The U.S. men's national team was placed in Group B with England, Iran and the European playoff winner between Ukraine, Scotland and Wales after the FIFA World Cup draw was announced Friday.
The USMNT will play its first World Cup match against the European playoff winner on Nov. 21, followed by a massive matchup with England on Nov. 25—the day after Thanksgiving—and a matchup with Iran on Nov. 29.
After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine delayed a European playoff, Wales will play the winner of Scotland vs. Ukraine. The final spot in Group B is expected to be decided in June.
The U.S. and England played in the same group in the 2010 World Cup. The two teams played to an 1–1 tie in the last group-stage match, which helped the Americans earn a spot in the knockout round.
The USMNT returns to the World Cup for the first time since 2014 despite losing to Costa Rica 2–0 on Wednesday. The team, which clinched its 11th all-time berth in the World Cup on Wednesday, failed to earn a spot in the field in 2018.
The Americans, who were placed in Pot 2 (the second highest-ranked group of teams to qualify for the tournament), finished third in Concacaf, which was the last spot in the region to earn an automatic berth in the World Cup.
England was in Pot 1 along with Qatar, Brazil, Belgium, France, Argentina, Spain and Portugal. The Three Lions are considered one of the favorites in this winter’s tournament.
