In their opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, England secured an impressive 4-2 victory over Croatia in a game that produced no yellow cards at all.
As a result, the Three Lions have now gone four consecutive matches without receiving a single card across all competitions. Looking at a larger sample, six of England’s last seven matches have finished with three cards or fewer.
In Matchday 2 of Group H, England will face Ghana, who were held to a disappointing 0-0 draw against Panama in their opening fixture. Ghana received one yellow card in that match.
More importantly, that game marked the fifth consecutive match in which Ghana received at least one card, accumulating nine yellow cards during that period. This trend strongly supports the expectation that Ghana will collect more cards than England in this upcoming encounter.
According to FIFA’s referee appointment, the match will be officiated by Sebastián Martínez of Argentina. Martínez has already taken charge of one match at the 2026 World Cup, Qatar vs Switzerland, where three yellow cards were shown.
Across his last 20 matches, Martínez has averaged 5.10 yellow cards and 0.25 red cards per game, indicating a relatively strict officiating style. Based on these numbers, the match is expected to produce at least three cards overall.
Pick: Ghana + Card Handicap & Over Total Cards
First-Half Card Betting Analysis
A noteworthy statistic shows that Ghana have received at least one first-half yellow card in each of their last five matches.
In four of those games, the Black Stars covered the first-half card handicap market.
On the other hand, as mentioned earlier, England have gone four straight matches without receiving a single yellow card.
Given these contrasting disciplinary records, Ghana appear far more likely to pick up the game’s first card and dominate the first-half card count.
Pick: Ghana + First-Half Card Handicap & Over First-Half Cards
Team News
England
- Injuries to Bukayo Saka (Achilles tendon), Marcus Rashford, and Declan Rice (both hamstring issues) are not considered serious, and all three players are expected to be available.
- Ezri Konsa struggled in the opening match and could lose his starting place to Marc Guehi.
Ghana
- Thomas Partey has been cleared to enter the United States and is expected to start.
- First-choice goalkeeper Lawrence Ati Zigi suffered a muscle injury during the first half against Panama and is unlikely to recover in time for this match.
Predicted Lineups
England
Pickford; James, Stones, Guehi, O’Reilly; Anderson, Rice; Madueke, Bellingham, Gordon; Kane.
Ghana
Asare; Senaya, Adjetey, Opoku, Minseh; Yirenkyi, Partey; Fatawu, Sulemana, Semenyo; Ayew.
Form and Head-to-Head Statistics
- England enter the match as strong favorites after their convincing win over Croatia.
- Ghana need a positive result after dropping points against Panama and may be forced into a more physical style of play.
- England’s recent disciplinary record has been exceptionally clean, while Ghana have consistently accumulated cards.
- With a referee known for issuing cards at a relatively high rate, the card markets favor Ghana to receive more cards, with the Over Cards option also offering value.