Group L World Cup 2026: What the Odds Miss About England, Croatia, Ghana and Panama
England enters Group L with a Footlab Elo of 1715 — ranked 5th among the 48 qualified nations — yet bookmakers consistently price them as near-certainties to qualify. That leaves the interesting questions elsewhere: Croatia, twice a World Cup finalist since 2018, Ghana at FIFA #65 but regularly mispriced by the markets, and Panama appearing at just their third World Cup. Before placing any bet on qualification, here is what the Footlab engine actually measures in this group.
Group L Teams: Footlab Elo Ratings and FIFA Rankings
| Team | Footlab Elo | FIFA Rank | Elo Trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| England | 1715 | #4 | 3.64 |
| Croatia | 1648 | #13 | 3.69 |
| Ghana | 1419 | #65 | -0.68 |
| Panama | 1515 | #44 | -1.24 |
The Elo gap between England (1715) and Croatia (1648) sits at roughly 55 points — meaningful, but hardly a guarantee across three group-stage matches. Ghana (1419) and Panama (1515) trail England by approximately 300 and 180 Elo points respectively, which captures the structural hierarchy of the group at a glance.