Phil McNulty
BBC Sport chief football writer

In the first game against Croatia, England's runners out wide and through the centre offered a threat. With Ghana sitting back, the Three Lions needed a touch of individual magic - but could not find it.

Bukayo Saka offered hope in his cameo, underscoring a dilemma for Tuchel around his wide men and the need for change.

Barcelona's new buy Anthony Gordon was once again quiet. It was no surprise when he was replaced by Saka 25 minutes from time, and the Arsenal man at least forced Ghana keeper Benjamin Asare into a fine late save.

The early evidence suggests it will not be long before Saka, who is managing an Achilles injury, and Marcus Rashford take England's wide positions.

So England dominated possession but struggled to beat Ghana's stubborn defence.

What should Thomas Tuchel do if the Panama game plays out the same way?

After their thrilling second-half show in the 4-2 win over Croatia, a familiar tale of frustration unfolded against Ghana as Tuchel’s team couldn’t turn dominance into more goals.

Not until the 86th minute did Nico O’Reilly rattle the crossbar, before captain Harry Kane uncharacteristically skied the rebound.

England’s 19 shots were their most without scoring in any World Cup match for 24 years; meanwhile, Ghana’s two were the fewest the Three Lions have faced since such records began back in 1966.

England also had 78.9% possession, and that’s the highest recorded by any side that ultimately failed to find the net on record in World Cup history (also since 1966).

Image source, Opta

Phil McNulty
BBC Sport chief football writer

Head coach Thomas Tuchel claimed England's thrilling opening World Cup win against Croatia would have excited "fans in pubs". The dismal follow-up against Ghana would have sobered them up instantly.

The manner in which England dismantled Croatia raised expectation and excitement levels, but this was a brutal reality check as Ghana's resilience, physicality and organisation built an insurmountable barrier.

England are leading Group L and set to qualify for the last 32 - and Declan Rice echoed the post-match mood of "no panic" in the camp when he told BBC Sport: "We still have a great chance to top the group against Panama, so positivity all round."

Not quite all round given the Three Lions' lack of creativity in the face of Ghana's durability - but Tuchel's side still remain in a healthy position.

If the victory against Croatia made watching England fun, this was back to the grindstone where they were forced to do the dirty work, but could not break through.

BBC Sport football tactics correspondent Umir Irfan breaks down the reasons why Thomas Tuchel's England were held to a 0-0 draw against Ghana.

In Thomas Tuchel's interview with Kelly Somers, the England manager was asked whether Ghana had set a blueprint for how to play against his side.

Tuchel brushed off this suggestion but it does leave fans wondering how the Three Lions may play against Panama.

BBC Sport's football tactics correspondent Umir Irfan has been delving into the details to see why Tuchel's team came up short against Ghana and were held to a 0-0 stalemate.

So that's who England can play in the last 32, but what about after that, if they win their first knockout game?

If England top their group and come through their last-32 tie, they would go on to play a last-16 tie at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, which would be against co-hosts Mexico if they win their first knockout match.

That game is currently set to be played at 01:00 BST in the early hours of Monday, 6 July.

Following that, Miami will be the venue on Saturday, 11 July - with a more reasonable kick-off time at 22:00 BST - where they'll face one of Brazil, Japan, Ivory Coast and Norway in the quarters.

Another win would see them potentially face defending champions Argentina in the semi-final on Wednesday, 15 July, at 20:00 BST back in Atlanta.

If they win that and reach the final in New York on Sunday 19 July, it could be anyone from the other side of the draw, which includes Germany, France, Spain, Portugal and the Netherlands, among others.

If they lose in the last four, it'll be back to Miami on Saturday, 18 July, for the Third Place game against the other beaten semi-finalist.

See the full knockout stage bracket as it stands here.

Spot on that Lee.

As we've been saying, England's progression was made official overnight thanks to results elsewhere, but who could they play next?

As it stands, they're set to play Senegal in the last 32, but it will be DR Congo for Thomas Tuchel's men in Atlanta on Wednesday (17:00 BST) if they finish third in Group K.

Dale Johnson
Football issues correspondent

Well Guy, there’s a grid of 495 potential combinations of third-placed teams.

The specific eight groups that provide the qualifiers determine where the countries go.

So, for example, as the only combinations remaining for Bosnia-Herzegovina, Sweden and Paraguay send them to one group we already know their fixtures.

Whatever tonight's result, England's place in the knockout stages of the World Cup has been confirmed before they face Panama in their final group game.

The Three Lions sit on four points after two games - meaning they are at least guaranteed one of the eight third-placed qualification spots.

Four other teams sit on four points - Sweden, Ecuador, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Paraguay - with four groups, including England's still to wrap up.

Uruguay's defeat by Spain on Saturday was the result that confirmed the Three Lions' place in the last 32.

Image source, Getty Images

England go into the final match of the group stages knowing that a draw will be enough to confirm them as Group L winners if Ghana and Croatia also draw.

If the Three Lions win on Saturday, only a big victory for Ghana would knock them off top spot - Ghana would have to exceed England's winning margin by two goals.

Should England lose, Ghana would go above them into top spot with a victory over Croatia, while Croatia could leapfrog them both with a win in their final game.

Image source, Getty Images

Alan Shearer
Former England striker on BBC One

I could also understand if Tuchel brought John Stones back in for Ezri Konsa. Although our main issue against Ghana was being unable to break them down, there were still some concerns defensively.

In the two real attacks that Ghana had when they managed to get forward, one could have seen them win a penalty and the other one could have ended with Jordan Pickford getting a red card.

We got away with it both times, but Tuchel has changed things in his defence and there is no doubt that there is some uncertainty back there.

I don't know if that has affected Pickford too, but he has not looked assured so far as he normally does.

In the first game, his distribution was pretty poor and then he got caught out against Ghana when he came rushing out, so maybe those changes did not help his situation either.

Image source, Getty Images

Thomas Tuchel said in his pre-Panama news conference that he was happy with calling up Trevoh Chalobah in place of the injured Tino Livramento, because it freed Jarell Quansah as a full-back option.

The England manager did also mention Djed Spence and Ezri Konsa for that position, but both of those have played for the Three Lions at the 2026 World Cup at left-back and centre-back, respectively.

With some rotation likely to be a factor in England's final group-stage match, could we see the Bayer Leverkusen and former Liverpool defender fill the space made vacant by Reece James' hamstring injury?

And is it a case of bad planning or just par for the course in tournament football that England should have to rely on a makeshift full-back?

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Both Eberechi Eze and Morgan Rogers have played in the wide areas for Arsenal and Aston Villa, respectively, further adding to Thomas Tuchel's embarrassment when it comes to attacking options.

Marcus Rashford and Bukayo Saka are the names in the frame to challenge Anthony Gordon and Noni Madueke for a place in the starting XI against Panama, but Tuchel could well go down another route for Saturday's game.