World Cup 2026: Ghana, Croatia Will Trouble England — Rio Ferdinand

 Former Manchester United defender, Rio Ferdinand, believes England will face a tough challenge from Ghana and Croatia in Group L of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Although he expects the Three Lions to top the group, Ferdinand admitted he is not pleased with the difficulty level of England’s draw. Speaking with GOAL, the football pundit said Ghana and Croatia possess enough quality to make England’s path tricky.

“I was not happy with England’s group, you know,” Ferdinand said.
“You want a group where you look at it and think, ‘We can just cruise through, not too many hard games.’
But we’ve got Croatia — Modric-inspired Croatia — Ghana, and Panama.”

Ferdinand acknowledged that Panama should be England’s most comfortable fixture, but warned that the Black Stars and the Croatians are capable of causing problems.

“Panama is a team we should beat, but Ghana and Croatia will make it difficult.
I still back us to win the group and get through, but I would have preferred an easier runway.”