Panama will play against England, Croatia, and Ghana in the 2026 World Cup. The draw was held at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington DC, placing Panama in Group L, with England as the group leader. The national team will face England again, as they did in the 2018 World Cup in Russia, and will play against Croatia and Ghana for the first time at this stage. Panama qualified for the World Cup by finishing first in Group A of the final phase of the Concacaf Qualifiers. The Panama Football Federation was represented at the draw by several key officials. Meanwhile, Iran's soccer federation announced it was boycotting the draw, stating that visas were denied to key members of its delegation. Furthermore, fans from 12 countries, including Haiti and Iran, will be barred from traveling to the U.S. for the World Cup due to a travel ban reinstated by President Donald Trump. While exemptions exist for athletes, coaches, and essential support staff, the ban still applies to fans from these nations. Haiti, which qualified for the World Cup for the first time since 1974, is also affected by this policy. During the event, Donald Trump was awarded the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize, which he called "one of the great honors of my life."
