Panama face Croatia in a must-win Group L showdown at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Victory would see Panama go second if Ghana beat England otherwise they would stay third even with a win and keep their knockout dreams alive.
Croatia can move off the foot of the table with a win but would only go second if Ghana lose to England and they win by two or more goals.
Team News
Adalberto Carrasquilla is a doubt for Panama after he missed their 1-0 loss against Ghana due to a groin injury.
Croatia have no fresh injury concerns to report after their 4-2 loss to England.
When is Kick-Off?
Panama face Croatia at BMO Field, Toronto, Canada, on Tuesday 23 June at 7pm EDT (00:00am BST, Wednesday 24 June), live on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in the UK.
Stat Attack
- This is Panama’s first World Cup meeting against Croatia.
- Croatia have never met Panama in all competitions prior to this meeting.
- Panama’s Ismael Diaz put both of his two shots against Ghana onto target without scoring.
- Croatia converted two of their five shots on target against England into goals.
Prediction
Panama realistically needed to beat Ghana to stand any chance of qualifying for the knockouts as these last two group games are tough, but if they can find a way to contain Croatia and develop a clinical final touch then they could stand a chance of pulling off a shock.
Croatia though just have to reset and ideally switch back to their usual four-man defence because this is a winnable game if they play to their strengths and stay tight defensively, and Ghana in their last match isn’t easy so a draw here isn’t ideal as will put all the pressure on them in that game.
I however do feel that Croatia will get the job done comfortably if they turn up with the right focus and get the first goal.
Prediction: Croatia 3-0 Panama