England vs Ghana LIVE: Team news, flag issue and racism apology as Three Lions eye World Cup knockouts

England vs Ghana LIVE: Team news, flag issue and racism apology as Three Lions eye World Cup knockouts ENGLAND VS GHANA: The Three Lions travel to Boston to take on African side Ghana as Thomas Tuchel aims to secure a spot in the knockout stages of the 2026 World Cup England take on Ghana in their second World Cup group game - and it could be a decisive one for the Three Lions. Following their 4-2 victory against Croatia in Dallas, Thomas Tuchel's side are well poised to seal a spot in the knockout rounds of the World Cup by the end of play tonight. Victory against Ghana will see them progress from the group and should other results go their way, they could even be confirmed as group winners. Tuchel has a number of decisions to make when it comes to the team that he will name. Marcus Rashford and Declan Rice both complained of issues after the Croatia game but are set to be available for selection. There is also a question over the defence that Tuchel will name, with Manchester City's Marc Guehi pushing for a start. England's backline was perhaps the biggest cause for concern after Croatia, who twice found a way through in a hectic opening 45 minutes. England fans won't have to wait for their answers. The game between England and Ghana is due to get underway in Boston at 9pm. Make sure you stay tuned so that you don't miss any of the build-up. Key Events The former striker told Betfair: “If I was Thomas Tuchel, I would not change a lot going into the Ghana game. There were more positives on Wednesday than negatives. The negatives being that we looked edgy and nervy in the first half. I get it to an extent because there are a few that are in their first tournament. We looked shaky defensively. “There were far more positives though. Jude Bellingham, Harry Kane, Elliott Anderson who was outstanding. Nico O'Reilly was also great. Tuchel's substitutions worked really, really well. “It was a really sticky second half when Croatia just started coming back into the game and then he brings Rashford on, Rogers on and the substitutions were perfect. Djed Spence could've scored with one of his first touches. “It all bodes well so I wouldn't change much and I don't think Tuchel will either. It wouldn't surprise me if England were unchanged vs Ghana. “It would be a big blow if Declan Rice is injured because of who he is, the stature, season he's had and what he means to England. It would be a big blow. Rice is such a talent and brings great energy. “The one change I'd look at if Tuchel was going to would be to bring Marc Guehi in, or even Rashford for Gordon because I do think Tuchel will swap them around for one game and one for another. It wouldn't surprise me if Rashford and Guehi came in against Ghana. “I think England will win 3-1. Harry Kane will go again and score a couple, and I think Elliot Anderson may pop up with one as well.” Rade Bogdanovic has apologised following his racist comments on Serbian TV while covering the World Cup which caused widespread condemnation. The ex-Atletico Madrid striker said that: "Black players lack concentration beyond 60 to 80 minutes," as Belgium were held to a goalless draw by Iran. The comments came in as he discussed Nathan Ngoy's red card 66 minutes into the encounter, the young defender seeing an early exit after taking down Mehdi Taremi as the last man back. And speaking on RTS, Bogdanovic gave an incredibly controversial take. He said: "I have always said those players – and I’m really not racist – but Black players lack the concentration to last more than 60 to 80 minutes. I played with them." But he's since been forced into a major u-turn - read the full story here. England boss Thomas Tuchel said: "We have to and want to prove to ourselves that we know what makes us strong. We know the capability and potential of the players. We believe and trust in this group. Tomorrow is the next game and there is no other thought in our minds. We take it step by step, as boring as this may sound, but this is the way to go. "Like I said, this is a different game to Croatia. We have to be ready. It feels like full belief and trust from my side. Let's see tomorrow." Former Arsenal and England forward Theo Walcott says he "shouldn't have gone" to the 2006 World Cup after receiving a shock call-up from Sven Goran Eriksson. Walcott, who was 17 at the time, was named in Eriksson's squad for the Germany tournament despite never having played a game for the Gunners. Speaking to the Daily Mail, Walcott said: "It was too much, too soon for me. You've just turned 17. You've just gone to Arsenal from Southampton in the Championship. You haven't yet played in the Premier League. "When you're older and you're an adult and you've got more responsibilities and you have your own children, I do look at it now and think, 'Where was the protection side of it?'" Portugal drew with DR Congo in their World Cup opener and now face Uzbekistan at 6pm today. It is likely to be dominated by the Cristiano Ronaldo question. Ronaldo led the line at his sixth World Cup, still playing at the age of 41. His role as a starter continues to divide opinion, especially as his scoreless run at major tournaments was extended to a 10th game. Roberto Martinez has said: "He's an example, as a captain and he's reacted as a captain, with a lot of experience. He wants to contribute, and he's a role model for our team. "He's probably the biggest example of how to recover, how to train. But that doesn't take away the feeling of frustration we all have, as a team." Gabby Logan was left astonished to learn that fellow broadcaster and podcast co-host Mark Chapman will not be part of the World Cup 2026 final coverage. Logan is set to front the BBC's TV coverage of the showpiece occasion, making history as the first woman to do so, though Chapman won't be at the match at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Both TV anchors are titans of British sports broadcasting, boasting a combined six decades of television experience between them. When Gary Lineker stepped down from presenting the BBC flagship show Match of the Day last year, the duo, alongside Kelly Cates, were announced as his replacements. At the World Cup, the three have been rotating duties when it comes to the BBC's coverage of the tournament from their Salford base. However, they have also been able to continue with other broadcasting commitments and this is why Chapman won't be on football duty on July 19. A win for either England or Ghana this evening will ensure top spot in Group L and with it a place in the World Cup knockout stages. While England are heavy favourites, Ghana’s star man Antoine Semenyo will certainly have his say on the matter. Semenyo, who joined Manchester City from Bournemouth for £64m this January, enjoyed a stellar season last term as he helped Pep Guardiola’s side win a domestic double of the FA and League Cup, with Semenyo scoring the winner in the former. Rejected by a number of clubs several times as a youngster, Semenyo’s first senior start in men’s football came at the age of 18 for Bath City against Welton Rovers in a Somerset Premier Cup tie. The teenager responded with a hat-trick and, as Jerry Gill – Bath City’s manager at the time – says: “the rest is history.” Gill, speaking to Manchester Evening News, admits he didn’t see Semenyo turning out for one of the biggest clubs in European football, but felt there was a player who could progress to the top level. Well, Semenyo has certainly done just that, and the 26-year-old looks as though he was born to play on the big stage, despite his far from conventional route to the top of the game. Ghana will certainly be looking to lean on Semenyo’s brilliance this evening, as the Black Stars face an in-form England side in a crucial Group L match in Boston this evening. By Raff Tindale Declan Rice says Harry Kane is such a legendary figure in English football that he will tell his kids he played with him. England midfielder Rice clearly believes the Bayern Munich superstar stands up against any of the strikers at the World Cup. And Rice admits that even he gets star struck at times by just how good Kane is while he also insisted England can go all the way this summer. The Arsenal star said: “He's one of those players that can tell the kids when they're older that they got to play with Harry Kane. For me, that's unbelievable. “He's one of them players that I'm very fortunate to have. One, he's our captain. But two, how he leads by example every day and how he pushes in training. “It's not a surprise to me how good he is just because of the goals he scores in training and what he's been doing at Bayern Munich and what he's been doing in an England shirt. It's been an honour to play with him.” Roy Keane believes there's been an overreaction to Thomas Tuchel's half-time team talk against Croatia. England ran out 4-2 winners against their Group L rivals, to send a clear statement of intent. Speaking to ITV, the United legend said: "Is it a bit of an overreaction to his half-time team talk? What’s he supposed to do? That is his job isn't it? That's the manager's job to give them the information and they go out and produce. "That's what any top manager will do, you get them at half-time and you remind them what they're supposed to be doing. It's a bit over the top." Thomas Tuchel has enjoyed a brilliant coaching career at club level with Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Paris Saint Germain and led Chelsea to winning the Champions League. But Tuchel now believes England’s stars are also ready to help lift the World Cup - and they are setting their own standards. Tuchel said: “The players keep themselves on edge. The guys who did not get the minutes from the beginning are pushing but we make sure and we try to make sure in training exercises that everyone is pushing but that is the mentality. That is why I love the team anyway. “Normally we need to hold them back and that was straight away the case. It was also important to acknowledge the physical impact and the physical input that we had. We needed time to recover from that and we needed to give the players time to recover from that mentally. Emotionally but also physically which we did. “There was one-and-a-half days off. The build of the training session was yesterday to grow into this week and today was very tense and on a high level." England fans never disappoint and they've descended on Boston ahead of the Three Lions' second World Cup game at the home of the New England Patriots. England's Trevoh Chalobah has confessed that he's still trying to cut money back from a holiday he binned off after being called up to the World Cup. Chalobah didn't make the cut for Tuchel's final 26, but was quickly called up when the Newcastle star's summer was ended by injury. He was in New York at the time, but wasn't envisaging playing at the tournament. As a result he played to go from the west coast to the east coast and had booked a trip to Los Angeles, but that was sacked off when the England call came. Chalobah said: “I wouldn’t say [I was] ready, but I was on holiday in New York already, just planning my holiday and not thinking about the World Cup. "I flew up to New York and was meant to go to Los Angeles after that but obviously had to cut it short when I got the message on Monday. I am still trying to get my money back." England stars have adopted Wonderwall as their World Cup anthem - and are going old school with their music. The Football Association have installed a turntable to play vinyl at the team hotel even though some younger players were not even aware records even existed. They have brought a selection of LPs and songs which they have all been playing at their base in Kansas City. It is another way to keep the players entertained through the World Cup and they have all been singing along to Oasis’ Wonderwall after England’s win over Croatia last week. That was playing in the stadium after the game and captain Harry Kane even said it was one of his favourite moments of his entire career. England boss Thomas Tuchel went to an Oasis gig at Wembley last year and sang along - and is hoping they will carry on singing it all summer. Tuchel said: “Hopefully it becomes an anthem because that is exactly what a tournament like this is for, for the connection between fans and the team." There can be no doubt that Nico O'Reilly goes into this World Cup as first choice left back. Longer term, he still regards himself as a midfielder which is the position he grew up playing. But even at left back, he still steps into midfield. O’Reilly said: “I think in the future I will be back in midfield, my profile, everything fits there and maybe a box to box midfielder but left-back I have been enjoying it and it has got me here now to a World Cup. “Playing at left-back I have been playing in the middle for most of it anyway so it’s not like I am playing as a traditional left-back, even in England, I am still coming inside and allowed to drift in and drift out wide so it is a bit more relaxed.” Thomas Tuchel could stick with a winning formula against Ghana. The England boss was happy with the second half display against Croatia and may name an unchanged starting XI for England’s second group match in Boston. Bukayo Saka trained fully on Sunday but Tuchel has already hinted he may not start with the Arsenal winger until the third game with Panama to manage his Achilles issue. See our predicted line-up here. The France started last night at 5pm local time finally ended at 8.47pm because of safety concerns amid adverse weather conditions. It is the first time we've seen this at the World Cup. So what do the teams actually do? "We played cards," joked France boss Didier Deschamps. "No, well, we were waiting. We had slots that kept being pushed forward again. "I was actually having a good time with my players and having fun. It's a question of safety. You cannot fight against the rain and lightning. It doesn't annoy me. These are very special circumstances and I do hope they don't happen again. It was important to take no risks." We've only ever met Ghana once in our history - that being back in 2011 at Wembley. England were denied that night by an injury time striker from Asamoah Gyan. The Three Lions had taken the lead courtesy of Andy Carroll's first international goal just before half-time. This was a real throwback, think back to a time when Fabio Capello was in charge! The Bayern Munich striker already has one Golden Boot to his name, but this time the big hitters really have come to town. Erling Haaland, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe have all now played twice. Messi is on five, the other two are on four. Kane sits on two, another brace tonight and he stays right in the mix. If you're just rising, here's what's been going on over the past 24 hours. Argentina 2-0 Austria France 3-0 Iraq Norway 3-2 Senegal Jordan 1-2 Algeria It's a tricky one for Tuchel when it comes to his side. Arsenal's Bukayo Saka has recovered from an Achilles issue but he is expected to rested until the final group game against Panama. Meanwhile, Marcus Rashford and Declan Rice picked up slight knocks. Marc Guehi could also be in contention to be named in the starting XI. It was a promising start to the 2026 World Cup for England earlier this week as the Three Lions beat Croatia 4-2. Harry Kane's retaken penalty had given England the lead before, with Martin Baturina equalising for Croatia. Kane doubled his evening's work before Peter Musa hauled his side level once again. England were much improved after the break, with Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford wrapping up an impressive win. Hello everyone and welcome along to Mirror Football's live coverage of England's World Cup group game against Ghana. It promises to be a brilliant evening for the Three Lions with a spot in the knockout stages up for grabs. Victory will secure England's place in the next round. They could even rubber-stamp top spot in Group L should the clash between Panama and Ghana go their way. Fortunately, Mirror Football will be on hand throughout the evening to bring you all of the team news, build-up and more...