2026 FIFA WORLD CUP PREVIEW: ENGLAND VS GHANA; BLACK STARS EYE TO BE THE FIRST AFRICAN NATION TO BEAT THE THREE LIONS AT WORLD CUP

By: Isaac Amponsah (Dr Ike) 

Predictions: Home win/draw

• The Three Lions of England and Ghana Black Stars will battle for the maximum three points, supremacy, and bragging rights in their round 2 Group L FIFA World Cup match at the Boston Stadium, USA, on Tuesday, June 23, 2026 night in Foxborough, USA. 

• This will be just the second time that The Three Lions have played in Boston Stadium (USA) in their history, with their only visit ending in a 2-0 friendly loss to the USA in June 1993 under Graham Taylor.

• Head-to-Head

• Tuesday, March 29, 2011 (International Friendly)
Venue: Wembley Stadium 
England                         1-1 Ghana 
Andy Carroll 43'//Asamoah Gyan 90+1'

• England and Ghana's encounter at the Group stage of the FIFA World Cup will be their official first-ever meeting between them at the tournament.

• Recent Performance:

• England's Recent Performance:

• In their last six matches in all competitions, England have won four, drawn one, and lost one. They scored 11 and conceded four over that stretch, scoring first in five of the six contests. The English side had four first-half goals, while their opponents scored three times in the first 45 minutes.

• England won 4-2 against Croatia in their opening Group L game of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on June 17 at Dallas Stadium, Arlington. Harry Kane netted two to lead the scoring. They have three consecutive wins in all competitions. In five games this year, they have three wins, one draw, and one loss. 

• England will be looking to win each of their opening two games at the FIFA World Cup for the fourth time, after completing that feat in 1982, 2006, and 2018.

• Ghana's Recent Performance:

• The Black Stars of Ghana have won one, drawn one, and lost four in their last six games in all competitions. Ghana scored four and conceded 11 over that period, netting first in two of the six. All of their goals came after halftime, while their opponents scored three times before the break.

• Ghana won 1-0 against Panama in their opening Group L match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on June 17 at the Toronto Stadium in Canada. Caleb Yirenkyi was on the score sheet in the win. In 2026, they have won one, drawn one, and lost three.

• Match Facts:

• The Three Lions of England are ranked 4th by the FIFA latest rankings (June 11, 2026), but their highest was 3rd in August - September 2012 and September - October 2023.

• Their first international game was on November 30, 1872 (Scotland 0-0 England) in Partick, Scotland.

• The Black Stars of Ghana are ranked 73rd in the FIFA rankings (June 11, 2026), but their highest was 14th in April - May 2007 and February 2008.

• Their first international game was on May 28, 1950 (Gold Coast and British Togoland 1-0 Nigeria) in Accra, British Gold Coast.

• Player Records: 

• England's most capped player: Peter Shilton [GK] (125 caps, 0 goals, 66 clean sheets).

• Ghana's most capped player: Jordan Pierre Ayew (121 caps, 34 goals).

• England's all-time top scorer: Harry Kane (81 goals, 115 caps).

• Ghana's all-time top scorer: Asamoah Gyan (51 goals, 109 caps).

• Team Information:

• England is located in Europe and is part of the UEFA Confederation.

• Ghana is located in Africa and is part of the WAFU Confederation.

• England has been an affiliate member of FIFA since 1906.

• England is the joint-oldest national team in football, having played in the world's first international football match in 1872 against Scotland.

• The Ghana Football Association (GFA)was founded in 1957 and became affiliated with FIFA in 1958 and CAF in 1960.

• The GFA made history by becoming the first African association to connect to the FIFA Connect Platform, a system designed to register and track players and officials globally. 

• The Three Lions of England first appeared at the 1950 FIFA World Cup and were eliminated at the Group stages of that edition.

• The 2026 edition of the tournament marks England's 17th appearance at the FIFA World Cup.

• The trophy has been won by only eight (8) national teams: Brazil (5 titles), Germany and Italy (4 titles), Argentina (3 titles), France and Uruguay (2 titles), England and Spain (1 title each).

• England won the 1966 FIFA World Cup final on home soil, making them one of eight nations to have won the World Cup trophy.

• England are unbeaten in their last three competitive games (W3), scoring 8 goals and conceding 2 goals in the streak.

• After the opening round of match Day one games at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, only Germany (12) had more shots on target than England (11 vrs Croatia).

• 40 out of 54 active CAF members who belong to FIFA have never qualified for the FIFA World Cup tournament since its inception in 1930.

• African Teams Debuts at the FIFA World Cup tournament:
• Egypt (1934)
• Morocco (1970)
• DR Congo [Zaire] (1974)
• Tunisia (1978)
• Algeria, Cameroon (1982)
• Nigeria (1994)
• South Africa (1998)
• Senegal (2002)
• Ghana, Angola, Ivory Coast, Togo (2006)
• Cape Verde (2026) 

• The 2026 FIFA World Cup marks the Black Stars of Ghana 5th appearances at the tournaments (2006, 2010, 2014, 2022, 2026).

• Ghana's best performance in the World Cup tournament was reaching the Quarter-finals in 2010 in South Africa. 

• Jordan Pierre Ayew is the fifth captain to have led Ghana to the FIFA World Cup tournament:
• Stephen Appiah (2006 in Germany) 
• John Mensah (2010 in South Africa) 
• Asamoah Gyan (2014 in Brazil) 
• Andre Dede Ayew (2022 in Qatar) 
• Jordan Pierre Ayew (2026 in Mexico, Canada, and the United States)

• Ghana's Jordan Ayew made the most high-intensity pressures of any striker on MD1 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup (69), as well as the most in the opponents' half (56). Ayew also became the oldest Ghanaian ever to feature in a game at the World Cup against Panama (34years, 280days).

• Black Stars of Ghana have failed to progress out of the Group stages in their last 2 editions of the FIFA World Cup (2014 and 2022).

• Two Nations' coaches:

• 52-year-old Thomas Tuchel, a German born on August 29, 1973, in Krumbach, Bavaria, in West Germany. In January 2025, Tuchel started working as head coach of the Three Lions. He is England's first German and third foreign head coach, after Sven-Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello.

• 73-year-old Ghana coach, Carlos Manuel Brito Leal de Queiroz, is a Portuguese-born on March 1, 1953, and is the third head coach to manage in five different editions of the FIFA World Cup, alongside Carlos Alberto Parreira (6), and Bora Milutinovic (5). On April 13, 2026, Queiroz was appointed head coach of Ghana ahead of their participation in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

• On June 17, following Ghana's 1-0 victory over Panama in their opening FIFA World Cup match, Queiroz became the oldest manager to win a World Cup match, aged 73 years and 108 days, surpassing the previous record of Otto Rehhagel.

• Carlos Queiroz's heaviest defeat as a head coach at the FIFA World Cup was against England in the 2022 group stages - his Iran side lost 6-2.

• Additional Facts:

• Two Nations' match Day 2 fixtures at the FIFA World Cup:

• England match Day 2 games at the FIFA World Cup (W7 D5 L4 GF20 GA8):
• 29/06/1950 United States 1-0 England (MD2) [1950 World Cup]
• 20/06/1954 England           2-0 Switzerland (MD2) [1954 World Cup]
• 11/06/1958 Brazil                0-0 England (MD2) [1958 World Cup]
• 02/06/1962 England           3-1 Argentina (MD2) [1962 World Cup]
• 16/07/1966 England           2-0 Mexico (MD2) [1966 World Cup]
• 07/06/1970 Brazil               1-0 England (MD2) [1970 World Cup]
• 20/06/1982 England           2-0 Czechoslovakia (MD2) [1982]
• 06/06/1986 England           0-0 Morocco (MD2) [1986 World Cup]
• 16/06/1990 England           0-0 Netherlands (MD2) [1990 World Cup]
• 22/06/1998 Romania          2-1 England (MD2) [1998 World Cup]
• 07/06/2002 Argentina         0-1 England (MD2) [2002 World Cup]
• 15/06/2006 England           2-0 Trinidad and Tobago (MD2) [2006 World Cup]
• 18/06/2010 England           0-0 Algeria (MD2) [2010 World Cup]
• 19/06/2014 Uruguay           2-1 England (MD2) [2014 World Cup]
• 24/06/2018 England           6-1 Panama (MD2) [2018 World Cup]
• 25/11/2022 England           0-0 United States (MD2) [2022 World Cup]

• Ghana is unbeaten in match Day 2 games at the FIFA World Cup (W2 D2 GF8 GA5):
• 17/06/2006 Czech Republic 0-2 Ghana (MD2) [2006 World Cup]
• 19/06/2010 Ghana                 1-1 Australia (MD2) [2010 World Cup]
• 21/06/2014 Germany             2-2 Ghana (MD2) [2014 World Cup]
• 28/11/2022 South Korea       2-3 Ghana (MD2) [2022 World Cup]

• Ghana has scored in each of their previous match Day 2 games at the FIFA World Cup (scoring 8 goals in 4 games)

• Each of England's match Day 2 games against African opposition at the FIFA World Cup has ended in a goalless draw:
• 06/06/1986 England           0-0 Morocco (MD2) [1986 World Cup]
• 18/06/2010 England           0-0 Algeria (MD2) [2010 World Cup]

• Ghana has scored 2 goals in each of their match Day 2 games against European opponents at the FIFA World Cup:
• 17/06/2006 Czech Republic 0-2 Ghana (MD2) [2006 World Cup]
• 21/06/2014 Germany             2-2 Ghana (MD2) [2014 World Cup]

• England against African opponents at the FIFA World Cup:

• England are unbeaten in their previous games against African opposition at the FIFA World Cup (W5 D3 GF11 GA3): 
• 06/06/1986 England     0-0 Morocco (Group Stage) [1986 World Cup]
• 21/06/1990 England     1-0 Egypt (Group Stage) [1990 World Cup]
• 01/07/1990 Cameroon 2-3 England a.e.t. (Quarter-finals) [1990 World Cup]
• 15/06/1998 England    2-0 Tunisia (Group Stage) [1998 World Cup]
• 12/06/2002 Nigeria      0-0 England (Group Stage) [2002 World Cup]
• 18/06/2010 England     0-0 Algeria (Group Stage) [2010 World Cup]
• 18/06/2018 Tunisia      1-2 England (Group Stage) [2018 World Cup]
• 04/12/2022 England     3-0 Senegal (Round of 16) [2022 World Cup]

• England and Ghana's game also represents The Three Lions' eighth different African opponent at the FIFA World Cup (after Morocco, Egypt, Cameroon, Tunisia, Nigeria, Algeria, and Senegal), more than any other nation.

• Harry Kane of The Three Lions has scored five (5) goals across his five international appearances against African nations, with three coming at the FIFA World Cup, against Tunisia in the 2018 edition (2 goals) and Senegal in the 2022 edition. Should he score against Ghana, Kane would overtake Gary Lineker (10) to become England's all-time top scorer in the competition.

• Ghana against European opponents at the FIFA World Cup (W2 D1 L4 GF8 GA10):
• 12/06/2006 Italy                     2-0 Ghana (Group Stage) [2006 World Cup]
• 17/06/2006 Czech Republic 0-2 Ghana (Group Stage) [2006 World Cup]
• 13/06/2010 Serbia                 0-1 Ghana (Group Stage) [2010 World Cup]
• 23/06/2010 Ghana                 0-1 Germany (Group Stage) [2010 World Cup]
• 21/06/2014 Germany             2-2 Ghana (Group Stage) [2014 World Cup]
• 26/06/2014 Portugal              2-1 Ghana (Group Stage) [2014 World Cup]
• 24/11/22 Portugal                  3-2 Ghana (Group Stage) [2022 World Cup]

• Ghana has conceded in each of their last four (4) games against European opponents at the FIFA World Cup (GA8).

• Two Nations' FIFA World Cup games on June 23:

• England won their only previous game at the FIFA World Cup on June 23:
• 23/06/2010 Slovenia           0-1 England (Group Stage) [2010 World Cup]
Jermain Defoe 23'

• Ghana lost its only previous game at the FIFA World Cup on June 23:
• 23/06/2010 Ghana               0-1 Germany (Group Stage) [2010 World Cup]
Mesut Ozil 60'

• Two Nations' FIFA World Cup games on Tuesday:

• England are unbeaten at the FIFA World Cup on Tuesday (W4 D5 GF11 GA6): 
• England games on Tuesday at the FIFA World Cup 
• 26/07/1966 England            2-1 Portugal (Semi-finals) [1966 World Cup]
• 02/06/1970 England            1-0 Romania (Group Stage) [1970 World Cup]
• 29/06/1982 West Germany 0-0 England (Group Stage) [1982]
• 26/06/1990 England            1-0 Belgium a.e.t. (Round of 16) [1990 World Cup]
• 30/06/1998 Argentina         2-2 England a.e.t. (Round of 16) [1998 World Cup]
• 20/06/2006 Sweden            2-2 England (Group Stage) [2006 World Cup]
• 24/06/2014 Costa Rica        0-0 England (Group Stage) [2014 World Cup]
• 03/07/2018 Colombia          1-1 England a e.t. (Round of 16) [2018 World Cup]
• 29/11/2022 Wales                 0-3 England (Group Stage) [2022 World Cup]

• Ghana lost its only previous FIFA World Cup game on Tuesday:
• 27/06/2006 Brazil                 3-0 Ghana (Round of 16) [2006 World Cup]

• Match officials:

• 34-year-old Honduran Referee, Hector Said Martinez Sorto, to officiate England and Ghana Round 2 fixture of Group L game of the FIFA World Cup. He was born on August 7, 1991, in Tocoa, Honduras, and has been on the FIFA list of international referees and CONCACAF since 2017.

• With dedication and determination, Said Martinez was the youngest to make his debut in football matches in the Liga Nacional de Futbol Professional de Honduras at just 18 years of age.

• He officiated at the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup in the United States, Costa Rica, and Jamaica, the CONCACAF U-20 Championship, and the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Poland.

• Martinez nickname "El Matematico," officiated the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup, including the final between the United States and Mexico.

• This fixture will be the first time a referee from Honduras will officiate an England game at the FIFA World Cup, but the eighth time a referee from the CONCACAF Confederation or North America has handled a The Three Lions game at the tournament since 1950.

• This will be the first time a referee from Honduras will officiate a Ghana Black Stars game at the FIFA World Cup, but the second time a referee from North America [CONCACAF Confederation] will handle a Ghana game at the competition.

• Referees from CONCACAF Confederation (North America) have officiated England in 7 games at the FIFA World Cup (W4 D2 L1):

• 01/07/1990 (Quarter-finals) [1990 World Cup]
Venue: Stadio San Paolo, Naples 
Cameroon                    2-3 England a.e.t. 
Emmanuel Kunde 61' (pen), Eugene Ekeke 65'//David Platt 25', Gary Lineker 83' (pen), 105' (pen)
Referee: Edgardo Codesal (Mexico) [CONCACAF] {North America}

• 26/06/1998 (Group Stage) [1998 World Cup]
Venue: Stade Félix-Bollaert, Lens
Colombia                      0-2 England 
Darren Anderton 20', David Beckham 29'
Referee: Arturo Brizio Carter (Mexico) [CONCACAF] {North America}

• 12/06/2002 (Group Stage) [2002 World Cup]
Venue: Nagai Stadium, Osaka 
Nigeria                           0-0 England 
Referee: Brian Hall (United States) [CONCACAF] {North America}

• 21/06/2002 (Quarter-finals) [2002 World Cup]
Venue: Stadium Ecopa, Fukuroi
England                         1-2 Brazil 
Michael Owen 23'//Rivaldo 45+2', Ronaldinho 50'
Referee: Felipe Ramos (Mexico) [CONCACAF] {North America}

• 10/06/2006 (Group Stage) [2006 World Cup]
Venue: Waldstadion, Frankfurt 
England                         1-0 Paraguay 
Carlos Gamarra 4' (OG)
Referee: Marco Rodriguez (Mexico) [CONCACAF] {North America}

• 03/07/2018 (Round of 16) [2018 World Cup]
Venue: Otkritie Arena, Moscow 
Columbia                      1-1 England a e.t. (3-4 penalties)
Yerry Mina 90+3'//Harry Kane 57' (pen) 
Referee: Mark Geiger (United States) [CONCACAF] {North America}

• 04/12/2002 (Round of 16) [2022 World Cup]
Venue: Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor
England                         3-0 Senegal 
Henderson 38', Harry Kane 45+3', Bukayo Saka 57'
Referee: Ivan Barton (El Salvador)

• Ghana lost its only game officiated by a referee from the CONCACAF Confederation (North America) at the FIFA World Cup: 
• 24/11/2022 (Group Stage) [2022 World Cup]
Venue: Stadium 974, Doha
Portugal                        3-2 Ghana 
Cristiano Ronaldo 65' (pen), Joao Felix 78', Rafael Leao 80'//Andre Dede Ayew 73', Osman Bukari 89'
Referee: Ismail Elfath (United States) [CONCACAF] {North America}