Ghana and Panama open their World Cup 2026 campaigns at BMO Field Toronto on Wednesday, June 17 at 7:00 PM ET – live on FOX in the United States and ITV in the United Kingdom.
Group L also contains England and Croatia, making this opener a near-must-win for both nations chasing a Round of 16 berth.
The Black Stars arrive with two of their biggest names missing – Thomas Partey was denied entry by Canadian border authorities and is out of the entire tournament, while Mohammed Kudus was omitted from the squad entirely after a January quad injury.
This is not just a curtain-raiser. This is a match where three points may be the difference between Ghana advancing and them flying home after three group games.
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Ghana vs Panama Live Stream and TV Channel
Coverage is widely distributed across multiple platforms and regions. U.S. viewers have the most options, with English-language coverage on FOX and FS1, streaming via the FOX Sports app and fubo. Spanish-language rights sit with Telemundo and stream on Peacock.
| Region | TV Channel | Live Stream |
| USA (English) | FOX / FS1 | FOX Sports App, fubo |
| USA (Spanish) | Telemundo | Peacock, Telemundo App |
| UK | ITV1 | ITVX (from ~11:40 PM BST) |
| Canada | CTV, TSN | TSN+, CTV App, Crave |
| Australia | SBS | SBS On Demand |
| Ghana | GTV, Channel One TV, Sporty TV | – |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | SuperSport (DStv) | DStv Stream App |
| India | Local listings | Zee5 |
| Panama | RPC TV, TVN Canal 2 | Medcom GO, TVN Pass, Tigo Sports |
| Middle East / MENA | beIN Sports | beIN Sports Connect |
Ghana vs Panama TV Kick-off Times
Kick-off time converts as follows across major regions. 7:00 PM ET on Wednesday, June 17 is the anchor – everything else flows from there.
- Eastern Time (ET): 7:00 PM, Wednesday June 17
- Central Time (CT): 6:00 PM, Wednesday June 17
- Pacific Time (PT): 4:00 PM, Wednesday June 17
- Toronto / Panama City (local): 7:00 PM, Wednesday June 17
- Accra, Ghana (GMT): 11:00 PM, Wednesday June 17
- London (BST): 12:00 AM, Thursday June 18
- India (IST): 4:30 AM, Thursday June 18
- Sydney (AEST): 9:00 AM, Thursday June 18
Ghana vs Panama Team News
Partey‘s absence is the defining team news story. The midfielder was denied entry into Canada by border authorities and ruled out of the entire World Cup 2026 campaign.
Kudus compounds the problem. The West Ham forward was not selected due to lingering fitness concerns after a January quad injury.
Ghana’s two most recognizable midfielders are both unavailable – and Queiroz now leans on Antoine Semenyo as the primary offensive threat.
Semenyo arrives in form that justifies the burden. The 26-year-old scored 17 Premier League goals last season and is the most dangerous weapon the Black Stars carry into this tournament.
Jerome Opoku was substituted as a precaution in a pre-tournament friendly but is expected to start at center-back. The rest of Ghana’s squad is confirmed fit.
For Panama, coach Thomas Christiansen has a full 26-man squad available. Midfielder Adalberto Carrasquilla missed warm-up fixtures with an injury but was spotted back in training and could start or feature from the bench. Veteran captain AnÃbal Godoy is confirmed fit and anchors the midfield alongside Carrasquilla in Panama’s compact defensive block.
Ghana vs Panama Predicted Lineups
Ghana are expected to line up in a 4-2-3-1 under Queiroz. The formation is designed to protect against Panama’s set-piece threat while giving Semenyo and Ernest Nuamah width to exploit on the counter. Jordan Ayew leads the line as captain and striker – he scored 14 goals during qualifying and carries Ghana’s finishing responsibility.
- GK: Lawrence Ati-Zigi
- RB: Marvin Senaya
- CB: Jerome Opoku
- CB: Kojo Peprah Oppong
- LB: Gideon Mensah
- CM: Elisha Owusu
- CM: Caleb Yirenkyi
- RW: Ernest Nuamah
- CAM: Augustine Boakye
- LW: Antoine Semenyo
- ST: Jordan Ayew
Panama are expected to deploy a 5-2-3 / 3-4-3 shape – the wide center-backs and wing-backs provide defensive solidity while allowing quick transitions through Ismael DÃaz and José Luis RodrÃguez on the flanks.
Amir Murillo at right wing-back is Panama’s most prominent club-level performer and a source of attacking width from deep.
- GK: Orlando Mosquera
- RWB: Amir Murillo
- CB: Jiovany Ramos
- CB: José Córdoba
- CB: Andrés Andrade
- LWB: Éric Davis
- CM: AnÃbal Godoy
- CM: Adalberto Carrasquilla
- RW: José Luis RodrÃguez
- CF: José Fajardo
- LW: Ismael DÃaz
Ghana vs Panama: Head-to-Head
Ghana and Panama have never met in a senior men’s international before this fixture. There is no head-to-head record to analyze – Wednesday night at BMO Field Toronto is a genuine first encounter between these two federations at full international level.
The contrast in World Cup experience is significant. Ghana famously reached the 2010 quarterfinals and were eliminated only after Luis Suárez’s handball and Asamoah Gyan’s missed penalty against Uruguay – one of the tournament’s most dramatic exits of the modern era. Panama made their debut at Russia 2018, losing all three group games including a 6–1 thrashing by England. That England result matters – both sides know exactly who awaits later in Group L.
For broader context on how the group stage is shaping up across the whole tournament, the World Cup 2026 group stage predictions and odds breakdown at Sportscasting covers the full competitive picture heading into Matchday 1.
