World Cup 2026 betting tips: Group A predictions, best bets and preview

Football

Wed May 13, 2026 · 1h ago

We break down every team, in every group in our World Cup 2026 betting guide, giving our take on how things will play out and selecting some best bets. This is Group A, which features England, Croatia, Ghana and Panama.

Football betting tips: World Cup

1pt England-Croatia dual forecast at 4/5 (General)

1pt Nikola Vlasic top Croatia scorer at 16/1 (BetVictor)

1pt Jordan Ayew top Ghana scorer at 5/1 (BetVictor)

1pt Panama to qualify at 9/4 (General)

Sky Bet odds | Paddy Power | Betfair

Fixtures & kick-off times (BST)

June 17: England 21:00 Croatia; June 18: Ghana 00:00 Panama; June 23: England 21:00 Ghana; June 24: Panama 22:00 Croatia; June 27: Croatia 22:00 Ghana & Panama 22:00 England

ENGLAND arrive in North America with their best chance to win the World Cup in a generation.

At first glance it appears their reward for eight years of consistency, culminating in Thomas Tuchel winning all eight of his qualifiers without conceding, was to be drawn in an unusually strong group.

Look closer and it is simply not the case, with Ghana far from the force they once were.

It means that barring a complete and utter disaster ENGLAND and CROATIA will finish as the top two in the group, which makes the 4/5 about backing them in the DUAL FORECAST a cracking bet.

How far will England go?

The new 48-team format makes it is too difficult to forecast the Three Lions' progress, highlighted by the fact they are 3/1 to exit the tournament in each of the rounds of 32, 16 and quarter-finals.

They are then 5/1 to be knocked out in the last four, with runner-up and winner (6/1) priced equally.

As third favourites behind European champions Spain and France, and one of only five teams priced in single figures (along with five-times champions Brazil and holders Argentina) they have a great opportunity to win a first World Cup since 1966.

As ever it is likely to come down to fine margins, with the draw - and penalty shootouts - a major part of that.

Unsurprisingly when it comes to England's TEAM TOP SCORER market, Harry Kane is prohibitively short. While in the past it has been tempting to oppose the Three Lions captain given his tendency to look a little leggy at major tournaments, he is not only in the form of his life but has a manager in Thomas Tuchel whose team selection should get the best from the Bayern Munich striker. This market is very interesting when it comes to CROATIA though.

Andrej Kramaric (6) was their top scorer in qualifying, with evergreen 37-year-old Ivan Perisic (4) second in the charts. Lurking unnoticed in a cluster of four names to score twice is former Everton and West Ham forward NIKOLA VLASIC.

He forced himself into the side for the final two games, scoring in both - once as a substitute and then as a starter.

Kramaric, who failed to the net in any of Croatia's final four qualifiers, is 3/1 to score the most goals for his country at the World Cup. A staggering nine players are priced shorter than 16/1 VLASIC.

The 28-year-old has enjoyed a strong season with Torino in Serie A, forming an effective strike partnership with Scotland's Che Adams.

Kramaric will turn 35 in the first week of the World Cup and after a long, albeit successful, campaign for Bundesliga club Hoffenheim is unlikely to lead the line throughout, making Vlasic's price especially inviting.

It is now more than 11 years since GHANA were last ranked among the world's top 25 countries, with the halcyon days of the 2010 World Cup, when a handball from Uruguay's Luis Suarez denied them becoming the first African nation to reach the semi-finals, a distant memory.

A legendary generation that included Sammy Kuffour, Michael Essien and Asamoah Gyan took them to an all-time high FIFA ranking of 14th, hovering around that position for almost a decade.

JORDAN AYEW, 34, has just been relegated to League One with Leicester in the same season he was Ghana's top scorer and top assistor in qualifying.

Much of the Black Stars' hopes hinge on Mohammed Kudus being fit enough to make an impact despite last playing for Tottenham on January 4. The winger delayed hamstring surgery in an effort to make this summer's tournament.

Antoine Semenyo also provides star quality to a team who were eliminated from the group stage of their last two major tournaments (World Cup 2022 and AFCON 2023) and failed to qualify for AFCON 2025.

The Manchester City forward's high profile has seen him priced as 7/4 favourite to be GHANA TOP SCORER despite only scoring one goal in qualification. The smart bet is to back AYEW at 5/1 given the Black Stars captain's performance in qualifying and his role as penalty taker.

PANAMA have come a long way since they were thrashed 6-1 by England in their debut tournament eight years ago and exited the group stage with no points and a -9 goal difference.

Under the tutelage of ex-Leeds manager Thomas Christiansen they have risen from 81st in the FIFA world rankings to 33rd during an incredible six-year journey, reaching an all-time high of 29th late in 2025.

Christiansen has not got these minnows punching above their weight in a way we usually see at international level - low blocks, set-pieces, excellent organisation. Instead, they are a high-functioning tactical unit.

The former Barcelona midfielder's implementation of a 3-4-3 has led to incredible success, with Panama finishing as runners-up in the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup and 2024 Nations League, as well as reaching the quarter-finals of Copa America that same year.

They are 9/4 TO QUALIFY which given the likelihood that third place will be enough, is worth backing.

Ghana are only 11/8 to finish bottom, with Panama huge odds-on favourites to do so.

Group A best bets

England-Croatia dual forecast at 4/5 (General)
Nikola Vlasic Croatia top scorer at 16/1 (BetVictor)
Jordan Ayew Ghana top scorer at 5/1 (BetVictor)
Panama to qualify at 9/4 (General)

Sky Bet odds | Paddy Power | Betfair

Odds correct at 16:00 BST (5/5/26)

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