Panama v England: World Cup 2026 – live

Key events18m agoRashford, Saka, Rogers and Quansah expected to start20m agoPreambleHere’s how Panama have done so far. If you’re going to lose both matches and not erode confidence, two gutsy displays against fancied opposition is the only way to do it.Ghana grab vital World Cup victory over Panama after Caleb Yirenkyi’s last-gasp goalRead moreBudimir rescues Croatia with winner against Panama on Modric’s landmark dayRead moreThat low block, then.

It’s proving quite the puzzle. But don’t worry! Some of the top managerial minds in the world – Thomas Tuchel and Emma Hayes, to be precise – are on it.

Thomas Tuchel searches for solutions to overcome Panama’s low block Read moreUrgency, magic and Rashford: how England can beat the low block against Panama | Emma HayesRead moreEngland’s opposition tonight. Bone up on the team that started this tournament as the 33rd best in the world with our team and player guides. Start with their star man Michael Amir Murillo and click on through …

Panama World Cup 2026 team guideRead moreMichael Amir Murillo… and there’s some early team news from our man on the spot. Over to you, Jacob Steinberg …

double quotation markHello from New Jersey. Word is filtering through that Marcus Rashford is to replace Anthony Gordon on the left when England face Panama later. Jarell Quansah is also expected to make his World Cup debut, replacing the injured Reece James at right-back.

Bukayo Saka is in line to replace Noni Madueke and in an attacking move it seems Morgan Rogers will come in for the rested Declan Rice and link with Jude Bellingham as Tuchel tries to find a way to break down Panama’s low block. England recorded their biggest-ever World Cup win against Panama at the 2018 tournament. A 6-2 rout sent Gareth Southgate’s side on their journey to a fourth-place finish; Harry Kane’s hat-trick went a long way to securing his Golden Boot.

And so here we are again … except last time, Panama were ranked 55th in the world, but now they’re ranked 42nd, and that after falling eight places in the wake of their 1-0 defeat to Croatia. Panama also gave Ghana a good game in their Group L opener, so while most observers expect England to do the business tonight, the current iteration of the Red Tide – runners-up to Mexico at both the previous Concacaf Gold Cup and Nations League – are no pushover.

England will hope to bounce back from their struggles against Queirozball earlier in the week; should they do so, they’ll deserve the plaudits that will come their way, and hope it’ll be a good omen for another deep run. Kick-off is at 10pm BST, 5pm EDT, 7am AEST. It’s on!

Pos Team P GD Pts 1 England 2 2 4 2 Ghana 2 1 4 3 Croatia 2 -1 3 4 Panama 2 -2 0