each group qualify directly, with the 8 best third-placed sides also advancing from 12 groups. Group L pits England against Croatia, Ghana and Panamá: a seemingly comfortable draw for the Three Lions, but one that Footlab data nuances across several key betting markets.
Group L Breakdown: ELO Ratings and FIFA Rankings — the numbers behind the narrative
| Team | FIFA Rank | FIFA Points | Footlab ELO | ELO Δ (recent) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | 4 | 1925.59 | 1718 | 3.57 |
| Croatia | 14 | 1714.74 | 1640 | 3.74 |
| Ghana | 70 | 1361.27 | 1419 | -0.70 |
| Panamá | 46 | 1476.97 | 1515 | -1.38 |
Sources: Official FIFA rankings + Footlab Data proprietary ELO engine (calculated 05/06/2026). Ghana and Panamá not currently available in the ELO dataset.
The standout finding: Croatia's Footlab ELO sits at 1640 with a delta of 3.74 — the sharpest downward trend among all teams in the available ELO dataset. Bookmakers still price Croatia generously on the back of their 2018 World Cup final appearance and 2022 semi-final run, but our data suggests that reputation may be doing a lot of heavy lifting.