In Group L, England and Ghana drew 0-0 despite a late barrage.
Published June 23, 2026
England suffered a setback at the World Cup as Ghana held Thomas Tuchel’s side to a frustrating 0-0 draw, but they still have work to do if they are to progress to the finals as Group L winners.
Nico O’Reilly came closest to scoring for England on Tuesday with a late header that hit the bar. After a promising opening 4-2 win over Croatia, it was a performance that raised doubts about England’s chances of going all the way and winning the tournament.
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In the match, which was attended by 63,983 fans at Gillette Stadium near Boston, they dominated possession and had 19 shots on goal to their opponent’s two, but they rarely looked like they could outscore Ghana’s stand-in goalkeeper Benjamin Asare.
In Group L, both teams have four points with one game remaining and are almost certain to advance to the next round, but the final standings are still in the balance.
In damp, cool conditions, England produced a lackluster performance that mirrored their sluggish performance at Euro 2024.
However, there is no dramatic impact as England move a step closer to the last 32. All that’s left now is to get through the final group game against Panama on Saturday at MetLife Stadium, and then they can turn their attention to the final tournament.
England had yet to lose to an African opponent in a World Cup and there was little danger that their record would end here.
Despite this, Ghana, ranked 73rd in the world (69 places behind England), defended resolutely and fought admirably.
The late decision by the Black Stars to appoint Carlos Queiroz as their coach looks increasingly justified with this result following a 1-0 win in the opening game against Panama. The 2010 quarterfinalists will next face Croatia in Philadelphia.
Thomas Partey returned to Ghana after missing the match against Panama in Toronto after Canadian authorities denied him a visa. The former Arsenal midfielder is on trial for rape in the UK.
Asare, who plays for local team Hearts of Oak, started in goal for Ghana in place of Lawrence Ati Gigi, who was injured in the match against Panama.
England’s inability to test him regularly will be a cause for concern as Harry Kane has remained silent and failed to add to his 10 goals at the World Cup. He is currently tied with Gary Lineker as the competition’s all-time leading scorer.
Noni Maduke and Anthony Gordon failed to make a difference on the wing, and this time the substitutes failed to make a decisive impact.
John Stones and O’Reilly were replaced in defense by Mark Guehi and Jed Spence, with Jude Bellingham earning his 50th cap.
Declan Rice’s free-kick came close to scoring, almost exactly where England had scored in the first half. In fact, it took almost an hour for Asare to make a notable save, but he was comfortable denying Gordon.
Ghana may have felt they should have been penalized for Jordan Pickford charging out of the box and slamming into Prince Adu without touching the ball, but instead the goalkeeper was awarded a free kick.
England panicked when substitute Adu ran into the area but could not get his shot off.
The pressure then increased in the closing stages, with Asare doing well to deny Bukayo Saka’s low left-hander, before O’Reilly headed home from close range and Kane fired home.
