African heavyweights Ghana kickoff their Group L campaign at the ongoing FIFA World Cup tournament when they face Panama in their opening group game in the early hours of Thursday.
Ayomide Oguntimehin provides the match preview and betting tips for the June 18 clash at the Toronto Stadium.
Ghana vs Panama match preview
Ghana will be hoping for a better run at the 2026 World Cup beginning with their opening match against Panama, following a disappointing group stage exit at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar when they finished bottom of their group.
The Black Stars will be without Thomas Partey for this clash, after he was denied entry into Canada, but will have him back for their remaining group games. They will also face England and Croatia, as they look to book their place in the Round of 32 of the competition.
Laryea Kingston issues stark warning to Black Stars ahead of Panama clash
Panama, meanwhile, have qualified for just their second World Cup tournament ever and their first since the 2918 edition in Russia. The North American side finished bottom of their group on that occasion with zero points, scoring two goals and conceding 11 in a group that also had England, as well as Belgium. They will face Croatia in their second match, before concluding group action against England in their last match as they eye progress to the next round.
Ghana vs Panama Head-to-Head
This will mark the first-ever meeting between Ghana and Panama at senior international level, and both sides will be eager to make their mark with a win in this encounter.
Best betting odds
Over 1.5 Goals – 1.38 (via 1xBet)
Prediction
Both sides have struggled to keep clean sheets in recent outings, making this game very likely to produce at least two goals.
World Cup 2026. Queiroz backs Ghana to open campaign with victory over Panama
Recent form: Ghana
Ghana enter this clash following a poor run of form and are winless in their last six games across all competitions. Their 1-1 draw against Wales in their last match also ended a run of five straight defeats which saw head coach Otto Addo sacked and replaced by Carlos Queiroz.
The Black Stars have not kept a clean sheet in any of their last six matches as well, although they managed to score in three of these games.
Recent form: Panama
Panama have been inconsistent in recent outings and have managed just two wins in their last five matches, although they only lost once during this period.
The North American side are also without a clean sheet during this period and they managed to score in all of these five games as well.
Player to watch
Antoine Semenyo (Ghana)
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Manchester City forward Antoine Semenyo will shoulder much of Ghana’s attacking responsibilities in the absence of Mohammed Kudus and will be hoping for a brilliant outing against Panama in their World Cup opener. His pace and shooting ability will be very important for the Black Stars if they are to get a result from this clash.
