Nobody’s calling this the Group of Death. Maybe they should – it’s the only one in which all four teams are ranked inside FIFA’s Top 20.
Here is everything to know about England:
Three Things You Need To Know About England
Coach: Gareth Southgate
Highest finish: Winner (1966)
2018 finish: Fourth
FOX Bet odds: +750
Key players: Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden, Harry Kane
What we’re excited to watch: England enters the tournament on a six-game winless run. Will its poor form continue in Qatar?
What success look like: A first final appearance since 1966 would be a triumph even if anything less than a title will be seen as a failure by England’s perennially unrealistic fans and media.
Achilles' heel: Penalties. Even though England won a tiebreaker in 2018 for the first time at a World Cup, they remain 2-7 all time in the shootout at major tournaments, including last year’s home loss to Italy in the European Championship final.
X-Factor: Kane. The Golden Boot winner in 2018, his goals can paper over a lot of the Three Lions’ deficiencies.
Group B Preview: USMNT, Iran, England, and Wales
Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford, Nick Pope, Aaron Ramsdale
Defenders: Harry Maguire, John Stones, Kyle Walker, Luke Shaw, Kieran Trippier, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Eric Dier, Conor Coady, Ben White
Midfielders: Declan Rice, Jude Bellingham, Jordan Henderson, Mason Mount, Kalvin Phillips, James Maddison, Conor Gallagher
Forwards: Harry Kane, Phil Foden, Raheem Sterling, Marcus Rashford, Bukayo Saka, Jack Grealish, Callum Wilson
Read more on the World Cup:
- Group B Team Guides: United States | Iran | Wales
- USMNT World Cup roster: Get to know all 26 players
- Alexi Lalas reacts to USMNT roster reveal
- 101 most memorable World Cup moments
- 50 reasons to be excited for the World Cup
Doug McIntyre is a soccer writer for FOX Sports. Before joining FOX Sports in 2021, he was a staff writer with ESPN and Yahoo Sports and he has covered United States men’s and women’s national teams at multiple FIFA World Cups. Follow him on Twitter @ByDougMcIntyre.
