England’s possible paths to the World Cup final have become clearer after FIFA conducted the group stage draw and the match schedule for next summer’s tournament.
The Three Lions have been handed a challenging group stage assignment following the draw on Friday in Washington.
Thomas Tuchel’s side meet Croatia in their opening match in Dallas on June 17 in a repeat of the 2018 semi-final, where England’s hopes were dashed in extra time.
England will then travel to Boston to face Ghana in their second match, before rounding of the group stage by facing Panama in New York. Panama were another of England’s opponents in 2018, with Gareth Southgate’s side winning 6-1 in the group stage on that occasion.
Tuchel has promised that England will not underestimate their opponents, but the German coach has targeted finishing top of the group.
Daily Mail Sport takes a closer look at England’s potential path to the final, depending on their finishing position in Group L.
ENGLAND WIN THE GROUP
Tuchel’s side would face a quick turnaround, with their group concluding on June 27 and their last-32 tie scheduled for July 1.
The Three Lions would likely have a favourable tie against a third place finisher from either Group E, H, I, J and K, meaning there are 20 possible teams they could face.
The countries include Germany, Curacao, Ivory Coast and Ecuador, Spain, Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay, France, Senegal, Norway, Argentina, Algeria, Austria, Jordan, Portugal, Colombia, Uzbekistan, as well as two teams who come through intercontinental play-offs.
If England were to play in this fixture, the match would take place at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atalanta. It would be a favourable time for fans in the UK, with the match kicking off at 5pm GMT.
The highest ranked possible opponents England could then face in the last-16, provided the draw goes to plan, would be co-hosts Mexico.
The match would take place at the Azteca Stadium, where England suffered Diego Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ and ‘Goal of the Century’ in the 1986 World Cup quarter-finals.
Mexico, who play their national team matches at the stadium, would benefit from an additional day’s rest and having had minimal travel at the tournament if they reach this stage.
Two of Mexico’s group stage matches will be held at the stadium, with the other in Guadalajara. Their last-32 tie would also be at the Azteca.
The fixture would be the most challenging for England fans back home, as the match would kick off at 1am GMT.
England’s likely quarter-final opponent on this path would be against record five-time winners Brazil.
The potential fixture against Carlo Ancelotti’s side would take place at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on July 11.
The match would be a repeat of the 2002 World Cup quarter-finals, when England were beaten 2-1 by the eventual champions – the last time Brazil won the trophy.
With the match kicking off at 5pm local time in Miami, England would likely by battling heat and humidity. July is typically the hottest month in Miami, when temperatures can reach 32 degrees.
Another South American opponent would await in the semi-finals, with reigning champions Argentina seen as the likeliest opposition.
The match would be scheduled to take place at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on July 15. Kick-off would be at 8pm GMT.
It would be the fifth time the two nations would meet at a World Cup, with England winning in 1966 and 2002, while Argentina triumphed in 1986 and 1998.
Spain would be the expected opponents in the final, setting up a repeat of Euro 2024.
Luis de la Fuente’s side broke England hearts in Germany by winning 2-1 in the final, bringing down the curtain on Southgate’s reign as Three Lions’ boss.
Spain are currently top of the FIFA world rankings heading into the World Cup.
The final will be held at the MetLife Stadium in New York on July 19, kicking off at 8pm GMT.
IF ENGLAND FINISH SECOND
A second place finish would see England head to Canada to face another runner-up, who would come out of Group K.
According to the seedings, Colombia would be the most likely opponents in the last-32 in this scenario, with their group containing Portugal, Uzbekistan and the winner of a play-off between DR Congo, Jamaica and New Caledonia.
England broke their major tournament penalty curse against Colombia at the 2018 World Cup, beating the South Americans on spot kicks in the last-16.
The last-32 match would be held at the BMO Field in Toronto on July 2, with the match kicking off at 12pm GMT.
England would then likely face a daunting last-16 tie against Spain, who are expected to win Group H.
The Three Lions would return to the AT&T Stadium in Dallas, in a match that would be held at 7pm GMT.
The pathway would see Belgium emerge as the likeliest quarter-final opponents according to the seedings, although the United States would be another possibility.
England face Belgium twice at the 2018 World Cup, losing both in the group stage and the third placed play-off.
The quarter-final would be held at the SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Los Angeles on July 10, kicking off at 5pm GMT.
A third consecutive European opponent would likely wait in the semi-finals in France.
France have made the past two World Cup finals, winning in Russia 2018 and finishing as runners-up at Qatar 2022. Didier Deschamps side ended England’s hopes in Qatar in the quarter-finals.
The match would be at the AT&T Stadium in Dallas, the third time England would have played at the venue during the tournament. Kick off would be at 7pm GMT.
Should England make it through the daunting route, a potential final could be against the reigning champions Argentina in New York.
IF ENGLAND FINISH THIRD
It would be a scenario England and Tuchel would be desperate to avoid, having to squeak through as one of the eight best third-place sides.
As the final group drawn, England know that if they advanced in third place they would be guaranteed to face the winner of Group K in the last-32. This would likely be their top seeds Portugal.
The match would take place in Kansas on July 3, with kick-off at 1.30am.
Victory would then take England to Vancouver, where they could face co-hosts Canada in the last-16, while Switzerland would be another possibility.
Kick off would be at 6pm on July 7.
England would then have to return to Kansas for a quarter-final on July 11, with Argentina seen as the likeliest opponents. The match would kick off at 1am in the UK.
Brazil or the side that topped England’s group would emerge as the most likely semi-final opposition in Atlanta,
There would then be a possible showdown against Spain in the final.
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