Panama vs Croatia FIFA World Cup 2026 Preview: Everything you need to know

World Cup - Grp. L

Toronto Stadium

Panama vs Croatia will kick off on 23 Jun 2026 at 19:00 EST and 23:00 GMT.

Match context and opening day insights

Panama's hearts were broken in the 95th minute when Nordsjaelland midfielder Caleb Yirenki struck for Ghana to give the Black Stars a crucial 1-0 win on matchday 1. Panama was far from outplayed or overawed, but they eventually succumbed. Croatia lost 4-2 to England in an entertaining opening encounter, where they had pulled the game level at 2-2 at halftime. Both sides are playing catch-up, so we could see some fireworks in Toronto.

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Panama's key players and coach

Pumas midfielder Adalberto "Coco" Carrasquilla will be key in dictating the tempo for a Panamanian side that enjoys hogging possession. Marseille right-back Michael Amir Murillo will bring valuable top-tier experience to the side, too. They're coached by Thomas Christiansen. The Danish-born tactician, who briefly lived in Panama as a child, took charge of Los Canaleros in July 2020 and has successfully guided the country to their second-ever World Cup appearance.

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Croatia's key players and coach

Head coach Zlatko Dalić has locked in a highly experienced, deeply synchronised 26-man selection that balances their legendary, battle-tested core with dynamic, athletic younger profiles. Croatia’s primary strength remains its absolute stability under pressure, with Dalić’s preferred system functioning with complete psychological confidence.

The undisputed heartbeat of the side remains the timeless Luka Modrić, who will control the structural tempo of the match alongside Mateo Kovačić inside a world-class, press-resistant midfield engine room. Up front, the physical presence of Bruno Petković will look to disrupt centre-backs, creating pockets of space for Andrej Kramarić to exploit. Defensively, Joško Gvardiol is fully fit to anchor the backline with his progressive passing and robust tackling, providing an elite shield ahead of dependable starting goalkeeper Dominik Livaković.

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Likely Panama XI

Mosquera; Ramos, Córdoba, Andrade; Murillo, Harvey, Barcenas, Blackman; Martínez, Waterman, Rodríguez.

Likely Croatia XI

Livakovic; Sutalo, Vuskovic, Gvardiol; Stanisic, Modric, Pasalic, Perisic; Sucic, Baturina; MPanamaama

Panama's 26-man squad

Goalkeepers: Orlando Mosquera, Luis Mejia, Cesar Samudio.

Defenders: Cesar Blackman, Jorge Gutierrez, Amir Murillo, Fidel Escobar, Andres Andrade, Edgardo Farina, Jose Cordoba, Eric Davis, Jiovany Ramos, Roderick Miller.

Midfielders: Anibal Godoy, Adalberto Carrasquilla, Carlos Harvey, Cristian Martinez, Jose Luis Rodriguez, Cesar Yanis, Yoel Barcenas, Alberto Quintero, Azarias Londono.

Forwards: Ismael Diaz, Cecilio Waterman, Jose Fajardo, Tomas Rodriguez.

Croatia's 26-man squad

Goalkeepers: Dominik Livakovic (Dinamo Zagreb), Dominik Kotarski (Copenhagen), Ivor Pandur (Hull City).

Defenders: Josko Gvardiol (Manchester City), Duje Caleta-Car (Real Sociedad), Josip Sutalo (Ajax Amsterdam), Josip Stanisic (Bayern Munich), Marin Pongracic (Fiorentina), Martin Erlic (Midtjylland), Luka Vuskovic (Hamburg).

Midfielders: Luka Modric (AC Milan), Mateo Kovacic (Manchester City), Mario Pasalic (Atalanta), Nikola Vlasic (Torino), Luka Sucic (Real Sociedad), Martin Baturina (Como), Kristijan Jakic (Augsburg), Petar Sucic (Inter Milan), Nikola Moro (Bologna), Toni Fruk (Rijeka).

Forwards: Ivan Perisic (PSV Eindhoven), Andrej Kramaric (Hoffenheim), Ante Budimir (Osasuna), Marco Pasalic (Orlando City), Petar Musa (Dallas), Igor Matanovic (Freiburg).

Team news & squads

Panama vs Croatia Probable lineups

Panama

PAN

Formation

Croatia

CRO

Croatia

CRO

Manager

• T. Christiansen

Panama are managed by Thomas Christiansen, though no confirmed injury or suspension information is currently available for the squad. There is no confirmed probable lineup at this stage, and updates will be added closer to kick-off.

Croatia head coach Zlatko Dalic is also yet to confirm his starting XI, with no injury or suspension data currently available for the Vatreni. Further team news will be added as it emerges ahead of the match.

Form

Panama head into this fixture with a mixed recent record, picking up one win, two draws, and two losses from their last five outings. Their most recent result was a 1-1 draw with Bosnia and Herzegovina on June 6, following a 4-2 win over the Dominican Republic two days earlier. A heavy 6-2 defeat to Brazil in May was the low point of that run, though Panama did manage back-to-back results against South Africa, winning 1-2 before drawing 1-1 in late March. Across those five matches, Panama scored nine goals and conceded eleven.

Croatia arrive in stronger shape, with three wins and two losses from their last five games. Their most recent match ended in a 2-1 win over Slovenia on June 7, a result that will have boosted confidence ahead of the tournament. They also claimed a 1-2 away win in Colombia in March and a 2-3 victory in Montenegro in a World Cup qualifier in November 2025. Defeats to Belgium (0-2) and Brazil (1-3) represent the blemishes on an otherwise positive run.

Head-to-Head Record

No head-to-head data between Panama and Croatia is available for the last five meetings, so a detailed historical breakdown cannot be provided at this time.

Standings

In Group L, Croatia sit top of the table ahead of this fixture, while Panama are placed fourth.