By Opta Analyst | Created at 2026-06-22 09:29:50 | Updated at 2026-06-22 13:12:09
4 hours ago
England can guarantee their place in the knockout rounds on a potentially momentous day for Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham. Look ahead to this Group L clash at the 2026 FIFA World Cup with our England vs Ghana prediction and preview.
England vs Ghana: The Key Insights
- England are strong favourites to win this match, coming out on top in 78.8% of the Opta supercomputer’s 25,000 simulations.
- Ghana boss Carlos Queiroz’s heaviest defeat as a head coach at the FIFA World Cup was against England in the 2022 group stage – his Iran side lost 6-2.
- Jude Bellingham could make his 50th appearance for England in this match – aged 22 years and 359 days on the day of the game, he’d be the youngest player in history to reach this milestone for the Three Lions.
England face Ghana in Foxborough, Massachusetts, on Tuesday with a place in the knockout rounds guaranteed for the winner.
If England are victorious, a win for Croatia against Panama in Group L’s other match would see the Three Lions confirm top spot in the group. If Ghana beat England, a victory for Panama against Croatia would result in Ghana topping the group.
England and Ghana both picked up three points in the first round of fixtures, but they did so in contrasting fashion.
Ghana did not attempt a single shot in the first half of their win against Panama, ultimately recording 0.97 of their 1.25 total expected goals with a stoppage-time winner that felt a touch harsh for the Panamanians.
England were far from perfect themselves against Croatia – sloppy defensively in the first half when conceding two goals – but considering the strength of their opponents, their attacking performance was among the most impressive across the entirety of Matchday 1.
Only Germany (12 vs Curaçao) had more shots on target than England (11) across the opening-round fixtures at the 2026 World Cup. Excluding penalties, Thomas Tuchel’s side also had the highest xG (1.09) and most shots on target (5) from set-piece situations of any side on MD1.
And based on their second-half performance, there remains a feeling that England have further gears they can click through, particularly with Bukayo Saka and Marcus Rashford making an impact from the bench.
Elliot Anderson was among England’s top performers against Croatia, winning possession eight times, more than any other England player. It’s something of a speciality for the Nottingham Forest midfielder.
Anderson has won possession an average of 9.6 times per 90 in his England career, at least double the rate of any other England player during the Thomas Tuchel era (500+ minutes played).
England have the opportunity against Ghana to win their opening two games at a men’s World Cup for only the fourth time, after completing the feat in 1982, 2006 and 2018.
And it could be a momentous day for a number of England players.
Jordan Pickford and John Stones could both make their 14th World Cup appearances for England – only Peter Shilton (17) has more in the competition for the men’s national team.
Meanwhile, Jude Bellingham could make his 50th appearance for England. Aged 22 years and 359 days on the day of the game, he would be the youngest player in history to reach this milestone for the Three Lions.
Harry Kane is never far from a record, either, and he’s on the cusp of a big one here. If he scores in this game, Kane will go beyond Gary Lineker (10) to become England’s all-time top scorer at the World Cup.
Ghana are managed by Carlos Queiroz, a coach of considerable experience who is well known in England for being an assistant manager at Manchester United during Alex Ferguson’s reign. England have faced him before at the World Cup, inflicting a 6-2 defeat on his Iran team at the 2022 edition. It’s Queiroz’s heaviest defeat as a manager in the competition.
Caleb Yirenkyi scored the late winner for Ghana against Panama, but most England eyes will be on Antoine Semenyo. The winger had an impressive season in the Premier League with Bournemouth and Manchester City, but struggled to get into his World Cup opener. Semenyo only attempted two shots, and his 36 touches were the fewest of any Ghana player who played the full game.
England vs Ghana Head-to-Head
England and Ghana are facing each other at the World Cup for the first time. Their only previous encounter came in a March 2011 friendly at Wembley – the game ended 1-1, with goals from Andy Carroll and Asamoah Gyan.
England are unbeaten against African teams at the World Cup, with five wins and three draws.
This match will also represent England’s eighth different African opponent at the World Cup (after Morocco, Egypt, Cameroon, Tunisia, Nigeria, Algeria and Senegal), more than any other nation.
England vs Ghana Prediction
The Opta supercomputer regards England as strong favourites to win this match, with Tuchel’s side triumphing in 78.8% of the 25,000 pre-match simulations.
The next most likely result is a draw, at 13.3%, while Ghana earned an unlikely win in 7.9% of simulations.
England vs Ghana Squads
England: Jordan Pickford, Dean Henderson, James Trafford, Ezri Konsa, Nico O’Reilly, John Stones, Marc Guéhi, Trevoh Chalobah, Dan Burn, Reece James, Djed Spence, Jarell Quansah, Declan Rice, Elliot Anderson, Jude Bellingham, Jordan Henderson, Kobbie Mainoo, Morgan Rogers, Eberechi Eze, Bukayo Saka, Harry Kane, Marcus Rashford, Anthony Gordon, Ollie Watkins, Noni Madueke, Ivan Toney.
Ghana: Lawrence Ati Zigi, Joseph Anang, Benjamin Asare, Alidu Seidu, Jonas Adjetey, Abdul Mumin, Gideon Mensah, Abdul Rahman Baba, Jerome Opoku, Kojo Peprah Oppong, Derrick Luckassen, Marvin Senaya, Caleb Yirenkyi, Thomas Partey, Kwasi Sibo, Elisha Owusu, Augustine Boakye, Abdul Fatawu, Jordan Ayew, Brandon Thomas-Asante, Antoine Semenyo, Christopher Bonsu Baah, Iñaki Williams, Kamaldeen Sulemana, Ernest Nuamah, Prince Adu.
England vs Ghana Predicted Lineups
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