2026 World Cup Draw: What could England’s route to the final be?
da winzada777： We are still several months away from the World Cup taking place in America in 2026 and while the play-offs to finalise the final few places at next year’s tournament are yet to take place, we now know who England will be facing.
da blaze casino： Thomas Tuchel was brought into the Three Lions setup by the FA with one goal. To win the next World Cup.
Well, he can now begin to plot out the route it will take to make the final and potentially lift football’s biggest prize.
Can England end over 60 years of hurt? Time well. Here’s who they’re set to face in the USA next summer and how the rest of the draw played out.
Who are England facing and when?
England were drawn in group L, the final group. They were drawn against Croatia, the nation that beat them in the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup and Panama, a side they also faced back in 2018, demolishing them 6-1 in the group stages. Rounding off that group is Ghana who were one of the last balls to come out in the draw.
England’s World Cup group
Opponent
Date
1. Croatia
Wednesday 17th June
2. Ghana
Tuesday 23rd June
3. Panama
Saturday 27th June
What is the rest of the draw?
The first match of the tournament sees joint hosts Mexico take on South Africa, a repeat of the first game of the 2010 World Cup. They will also face Korea Republic and await the winner of a play-off to determine their other match.
Fellow hosts Canada take on Qatar and Switzerland while awaiting another play-off winner while USA face Paraguay, Australia and a play-off winner.
We all love a group of death and next year’s looks as though it could well be Group I which sees France, Senegal, Norway and a play-off winner compete for a place in the knock-out stages.
England's route to the final
Providing England win their group, then they will face a team that finished third in the group stages in the last 32 of the 2026 World Cup.
Awaiting them in the last 16 could be host nation Mexico, before a possible quarter-final awaits against Brazil. In the semi-finals it’s likely they would have to face France. Talk about a tough route.
In the final, it could be a repeat of the showpiece event from the last European Championships, where either Spain or Argentina could await if everything goes according to the script.
Could Messi and Ronaldo face each other?
Well, Messi’s Argentina are set to face Algeria, Austria and Jordan in group J and if they finish top, then their likely route to the final would see them face Saudi Arabia or Uruguay in the last 32.
A tie against the USA or Egypt could await in the last 16. Portugal or Colombia are expected to be their quarter-final opponents before they could face one of Brazil, the Netherlands or Tuchel’s Three Lions in the semi-finals.
As for Ronaldo, his final chance of winning a World Cup will see him face Uzbekistan, Colombia and a play-off winner in the group stages before potential matches against Croatia or England in the last 16 and France or Messi’s Argentina in the quarter-finals await.