Group L might be closest thing to a 'group of death' at this year's World Cup

England’s Harry Kane, left, celebrates after scoring his side’s second LIVE during the Group F UEFA Nations League soccer match between England and Finland at Wembley Stadium in London, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, File)

Featuring England, Croatia, Panama and Ghana, Group L represents one of the toughest in the opening round of the World Cup.

A super-sized 48-team tournament has all but eradicated the possibility of a “group of death,” with several top-level teams drawn in the same group.

But with England, back-to-back European Championship runner-up, and Croatia, which reached the World Cup final in 2018 and semifinals in 2022, Group L has two heavyweights.

Add to that a Panama team ranked 33rd by FIFA and Ghana, which has top European-based players like Antoine Semenyo, Inaki Williams and Thomas Partey.

It is 60 years since England won the World Cup on home soil in 1966 — its one and only major international trophy.

Since the 1990s, England fans have ironically sung “It’s coming home,” a song that pokes fun at the nation’s expectations and ultimate disappointment over a decades-long wait to lift another trophy.

However, England has enjoyed a sustained period of going deep in major tournaments over the past eight years, reaching the semifinals of the World Cup in 2018 and then successive finals at the European Championship in 2021 and 2024.