Foxborough, June 23 (IANS) Croatia and Panama head into Tuesday's Group L encounter at BMO Field in Toronto knowing that anything less than a victory could leave their FIFA World Cup campaigns hanging by a thread. Both sides opened the tournament with defeats and now face a must-win contest in what will be their first-ever meeting.

Croatia began their campaign with a spirited but ultimately unsuccessful performance against tournament favourites England, losing 4-2 despite twice drawing level during an entertaining first half. Zlatko Dalić's side showed glimpses of the resilience that carried them to the semifinals in the previous two World Cups, but defensive lapses proved costly against one of the competition's strongest teams.

Panama, meanwhile, left its opener with little reward despite an encouraging display against Ghana. Thomas Christiansen's men matched their opponents for long periods through aggressive pressing and composed play in possession, only to concede a late goal that handed the Black Stars a narrow 1-0 victory. The defeat was a bitter outcome for a team that impressed throughout qualification and believes it belongs on football's biggest stage.

While Croatia's recent record includes memorable wins over heavyweights such as Argentina and Brazil in past World Cups, the current squad has struggled to reproduce those heights, with defeats against England, Brazil and Belgium exposing its limitations against elite opposition.

Experience, however, remains Croatia's greatest asset heading into Tuesday's fixture. Panama will be determined to claim its first-ever World Cup point, but the European side knows that three points are essential if it hopes to keep its knockout-stage ambitions alive.

How to watch Panama vs Croatia live in India

Live streaming and live telecast of the FIFA World Cup 2026 football matches will be available on the Zee5 platform and app in India. Subscription will be needed.

Live telecast of the FIFA World Cup 2026 will be available on the Unite8 Sports 1, Unite8 Sports 1 HD, Unite8 Sports 2, and Unite8 Sports 2 HD TV channels in India.

Key details

Date and kick-off time: Wednesday, June 24, 04:30 AM (IST)

Venue: BMO Field, Toronto, Canada

Referee: Pierre Atcho

Squads:

Panama -

Goalkeepers: Orlando Mosquera, Luis Mejia, Cesar Samudio

Defenders: Cesar Blackman, Jorge Gutierrez, Amir Murillo, Fidel Escobar, Andres Andrade, Edgardo Farina, Jose Cordoba, Eric Davis, Jiovani Ramos, Roderick Miller

Midfielders: Aníbal Godoy, Adalberto Carrasquilla, Carlos Harvey, Cristian Martínez, Jose Luis Rodriguez, Cesar Yanis, Yoel Barcenas, Alberto Quintero, Azarias Londono

Forwards: Ismael Diaz, Cecilio Waterman, Jose Fajardo, Tomas Rodrigue

Croatia -

Goalkeepers: Dominik Livakovic, Ivor Pandur, Dominik Kotarski

Defenders: Josip Stanisic, Marin Pongracic, Josko Gvardiol, Duje Caleta-Car, Josip Sutalo, Luka Vuskovic, Martin Erlic

Midfielders: Nikola Moro, Mateo Kovacic, Luka Modric, Nikola Vlasic, Mario Pasalic, Martin Baturina, Petar Sucic, Kristijan Jakic, Toni Fruk, Luka Sucic

Forwards: Andrej Kramaric, Ante Budimir, Ivan Perisic, Igor Matanovic, Marco Pasalic, Petar Musa

--IANS

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