The football world watched on as the group stage draw for the Qatar 2022 World Cup was made in Doha, with some intriguing ties arising in the opening rounds of fixtures.
England will have to wait to be entirely certain of their opponents, as the group will include the winner of the European path play-off - so either Wales, Ukraine or Scotland will fill the final place.
Elsewhere, reigning champions France have been handed a favourable group and immediate favourites Brazil face a couple of intriguing fixtures, playing Cameroon and two European opponents in Group G. The biggest pairings have seen Germany and Spain pitched together in Group E, while Ghana and Uruguay being in Group H together will conjure up memories of Asamoah Gyan and Luis Suarez at South Africa 2010.
Perhaps due to two big European rivals being drawn alongside each other, as well as their own exploits at World Cup 2018 and Euro 2020, England are currently third-favourites to win the tournament later this year.
Here are the latest odds following the group stage draw for Qatar 2022.
Latest World Cup odds
While it’s the Selecao who have been installed as favourites for the draw, there are several nations closely matched who will be among the front-runners. The top 20 favourites following the group stage draw are:
Brazil 9/2
France 5/1
England 6/1
Spain 7/1
Argentina 8/1
Germany 17/2
Belgium 9/1
Portugal 10/1
Netherlands 10/1
Denmark 22/1
Uruguay 40/1
Croatia 40/1
Switzerland 55/1
Senegal 66/1
Poland 80/1
Serbia 80/1
USA 100/1
Mexico 100/1
Ecuador 100/1
Morocco 200/1
All other nations priced at 250/1 or greater. Odds via Betfair.
Group B fixtures
England v Iran, 21 November 2022
United States v Wales/Scotland/Ukraine, 21 November 2022
England v United States, 25 November 2022
Wales/Scotland/Ukraine v Iran, 25 November 2022
Wales/Scotland/Ukraine v England, 29 November 2022
Iran v United States, 29 November 2022
A complete fixture list for the 2022 World Cup can be found here, with the opening match pitting hosts Qatar against Ecuador on the same day as England begin their campaign against Iran.
Full World Cup 2022 draw:
Group A
Qatar , Ecuador, Senegal, Netherlands
Group B
England, Iran, USA, European Play-Off (Scotland/Ukraine/Wales)
Group C
Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Poland
Group D
France, IC Play-Off 1 (Australia/United Arab Emirates/Peru), Denmark, Tunisia
Group E
Spain, IC Play-Off 2 (Costa Rica/New Zealand), Germany, Japan
Group F
Belgium, Canada, Morocco, Croatia
Group G
Brazil, Serbia, Switzerland, Cameroon
Group H
Portugal, Ghana, Uruguay, South Korea
