Eberechi Eze has called on his England teammates to shut out external criticism and maintain their focus after the side were held to a goalless draw by Ghana in their FIFA World Cup 2026 Group L opener.

The result leaves England's position in the group unsettled, but Eze made clear that the squad's mindset has not wavered — with a crucial clash against Panama in New Jersey now the sole priority.

Eze's message: trust the process

Speaking to reporters after the match, Eze acknowledged the wave of negative opinion but urged his team to tune it out. "It's normal," he said. "There's going to be opinions outside of what's going on and what they think of the game, but we're not too focused on that. We trust what we're doing."

The Crystal Palace midfielder was direct in his reasoning. "We can't spend too much time listening to people that aren't playing and aren't actually on the field. We know what we're doing, we trust what we're doing and we're confident — so that's all that matters."

Keeping perspective on a long tournament

Eze reflected on the mental demands of a World Cup campaign, stressing the importance of emotional balance across a gruelling schedule. "It's a long journey," he said. "You can't be too high, too low — you have to trust in what you're doing in the present moment. We're trying to enjoy it as much as we can and being confident on what's to come."

He refused to let the stalemate shake England's self-belief, noting that Ghana's strong performance made it a difficult afternoon. "Today was a difficult day because of how well they played, but we could've got a win today," Eze added.

Eye on Panama

With the Panama fixture now firmly in their sights, Eze expressed confidence that England's performances will ultimately deliver a top-of-the-group finish. "The mentality is still the same, still focusing on doing what we need to do to win," he said. "I'm trusting that what we've been doing, how we've been playing, the confidence that we're playing with will put us in a good position to top the group."