liveUpdated 2m agoFollow live as Croatia and Ghana conclude their Group L campaigns today in Philadelphia.The Athletic Live TeamJune 27, 2026 at 4:46 PM EDTGhana warming up ahead of kick-off Getty ImagesCroatia vs Ghana — LatestCroatia are looking to secure a place in the round of 32 at the World Cup as they take on Ghana in Philadelphia today. Ghana, already assured of qualification, are currently second in the group on four points, level with leaders England and one more than Croatia in third.England will take on Panama simultaneously in New Jersey as Group L concludes. Kick-off: 5pm ET, 2pm PTWatch: FS1, Fubo (try for free)Join the discussion or email your thoughts: live@theathletic.comA reminder The AthleticJust a reminder of how the third-placed teams table stands heading into the final round of group matches.Croatia currently sit in 7th out of the 8 teams that would qualify. Gvardiol not starting is a surprise Getty ImagesTeam news-wise, the big story is Croatia and Manchester City star Josko Gvardiol. He's been dropped. That is a bit surprise, not least because he was the player Croatia put up for the pre-match media conference.Team changes from GhanaGhana have also made three changes from their side that held England to a 0-0 draw in Foxborough.Derrick Luckassen, Elisha Owusu and Kamaldeen Sulemana come in, with Nathan Opoku, Inaki Williams and Caleb Yirenkyi starting on the bench. Rebecca Tauber / The AthleticThe last time I saw Ana Bakija, I was seven years old, and she was living with my family in Philadelphia as an au pair for a year. Twenty years later, she's back in Philly for the game, and a visit with my dad and me.Group L forecast The AthleticA draw between Ghana and Croatia would see the Ghanaians finish above the Croatians, and yet, our forecast gives Croatia a 10 per cent advantage in terms of likelihood of finishing in second place. What that tells you is that our projections see a win for Croatia today as more likely than not.Both teams on the pitch now and suddenly all the fans have come out of hiding. Croatian supporters are enjoying the DJ's choice of a Croat power ballad of very questionable quality. Would have done well at Eurovision 20 years ago. They all love it, though.Lucrative day for the poncho-sellers Getty ImagesIt's another day for the poncho-sellers in Philly. I'm told the Eagles are talking about building a new stadium on the parking lot next door. That one will have a roof. Good idea. The respective assistant coaches have put their cones out and Ghana's goalies have started their warm-up. For warm-up connoisseurs, the teams' cone formations are almost identical, but Croatia have piled their footballs up into three very neat pyramids. Nice touch. Here come Ghana.Three changes for Croatia Getty ImagesZlatko Dalic has made three changes to the Croatia side that beat Panama 1-0 in Toronto on Tuesday,Manchester City's Josko Gvardiol drops to the bench, along with Marco Pasalic and Petar Musa.Starting instead of them are Nikola Vlasic, Petar Sucic and Ante Budimir, who scored their goal against PanamaThe activists I talked to said the response has generally been positive from fans entering Lincoln Financial Field. “We have a lot of people that are living in fear now,” Paul said. “We want our visitors from other countries to know they're welcome here.”ICE protesters in Philadelphia Rebecca Tauber“Up with soccer, down with ICE” is what a small group of protesters have to say outside today’s game in Philly. “We wanted to welcome people from other countries, and let them know we support our immigrants in our own country, and we oppose ICE,” Paula Paul from Germantown, Pennsylvania told me about the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement policies.Standings The AthleticHere's how things look in Group L ahead of today's final two matches. England and Ghana are through, and Panama have been eliminated. That leaves Croatia with the most to play for today. A draw would see them finish third, while a win could take them as high as first. Weather updateSteady showers in Philadelphia will taper off during the game. Temperatures will hold in the low 70s (23C).At risk of suspensionWilliams starts on the bench for Ghana Getty ImagesThree players in this match will be suspended for the round of 32 if they pick up a booking today. Croatia: Petar SucicGhana: Caleb Yirenkyi and Inaki WilliamsSucic is starting for Croatia, while Yirenkyi and Williams are on the bench for Ghana. That makes sense, given Croatia need to take more risks today. Unlike Ghana, they haven't clinched a spot in the knockout stage yet. Go Birds? ReutersThe driver of a Philly sanitation truck has rolled down his window and started a Philadelphia Eagles chant, and this Croatian crowd is all too happy to give him what he wants — a round of Go Birds. Maybe football and football aren't too different after all?Modric’s historic night Getty ImagesCroatia’s 1-0 victory against Panama marked Luka Modric’s 21st career game at the World Cup. Since his debut in the tournament in 2006, only Lionel Messi (28) and Cristiano Ronaldo (24) have made more appearances in the competition.Modric completed 69 of his 78 passes in the game, good for an accuracy of 88 per cent. He has completed at least 80 per cent of his passes in all 19 of his career World Cup starts.The substitutesCroatia subs: I Pandur, D Kotarski, J Gvardiol, D Caleta-Car, K Jakic, L Vuskovic, M Erlic, N Moro, M Pasalic, T Fruk, L Sucic, A Kramaric, I Matanovic, M Pasalic, P Musa.Ghana subs: L A Zigi, J Anang, A Seidu, A Mumin, B Rahman, J Opoku, K P Oppong, C Yirenkyi, A Boakye, A Fatawu, B Thomas-Asante, C B Baah, I Williams, E Nuamah, P Adu.Ghana starting line-up OptaGhana XI: B Asare, J Adjetey, G Mensah, D Luckassen, M Senaya, T Partey, K Sibo, A Semenyo, E Owusu, J Ayew, K Sulemana.Croatia starting line-up OptaCroatia XI: D Livakovic, J Stanisic, M Pongracic, J Sutalo, M Kovacic, L Modric, N Vlasic, M Baturina, P Sucic, A Budimir, I Perisic.Team news on the way ReutersStay tuned for team news from Philadelphia, where Ghana or Croatia can still top Group L with a win (depending on how England do against Panama).