England will have to start fast in Group L at FIFA World Cup 2026 - because they won't want to stumble into their final knockout game with Panama at risk of a major shock.
Although Croatia and Ghana are bigger threats by reputation and pedigree, the Canal Men have the potential to cause problems. And there are two specific areas in which Panama could even count themselves as England's superiors.
One of those advantages relates to the fierce admiration manager Thomas Christiansen has earned from fans since arriving at the helm in 2020. That's not to say Thomas Tuchel isn't appreciated by portions of the English support, but such vehement backing of a head coach and his vision is a powerful thing.
"Christiansen could go to the [presidential] elections right now and he would win," Panamanian journalist Luis Arauz told Mirror Football. "I've never seen a coach in Panama that receives so much love from everyone like Christensen, which is also dangerous sometimes. Because when we were doing bad in the qualifiers, people didn't want to criticise him.
