World Cup
2026-06-23 - England vs Ghana
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: World Cup Group L Match Day 2
Tuesday 23rd June 2026 - Kick Off 4pm (EST)
British Time 9pm
England
Fans will have been incredibly excited by what they saw from England from an attacking point of view, especially in the second half when only wasteful finishing prevented an even more comfortable final scoreline. Three points and beating the most likely rival for top spot in the Group is a very good start, but it is a start and Thomas Tuchel was not completely happy with what he saw.
Attacking numbers were very strong, but England conceded twice in the opening win and Tuchel will want to see a bit more authority from the defenders selected for the tournament. Credit the finishing produced by Croatia, but England will feel they handed over some of the initiative with some sloppiness at the back and that will need to be fixed up if the team are going to have the kind of run hoped.
Winning the Group would mean facing a third place team in the Last 32, while there is a real chance that finishing second would come with an early meeting against Portugal. The manager and the squad are not thinking too far ahead, but another victory on Tuesday should be enough to secure top spot before the final game and that has to be the aim for England when playing the second fixture at the World Cup.
Overall England will have been very happy with the first win over Croatia, but there are a couple of question marks about the centre half pairing and the left side of the attack. Marcus Rashford came on and scored, which was more than Anthony Gordon offered in his time on the pitch, and that looks the most likely change from the opening fixture.
Predicted Line Up: Pickford, James, O'Reilly, Stones, Konza, Anderson, Rice, Bellingham, Madueke, Rashford and Kane (4-2-3-1)
Ghana
There have been one or two fixtures that have been played out in very poor fashion at the World Cup and one of the poorer outings was produced by Ghana and Panama. Just when it seemed like the game was going to fizzle out to the second goalless draw of the tournament, Ghana produced a stunning counter attack that led to three vital points.
Carlos Queiroz is a very experienced manager and his vast knowledge of tournament football has felt like an important advantage for Ghana as they bid to reach the Knock Out Rounds. He would have known how important three points from the opening fixture could prove to be and Ghana will know exactly what they need in the final game even if they are not able to earn a positive result against one of the favourites to win the World Cup.
Ghana had fewer shots and fewer big chances compared with Panama, but the 95th minute counter saw them edge to the win and now they have something to build upon. Of course it is clear that Ghana will have to improve, while Carlos Queiroz has to expect his backline to be tested much more vigorously by England than they were by Panama.
Thomas Partey was not able to enter Canada for the opening fixture, but is expected to be involved with this fixture taking place in Boston in the United States. A goalkeeping change needed to be made at half time and the second choice is expected to continue in this one.
Predicted Line Up: Asare, Senaya, Mensah, Adjetey, Opuku, Partey, Owusu, Yirenkyi, Semenyo, Sulemana and Ayew (4-4-1-1)
Head to Head
A late goal saw Ghana earn a 1-1 draw at Wembley Stadium in an international friendly back in 2011 in the sole previous meeting between these nations.
Prediction
The expectation is that three points and a neutral goal difference will be enough for a team to secure passage into the Last 32 as one of the best third place finishers.
It underlines the importance of Ghana's late winner against Panama, although Carlos Queiroz will believe that his team may still need a big result against one of the two European nations to be played in this section.
First up is an England team who have raised expectations back home after a stunning 4-2 win over Croatia to open the 2026 Finals, although Thomas Tuchel will certainly want to see more control from his team. Twice they led and twice they allowed Croatia to get back into the fixture and so the focus over the six days between matches may be on working out defensive organisation.
The manager is expected to pick the same back four and England will certainly feel they are going to be facing a Ghana team that will be well organised at the back. Carlos Queiroz is known for that, but it was his Iran team that were crushed 6-2 by England at the 2022 World Cup and the new Ghana manager will be a little wary of the power that the 2026 England showed in the opening match.
Avoiding a big defeat may be the ultimate ambition for Ghana as they think of the longer term prospects within the Group, while England should be relatively comfortable with some of the key attacking players that the underdog will have on the field.
Antoine Semenyo has shown his worth in the English Premier League, but there is a familiarity that can help the England defenders know what to expect.
Ghana will likely try and hit England on the counter attack, but Thomas Tuchel's work will be on making sure his team show much more resilience and focus at the back and it could all result in an England win with a clean sheet as they moved through to the Last 32 of the tournament.
The Pick :
England 2-0 Ghana
