# Group L Match: Panama vs Croatia
Panama and Croatia will face each other in the second match of Group L at the 2026 World Cup in Toronto on Wednesday. Both teams lost their opening matches and need a victory to revive their chances of advancing to the next round.
Opening Losses
Croatia lost 4-2 to England in the first match. Although they equalized through Martin Baturina and Petar Musa, England dominated after halftime. This is the fourth time Croatia has lost an opening match in their last six World Cup tournaments. However, Croatia still managed to reach the semifinals in the last two editions.
For Panama, they lost 1-0 to Ghana through a late goal by Caleb Yirenkyi in the 94th minute. This is Panama's fourth consecutive loss in the World Cup, with no points so far. However, there are positive signs: for the first time, Panama recorded over 40% ball possession and 502 successful passes in a single match.
Key Statistics
According to Opta, Croatia is predicted to win in 62.0% of 25,000 simulated matches. Panama only has a 15.7% chance of securing their first World Cup win, while a draw is 22.4%.
#### Croatia's Performance
- Croatia used 187 high presses against England, the highest in the first matchday.
- Luka Modric became the second European player to appear in 10 major tournaments after Cristiano Ronaldo. However, he only played 58 minutes against England, the least in his 34 World Cup or Euro appearances.
- Croatia may make changes by including Mateo Kovacic in the starting lineup.
#### Panama's Performance
- José Córdoba made 101 passes against Ghana, the highest by a Panamanian player in a single World Cup match. This number is only 15 passes less than Gabriel Gómez's total passes in the 2018 campaign.
- Andrés Andrade recorded 21 key passes, the fourth-highest among all players on the first matchday.
- Panama made 29 tackles, the highest on the first matchday, only France (37 against Tunisia) made more in the 2022 World Cup.
- Ismael Díaz, the 2023 Gold Boot winner, may be deployed to add attacking strength.
First Meeting
This is the first match between the two teams. Croatia lost seven of their last 10 World Cup matches against teams from the American continent. Meanwhile, CONCACAF teams have only won once in their last 24 World Cup matches against European opponents.
Expected Lineups
Panama: Luis Mejía; César Blackman, José Córdoba, Fidel Escobar, Éric Davis; Adalberto Carrasquilla, Aníbal Godoy, Yoel Bárcenas; Ismael Díaz, José Fajardo, Cecilio Waterman.
Croatia: Dominik Livakovic; Josip Stanisic, Duje Caleta-Car, Josko Gvardiol, Borna Sosa; Luka Modric, Mateo Kovacic; Mario Pasalic, Martin Baturina, Ivan Perisic; Andrej Kramaric.
Prediction
With the advantage of experience and individual quality, Croatia is expected to bounce back and defeat Panama. However, Panama has shown significant improvement and could provide a tough challenge. This match is definitely worth watching.
---
*Original source: [theanalyst.com](https://theanalyst.com/articles/panama-vs-croatia-prediction-world-cup-2026-match-preview)*