Nếu Anh chỉ đứng thứ hai trong bảng đấu, con đường đến chung kết World Cup của họ sẽ như thế nào?

England’s stalemate with Ghana has left their potential route through the World Cup knockout phase up in the air.

The Three Lions would have clinched top spot in Group L if they had claimed three points in Boston, but Carlos Queiroz’s side secured a 0-0 draw.

It leaves both teams on four points ahead of their final group fixtures at World Cup 2026, with England top by virtue of having a superior goal difference by one.

Play our FREE match predictor and win £1k

Who do England play if they finish second in their group?

England captain Harry Kane endured a disappointing evening in Boston (Image credit: Getty Images)

The Three Lions return to action on Saturday when they face already-eliminated Panama in New Jersey at 10pm BST, the same time as Ghana face Croatia in Philadelphia.

England will top the group if they beat Panama, unless they triumph by at least two fewer goals than Ghana - so they would finish second if they won 1-0 and Ghana won 3-0, on account of the African side having a better goal difference.

Ghana are aiming to snatch top spot from England's grasp (Image credit: Getty Images)

If Tuchel’s men finish runners-up in Group L, it would radically change their potential route to the final.

In that situation, England’s last-32 game would be at 12am BST (midnight) on Friday, July 3 against the Group K runners-up in Toronto. As things stand, their opponents would be Portugal, who boast several Premier League stars including Bruno Fernandes and Ruben Dias, plus Cristiano Ronaldo, of course.

If they won that, the Three Lions would play their last-16 fixture at 8pm BST on Monday, July 6 in Dallas, where they beat Croatia 4-2 in their opening match. That game would be against the Group H winners or the Group J runners-up, which are currently Spain - who beat England in the Euro 2024 final - and Austria respectively.

That route to the final already looks tricky, but if Tuchel’s side reach the quarter-finals they would head to Los Angeles for an 8pm BST kick-off on Friday, July 10.

On paper, their last-eight fixture could look relatively kind, with the winners of groups D and G among their potential opponents. Co-hosts United States have already secured top spot in Group D, while Egypt lead Group G and will finish first if they beat Iran in their final group game.

England could meet Cristiano Ronaldo in the last-32 if they finish second (Image credit: Getty Images)

At the risk of getting too far ahead of ourselves, England’s semi-final would then be back in Dallas on Tuesday, July 14 - if they top the group and reach the last four, it would be in Atlanta on Wednesday 15. There are plenty of permutations, but France, Germany and the Netherlands are all potential opponents in that one as things stand.

Of course, the final is guaranteed to kick-off at 8pm BST on Sunday, July 19 in New Jersey whatever happens - and if the Three Lions get that far for the first time since 1966, they will believe they can beat whoever they face.

With all of England’s knockout games taking place on different days depending on whether they win the group or finish second, Three Lions fans in North America may well decide not to finalise their travel plans until Saturday’s match is out of the way.