England was held to a 0-0 draw by Ghana in a 2026 World Cup Group L match in Foxborough, Massachusetts on Tuesday, with coach Carlos Queiroz’s plan to frustrate the Three Lions proving successful and boosting both sides’ knockout qualification hopes at the expanded tournament, the Associated Press reported. The result followed wins for both in their opening fixtures and leaves them level on four points heading into the final round of group games.
The Associated Press report highlighted that England outshot Ghana 19-1 yet failed to score despite controlling possession throughout the rain-affected contest. A late chance arrived in the 86th minute when Nico O’Reilly’s header struck the crossbar. Harry Kane could not convert the rebound cleanly with his left foot and sent it over the bar while Queiroz’s well-drilled side stayed compact to secure the point.
This outcome contrasted sharply with Queiroz’s previous World Cup encounter against England. In 2022 his Iran team had lost 6-2 to the English side in Qatar. The Associated Press noted that England has never lost to an African opponent at the World Cup across nine previous meetings yet found no route through Ghana’s organized defense on this occasion.
England midfielder Jude Bellingham expressed his side’s frustration at being unable to break down the opposition. “Frustrated a little bit with how they defended, how they set up. They got exactly out of the game what they played for,” Bellingham said. “Couldn’t quite break them down, even with all corners, all the possession, all the shots on goal from distance,” he added according to the report.
Both teams had collected three points from opening victories the Associated Press reported with England beating Croatia 4-2 and Ghana defeating Panama 1-0. The draw lifted each to four points and placed them in a favorable position in Group L. A Reuters assessment found that Queiroz in his fifth World Cup as a coach has significantly improved Ghana’s defensive structure in a short period.
Ghana has not advanced from the group stage since reaching the 2010 quarterfinals in South Africa. England for its part exited at the quarterfinal stage in 2022 after a loss to France the Associated Press recalled. With the 48-team format seeing the top two from each of 12 groups plus the eight best third-placed teams progress both nations hold strong chances of reaching the round of 32.
England will next face Panama on Saturday in East Rutherford, New Jersey while Ghana meets Croatia simultaneously in Philadelphia the Associated Press report stated. Reuters carried further comments from Queiroz who expressed pride in his players’ discipline. “I am so proud of the way our players fought during the game, how much they stand behind the plan, the game plan,” he said. The coach added that the first objective of advancing to the second round had now been met with his side sharing top spot on four points.
