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The Three Lions have been drawn in Group L for the 2026 World Cup and the draw has served up some lively-looking reunions when the tournament gets underway in America, Canada and Mexico next June. Boss Thomas Tuchel has called it a "difficult" group, but fans have taken to social media to crow over how easy the ride will be for England in the opening stage of football's most coveted prize.

England discover path to World Cup glory

England will clash with Croatia in their opener, offering a chance for revenge after the painful 2018 semi-final loss. Also in the group are the Black Stars of Ghana, a talented side who promise a physical battle with lots of familiar players from the Premier League, and tournament minnows Panama, who England famously thrashed 6-1 in 2018. 

Elsewhere, Scotland were handed plum ties against five-times World Cup winners Brazil and 2022 semi-finalists Morocco, in a mouthwatering repeat of their 1998 draw, sparking a wave of anticipation and a challenge that manager Steve Clarke called "fantastic". The Scots have also been drawn against Haiti and face an uphill battle to progress to the knockout phase for the first time in their history, but England fans are very confident of easing into the business end of the tournament. 

AdvertisementGetty Images SportEngland fans confident following draw

Three Lions fans queued up to have their say after the group was confirmed and @Rees_wba posted to X, saying: "Easy as you like, it's coming home 🏆" 

Elsewhere, @5eanOConnor added: "Relatively easy group. Croatia might be the only stumbling block, but they aren’t the force they once were. It’s the knockout phase that counts."

And @sherratt1876 said: "Nine points. The question is, who will come 2nd in the group behind England."

The votes of confidence kept on coming as @ace_man2574 observed: "Good Group, not like other years where is easy on group stage and then Knockout we are unable to cope with the top teams due to pressure."

And @billielaing1 said: "We should top that group. Excited for next June."

Tuchel: 'We will be well prepared when we arrive'

After the draw in Washington DC, Tuchel told reporters: "It’s a difficult group, a difficult opener. Croatia and Ghana are two regulars in World Cups and are two proud and strong nations. Croatia were the highest-ranked team from pot two and Ghana is always full of talent and can always surprise and have a big history in World Cup football. And Panama will try to make the most in their underdog role. No one can be underestimated, everyone deserves the fullest respect and we can show that."

He added: "For me, I’ve only experienced group football in Champions League formats and the way to approach it was to always give it the biggest respect and to put all the focus into winning the group. It always seems difficult, like our group now, but we are confident and we will be well prepared when we arrive."

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AFPEngland await match locations

The draw is complete, but the specific match dates, venues, and kick-off times are being announced by FIFA in a special program on Saturday. The opening match will be on June 11th in Mexico City, and the final will be on July 19th in New Jersey. And it will be a very different tournament this time round as it will feature a new, expanded format with 48 teams and nations have been divided into 12 groups of four teams each. The top two teams from each group, along with the eight best third-placed teams, will advance to a new Round of 32 knockout stage. This increases the total matches from 64 to a whopping 104, and the champions this time round will play eight matches instead of seven.

Her 159-run partnership with Sune Luus against NZ is the highest for SA for any wicket in Women’s World Cups

Namooh Shah06-Oct-2025

Tazmin Brits got to seven ODI hundreds in 41 innings•ICC/Getty Images

232 – The target chased down by South Africa on Monday is the highest by any team against New Zealand in the women’s World Cup, going past their own record – 229 in Hamilton in 2022.101 – The runs scored by Tazmin Brits, which makes her the third South Africa batter to score a hundred in the women’s World Cup. Linda Olivier in 2000 and Marizanne Kapp in 2013 are the other two.5 – Hundreds by Brits in 2025, the most by any player in a calendar year in women’s ODIs. She went past Smriti Mandhana, who scored four hundreds in 2024 and also has four so far in 2025.Brits has also scored four hundreds in her last five ODI innings.1 – Brits took 41 innings to score seven ODI hundreds. That is the fewest by a batter in women’s ODIs, bettering the record of Meg Lanning, who took 44 innings to get there.Brits took 87 balls to complete her seventh ODI hundred, which is the fastest by her, and the fourth-fastest by a South Africa batter in women’s ODIs.2 – Brits now has 749 runs in ODIs in 2025, the second-most for a South Africa batter in a calendar year. She is only behind Laura Wolvaardt, who scored 882 runs in 2022.159 – The partnership between Brits and Sune Luus for the second wicket, is the highest for South Africa for any wicket in women’s World Cups. They went past a long-standing record of 128* between Dane van Niekerk and Kapp in 2013.It is also South Africa’s third-highest partnership for the second wicket in women’s ODIs (where ball-by-ball data is available).1 – Lea Tahuhu dismissed Brits to take her 30th wicket in ODI World Cups and with that became the leading wicket-taker for New Zealand in the tournament. Tahuhu went past Catherine Campbell, who has 29 wickets.350 – Suzie Bates became the first woman to play 350 international matches across formats. Harmanpreet Kaur is next on the list with 342 international caps.

Arsenal have now joined the race for a £88m forward who recently entered “very advanced” talks over a move to Tottenham Hotspur…

Gunners ramping up pursuit of forward amid Eze criticism

The Gunners’ lead at the top of the Premier League table was reduced to just two points on Saturday, with Aston Villa securing a 2-1 win at Villa Park, and Shaka Hislop was particularly unimpressed with Eberechi Eze’s performance.

Hislop said: “He could have been taken off after 30 minutes, I’ll be honest.

“Now I am as willing as anybody to sing Eze’s praises, but everything from Arsenal came down the right in that first half.

“Everything came through Bukayo Saka, so the change had to be made at half-time because Eze was non-existent.”

In fairness, Eze has made a very promising start to life at the Emirates Stadium, with the England international amassing nine goal contributions in his opening 22 matches across all competitions.

However, the 27-year-old’s best performance arguably came in the 4-1 victory against Tottenham, during which he played through the middle, so there may be room to bring in another left-winger this winter, and Arsenal are now ramping up their pursuit.

It was recently revealed that a strong move is being made for Paris Saint-Germain star Bradley Barcola, but the Frenchman is not the only target, with a report from Caught Offside revealing Arsenal have now joined the race for RB Leipzig star Yan Diomande.

The Gunners have been monitoring Diomande’s progress over the past few weeks, alongside a number of Europe’s top clubs, while Spurs are also keen, with Sky Sports reporter Sacha Tavolieri recently stating they are in “very advanced” talks with the left-winger.

A deal could be on the expensive side, however, with it being suggested RB Leipzig could look to hold out for around €80m – €100m (£70m – £88m).

Arsenal to "directly contact" £88m forward about joining after talks with his reps

Arteta apparently wants to sign him in January.

ByEmilio Galantini 7 days ago Diomande making "sensational" impact in Germany

The Ivorian only made the move to Germany during the summer, but he has already started to make a major impact, being singled out for high praise by scout Jacek Kulig.

Most recently, the 19-year-old put in a remarkable performance in his side’s 6-0 victory against Eintracht Frankfurt, scoring a hat-trick and completing more dribbles than any other player.

Yan Diomande’s key statistics vs Frankfurt

Number completed

Dribbles (successful)

8 (4)

Key passes

1

Duels (won)

13 (6)

Goals

3

Considering Diomande is still a teenager, the level of his performances in the Bundesliga this season have been remarkable, and he may be ready to join one of Europe’s biggest clubs soon, so it would be fantastic if Arsenal were able to beat Tottenham to his signature.