England head to the World Cup in November hoping to end an agonising half-century wait for gold on the global stage.
Having finished fourth at the tournament in Russia in 2018, Gareth Southgate's Three Lions reached the final of Euro 2020, only to be undone by a resilient Italy team.
Despite that shattering disappointment, England still boast a formidable team and remain defiant, but who will they face in the group stage in Qatar? GOAL takes a look at their potential opponents.
Who could England draw in World Cup group stage?
England are among the top seeds in Pot 1 ahead of the draw due to their position in the latest FIFA ranking (5th) which was updated on March 31.
Therefore, they cannot be drawn against any other team in Pot 1, which means they will not face Brazil, Belgium, France, Argentina, Spain, Portugal or hosts Qatar in the group stage.
Next Match
They will face one team from each of Pot 2, Pot 3 and Pot 4.
Pot 2 features a number of big hitters, including Germany and the Netherlands, as well as Croatia, who knocked the Three Lions out in the semi-final of the 2018 World Cup. Mexico and the USMNT are also potential opponents from the second seeds, along with Denmark, Uruguay and Switzerland.
Robert Lewandowski's Poland and Heung-min Son's South Korea are among the notable third seeds in Pot 3, with Sadio Mane and Senegal also a potential opponent from that collection. Iran, Japan, Morocco, Serbia and Tunisia complete that set of teams.
Scotland or Wales could potentially end up as England's opponents in the group stage from Pot 4, but they'll need to come through the UEFA play-off first. Cameroon, Canada, Saudi Arabia and South American side Ecuador are some of the bottom seeds England could get.
It should be noted that, per FIFA's draw rules, England's group will only have one other European team at most, so there is no danger of being drawn against Germany and Poland, for example.
Check out the full seedings below.
Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 | Pot 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
Qatar | Mexico | Senegal | Cameroon |
Brazil | Netherlands | Iran | Canada |
Belgium | Denmark | Japan | Ecuador |
France | Germany | Morocco | Saudi Arabia |
Argentina | Uruguay | Serbia | Ghana |
England | Switzerland | Poland | Costa Rica / New Zealand |
Spain | USMNT | South Korea | Peru or Australia / UAE |
Portugal | Croatia | Tunisia | Wales or Scotland / Ukraine |
When does the World Cup 2022 group stage start?
World Cup 2022 group stage matches kick off on November 21, 2022, with hosts Qatar raising the curtain in Group A.
However, the date of England's first game at the tournament will depend on which group they are drawn into.
Who do you want England to get?
A grudge-match against Germany? How about the USMNT? Is there a particular team you want to avoid? Let us know in the comments! 👇