England currently field one of the best teams on the planet and will go into next summer’s World Cup as one of the favorites to win the World Cup. The Three Lions won all eight qualifying games without conceding a goal and qualified for the tournament.
England are hoping for a relatively smooth run into the finals of the tournament, securing a spot in Pot 1 ahead of Friday’s draw. But if Friday’s draw goes against them, the 1966 champions could end up in the Group of Death.
If that happens, they will face a nightmare scenario as they aim to win this tournament for the first time in 60 years.
Columbia
South American countries usually boast a strong track record at the World Cup, with England relying on penalties to defeat Colombia in Russia 2018.
Colombia, who are in Pot 2, are ranked 13th in the world and have lost just four of their 18 qualifying matches. And if England end up playing Nestor Lorenzo’s side, it could cause all sorts of problems for Thomas Tuchel’s side.
Scotland
Pot 3 hosts Erling Haaland’s Norway and Mohamed Salah’s Egypt, with either team likely to be a cause for concern for the Three Lions.
But familiar foes Scotland will be England’s biggest test yet due to their strong qualifying results and the derby element.
Scotland needed another goal to qualify for the World Cup and looked set to miss out on automatic qualification after going into stoppage time at the end of last month’s decisive clash with Denmark. But Steve Clarke’s side finished top of the group ahead of the Danes, scoring two late goals in an enthralling encounter.
And they have a lot of talent, with Scott McTominay, Andy Robertson and John McGinn all having top-level experience.
ghana
Ghana could offer England a banana peel fixture if they are selected in the Group of Death alongside the Three Lions.
The country won eight of their 10 matches, easily passing through the qualifying rounds, and qualified for the World Cup ahead of the 2026 tournament, having played in four of the past five tournaments.
Ghana have a number of Premier League stars on their roster, with Antoine Semenyo and Mohamed Kudus both players who could help Tuchel’s team pull off an upset.
