Group L

ENG

England

Coach: Thomas Tuchel

Group rank

Points

Played

Goal diff.

Status

Qualified from group

Fixtures

By date

Fixtures / results

Wed, Jun 17

Tue, Jun 23

Sat, Jun 27

Wed, Jul 1

Mon, Jul 6

Sat, Jul 11

Wed, Jul 15

Sat, Jul 18

Countries

Groups overview

Group L

1ENGQ

PL 32-1-0GF 6-2GD 4PTS 7

2CROQ

PL 32-0-1GF 5-5GD 0PTS 6

3GHAQ

PL 31-1-1GF 2-2GD 0PTS 4

4PANOut

PL 30-0-3GF 0-4GD -4PTS 0

#	Team	PL	W	D	L	+/-	GD	PTS	Status
1	England	3	2	1	0	6-2	4	7	Qualified
2	Croatia	3	2	0	1	5-5	0	6	Qualified
3	Ghana	3	1	1	1	2-2	0	4	Qualified
4	Panama	3	0	0	3	0-4	-4	0	Out

Nation lens

Identity1 / 4

N1 · Identity

individual-led · possession-leaning

How they play

England operates as a possession-dominant side that relies heavily on individual brilliance to break down opponents. With Harry Kane contributing nearly a third of the team's scoring output, the tactical system is designed to funnel opportunities toward key playmakers. This reliance on star power provides a clear focal point, though it places significant pressure on individual efficiency during high-stakes matches.

Playing identity · system ↔ individual × direct ↔ possession

England is plotted from possession share and top-scorer concentration. PPDA and recent form are supporting context when present.

+Recent form8 · 6W 1D 1L

2026-07-18World Cup 2026AENG 6-4 FRAW

2026-07-15World Cup 2026HENG 1-2 ARGL

2026-07-11World Cup 2026AENG 2-1 NORW

2026-07-06World Cup 2026AENG 3-2 MEXW

2026-07-01World Cup 2026HENG 2-1 CODW

2026-06-27World Cup 2026AENG 2-0 PANW

2026-06-23World Cup 2026HENG 0-0 GHAD

2026-06-17World Cup 2026HENG 4-2 CROW

International friendly matches are excluded

N2 · Scoring

open play 77%

How they score

England relies heavily on open play to generate their scoring output. With over three-quarters of their goals originating from open play, the team demonstrates a high conversion rate that exceeds the field average. Set pieces also provide a reliable secondary threat, significantly outperforming standard conversion benchmarks.

Goal source · share of play-type-classified goals

77.1%

Open play77.1%Counter1.4%Corner11.4%Free kick10%

21% set piececorner + free kick

Effectiveness · conversion by source vs benchmark

Open play23%avg 20%+3 pts

55 goals from 242 shots.

Set piece18%avg 4.5%+13 pts

15 goals from 84 shots.

benchmark average higher than field by 3+ pts lower than field by 3+ pts

Goal-source shares use non-own-goal rows with source_class values; own goals are excluded.

+Top scorers · still a threat?100% intact

100% of listed scorer goals come from players still marked in the squad.

Harry Kane	in squad	38 · 34%
Bukayo Saka	in squad	10 · 9%
Marcus Rashford	in squad	7 · 6%
Jude Bellingham	in squad	5 · 4%

N3 · Conceding

open play 67%

How they concede

England's defensive structure is most frequently breached through open play. While open play accounts for two-thirds of conceded goals, opponents may find higher efficiency by targeting set-piece situations where the conversion rate against England significantly exceeds the field average.

Conceded goal source · share of play-type-classified goals

66.7%

19%

14.3%

Open play66.7%Corner19%Free kick14.3%

33% set piece concededcorner + free kick

Effectiveness · conceded conversion by source vs benchmark

Open play12%avg 20%-8 pts

14 conceded from 120 shots faced.

Set piece23%avg 4.5%+18 pts

7 conceded from 31 shots faced.

benchmark average lower than field by 3+ pts higher than field by 3+ pts

Conceded source shares use non-own-goal rows with source_class values.

N4 · Big moments

beats ranking · +0.84 GD residual

Better than their rating?

England consistently outperforms their Elo-based expectations with a positive goal difference residual of 0.84. While their performance profile is more volatile than the field median, they demonstrate a clear capacity to exceed baseline projections in high-scoring encounters. This trend suggests a tactical identity that frequently pushes beyond standard statistical ratings.

Over-performance DNA · beats-its-rating × reliability, the tournament field

ENGTournament field · 48solid line = rating-neutral · dashed = field-median reliability100 Elo ~= -0.37 goals

+Biggest over- & under-performances62 matches

Residual = actual goal difference minus what the Elo gap predicted.

vs MKD · 2023-06-19	GD +7 vs exp +1.28	+5.72
vs SRB · 2025-09-09	GD +5 vs exp +0.25	+4.75
vs PAN · 2018-06-24	GD +5 vs exp +0.77	+4.23
vs HUN · 2022-06-14	GD -4 vs exp +0.57	-4.57
vs AND · 2025-06-07	GD +1 vs exp +2.94	-1.94
vs BEL · 2018-07-14	GD -2 vs exp -0.18	-1.82