England can book its place in the knockout stage on Saturday when it faces Panama at New York/New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford, but only if Ghana does not beat Croatia. The Group K race is down to one final round of matches, and England enters with four points from its first two games.
That is why the match is being watched so closely now. England drew 0-0 with Ghana on Tuesday, left itself in control of its own fate, and can finish top of the group if it beats Panama and Ghana fails to defeat Croatia. If Ghana does win, goal differential decides the group, with England at plus-2 and Ghana at plus-1.
Panama no longer has anything left to play for beyond pride, but it still matters to the shape of the group. Panama lost 1-0 to Ghana in its first game and then lost to Croatia after conceding an Ante Budimir goal in the 54th minute. Those results helped build the math England is now trying to finish off, even though Panama has already been eliminated from the knockout stage.
The other half of the picture comes from Philadelphia Stadium, where Croatia meets Ghana on Saturday afternoon. The winner is guaranteed at least second place, while a draw sends Ghana into second. That leaves England needing the cleanest possible finish: a win over Panama and a result elsewhere that keeps the group from turning into a goal-differential debate.
Groups J, K and L all come to a head on Saturday, with the tournament moving toward the round of 32. Portugal meets Colombia at Miami Stadium in a Group K decider, and DR Congo faces Uzbekistan at Atlanta Stadium in a match that keeps both sides alive only if they can win and get help. Lionel Messi, who turned 39 on Wednesday and leads the scoring chart with five goals, is also part of the day’s wider stakes when Argentina meets Jordan in Dallas. The schedule is packed, and every match on the day is set to be shown in pairs on FOX or FS1 and streamed live on FOX One.
For England, the equation is simple enough to travel well: beat Panama and hope Ghana does not take three points. If Ghana does, the group may come down to the last margin that separates plus-2 from plus-1.
