PANPanamavsENGEngland

Panama face England at MetLife Stadium (82,500 capacity) in New York/New Jersey on June 27, 2026, with kickoff at 5:00 PM EDT (UTC-4) on the final day of Group L at the FIFA World Cup 2026. These two sides have met at a World Cup before: in 2018 in Russia, England beat Panama 6-1 in a group stage match that included a Harry Kane hat-trick and a John Stones brace.

Felipe Baloy's late consolation goal for Panama in that 2018 match was historic as the country's first-ever World Cup goal, celebrated by the Panamanian bench and fans with the kind of joy that reveals exactly what it means to score at a World Cup regardless of the scoreline. That dichotomy, England's clinical demolition alongside Panama's pure elation at their consolation, said something real about what the tournament means to different footballing nations.

By 2026, Panama return with one more World Cup behind them. They have experienced this stage, absorbed it, and built on it. England remain among the tournament's most expected contenders. The 6-1 result from 2018 will be in the background, but football teams evolve and the circumstances of a third group game, with qualification potentially already determined or still at stake, will matter far more than history.

A 5:00 PM EDT kickoff in New Jersey reaches fans worldwide at varied hours. It is 10:00 PM BST in London and 11:00 PM CEST in Paris and Berlin, a strong prime-time evening slot for English and Croatian supporters following Group L's finale. Fans in Tokyo watch at 6:00 AM JST the following morning. For Panama's large diaspora in New York City itself, this is a home fixture in every sense.

MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, serving the New York metropolitan area, is one of the World Cup's marquee venues for 2026. It holds 82,500 and has an architectural grandeur appropriate to football's biggest stage. The New York area's connection to the Caribbean and Latin American communities means Panama will have genuine support in the ground. Group L's final day in New York could be dramatic or ceremonial. Either way, Panama vs England completes the story that started in Nizhny Novgorod eight years ago.