World Cup 2026: Panama vs Ghana Tips, Odds & Prediction

* Odds supplied by Betway and accurate when this was published.

Ghana and Panama clash at BMO Field in Toronto in a tight looking Group L opener, with the game getting underway at 01:00 CAT on Thursday, June 18. Thomas Christiansen's Panama are compact and hard to beat, while Carlos Queiroz's Ghana have more star quality but arrive out of form. I see a close, low scoring match that could swing either way. Our dedicated section has all our World Cup betting tips.

Panama

Panama are an organised and disciplined team, and I think they are harder to beat than their ranking suggests. Christiansen has put years into building a tight defensive unit, and while they have let in a few goals in recent friendlies, they have still shown decent form. In their preparation they drew with Bosnia-Herzegovina and beat the Dominican Republic, although Brazil beat them heavily, and Adalberto Carrasquilla is injured and will miss out in midfield. As I see it, Panama will drop deep, protect their area and try to hurt Ghana from set pieces and on the break.

Probable Lineup: Mosquera; Harvey, Andrade, Cordoba; Murillo, Godoy, Martinez, Davis; Rodriguez, Waterman, Diaz.

Ghana

Ghana have the bigger names, but as I see it their recent form is a real concern. The Black Stars have only one win from their last seven games and have not managed a clean sheet in that spell, letting in goals easily. Antoine Semenyo, Inaki Williams and Jordan Ayew bring genuine quality in attack, with Thomas Partey holding the midfield together. I expect Ghana to have most of the ball but to look shaky at the back against a team that is very dangerous on the counter.

Probable Lineup: Asare; Adjetey, Djiku, Opoku; Yirenkyi, Partey, Sibo, Mensah; Semenyo, Williams, Ayew.

This looks set to be a tense and evenly matched contest between an organised Panama and a gifted but brittle Ghana. I think both teams will have their spells, but neither back line gives me enough faith to back a clean sheet, and a draw would not shock me in the slightest. My forecast: Panama 1 Ghana 1.

BTTS: Yes (1.96)

My pick is BTTS: Yes, as Ghana's shaky defence will hand Panama opportunities, and Ghana's forwards are good enough to break through at the other end. Ghana have gone seven games in a row without a clean sheet, and Panama scored plenty in their warm up matches. At 1.96 both teams to score looks the best value in this game.