England have been drawn in the same group as USA in the 2022 FIFA World Cup. This means that Chelsea stars Christian Pulisic and Mason Mount will go head-to-head in Group B.
The Three Lions, who reached the semi-finals of the tournament in 2018, will face the Americans, who missed out on qualifying for the competition four years ago. Pulisic starred for the USA in the recently-concluded international break that secured his country's qualification.
USA were beaten by Costa Rica in their most recent game, but previous results meant that they ensured a place in the last 32 of the World Cup. "Definitely frustrating because I hate to lose. It was a great atmosphere in the stadium," Pulisic said.
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"We lost concentration twice on set-pieces and that’s how it goes. Obviously, we are still proud that we are going to the World Cup. I am extremely proud of this group. It is a bit of a weird feeling as I hate to lose so much, but I cannot wait to go to the World Cup.
"It’s definitely been a rollercoaster. It is never easy to come down and play in these CONCACAF countries, we know that. We battled through most of it. At the end of the day we're in the top three and we're going to the World Cup so we should be proud."
After qualifying, Pulisic learned on Friday evening that he will be facing some of his club team-mates in the group stage of the World Cup, with England drawn against the USA, as well as Iran, while they also face either Wales, Scotland or Ukraine, depending on who wins through the final European qualifying route. The likes of Mount, Conor Gallagher (returning to Chelsea in the summer), Reece James and Ben Chilwell will be taking on Pulisic, should they be included in Gareth Southgate's squad.
Gallagher has been very impressive this season and has somewhat established himself as a regular in recent England squads. Southgate, when speaking about the Chelsea loanee, told the midfielder that he has a good chance of making the final squad later this year.
He said: "In the end we have to pick and react off what we see at club level and Conor’s experiences at Charlton, Swansea, West Brom and Crystal Palace have been brilliant for him. So if he goes somewhere else next season or stays at Chelsea, I’m sure he’ll keep developing.
"He’s got a fabulous mindset, which is the key. He’s a player that will maximise his potential because of his mentality. He looks like one of those who, whatever hurdles are in front of him, he’s going to break them down. I’d be very optimistic about how he would respond to any decision that is made."
