The 2026 FIFA World Cup continues with a crucial match-up in Group L between Panama and Croatia at Toronto Stadium.
Group L
Tuesday, 24 June | Toronto Stadium
Kick-off time
07:00 (GMT+8)
The match
Croatia’s quest to reach the final four of the FIFA World Cup™ for a third consecutive time got off to difficult start with a 4-2 loss to England. The Europeans will be looking to bounce back against a Panama team appearing in their second global showpiece. The Central Americans will also be in search of their first points this tournament, after suffering defeat to Ghana in their opening match. A victory in this one for either side would go a long way toward fulfilling a knockout round objective.
Panama possible starting XI
Mosquera; Blackman, Cordoba, Ramos, Harvey, Andrade, Murillo; Martinez, Rodriguez, Barcenas; Waterman
Croatia possible starting XI
Livakovic; Sutalo, Vuskovic, Gvardiol; Stanisic, Modric, Pasalic, Perisic; Sucic, Baturina; Musa
What they said…
“We have a certain way of playing, but need to know who our opponent is. Croatia are here to win after losing against England. They will want to show that this was just a mistake. When we are not in possession, we will need to be as compact as possible. We can play good matches if we are disciplined and fully focused. When we qualified for this tournament, we did really well with a low line. That is exactly what our opponent will pressure us into, they will force us to be compact in a low line. We need to live this attitude with our hearts and our mind. If we do that, the result will be a good one.” Thomas Christiansen, Panama coach
“There is always pressure. We have to be blamed for our current situation because we made so many mistakes in the first match. And we have set the bar high for ourselves with two medals in the last tournaments. You can’t live off the glory of the old days. I know that we have a high expectation from our fans. Every match is an opportunity to prove yourself.” Zlatko Dalic, Croatia coach
“The England match was quite difficult, a really tough game for us, both mentally and physically. Tomorrow we have another match and we’re very well prepared.” Mateo Kovacic, Croatia midfielder
Toronto Stadium
Toronto Stadium was purpose-built as Canada hosted the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2007 and staged the final where Argentina emerged triumphant, with Sergio Aguero claiming the Golden Ball and Golden Boot. The venue, which has an English Premier League-style roof canopy and steep stands on either end of the ground, played host to the climax of Canada’s campaign to reach the FIFA World Cup 2022™, when their ticket to Qatar was secured with victory over Jamaica. That success ended Canada’s 36-year absence from the global showpiece, and extended their impressive record of having never lost a competitive match at Toronto Stadium, which will be welcoming FIFA tournaments back to the city having also hosted the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in 2014.