England will be firm favourites to win Group B at the World Cup but must overcome the challenges presented to them by Iran, the United States and Wales if they are to secure top spot.
The Three Lions will be hoping to go one better than their semi-final finish in 2018, although a stubborn Iran side will look to upset the odds. The United States have a point to prove after missing out four years ago, while Wales will be keen to impress at their first World Cup since 1958.
Mirror Football tells you all you need to know about Group B’s participants, including how they qualified, the ones to watch and when the games take place.
England
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World Cup appearances - 15
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FIFA world ranking - 5
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Head coach - Gareth Southgate
This tournament is certainly make or break for Three Lions boss Southgate following England’s poor run of form in 2022, but a semi-final finish in 2018 and a runners-up medal at last year’s European Championship’s suggest his side are heading in the right direction.
England won eight of their 10 games in qualifying to top the group, scoring 39 and conceding just three along the way, but a run of six games without a win and Nations League relegation has caused plenty of concern ahead of the tournament in Qatar.
Nonetheless, Southgate’s squad is full of talent and the likes of Phil Foden and Harry Kane should ensure they are able to top Group B, although the England boss must settle on his strongest lineup and play to his side’s strengths in order to avoid any unwanted slip-ups.
Will England win all three of their Group B games? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
Iran
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World Cup appearances - 5
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FIFA world ranking - 20
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Head coach - Carlos Queiroz
This will be Iran’s third consecutive World Cup under former Portugal boss Queiroz and the middle-east outfit have quickly become one of the strongest teams in Asian football.
Iran failed to make it past the group stage in 2014 and 2018 but impressed with a narrow defeat to Spain and drew with Portugal in the latter tournament. They have since reached the semi-finals of the 2019 Asian Cup, while they secured their place in Qatar after topping their final qualifying group ahead of South Korea with eight wins from 10 matches.
Iran have a number of players competing across Europe’s top leagues, including Porto’s Mehdi Taremi and Bayer Leverkusen’s Sardar Azmoun in attack. Brentford’s Saman Ghoddos is also amongst the ranks, suggesting Iran have enough to trouble the rest of the group.
United States
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World Cup appearances - 10
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FIFA world ranking - 16
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Head coach - Gregg Berhalter
The United States have returned to the World Cup after their record of qualifying for seven consecutive tournaments ended ahead of the 2018 edition in Russia, although a new generation of players has brought renewed hope in the national set-up.
USA were a surprise omission from the tournament four years ago but got back on track with two final appearances in the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2019 and 2021, winning the latter. They then secured their place in Qatar by a matter of goal difference with a third-place finish in North American qualifying earlier this year.
With a number of talented individuals in the side including Sergino Dest, Weston McKennie, Christian Pulisic, Giovanni Reyna and Timothy Weah, the USMNT are strong favourites to progress to the knockout stages along with England.
Wales
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World Cup appearances - 1
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FIFA world ranking - 19
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Head coach - Gregg Berhalter
After 64 years since their last and only appearance at the World Cup, Wales are back on the biggest stage in football and will be looking to make their presence felt as they continue to defy the odds and climb the footballing ladder.
The Dragons narrowly missed out on World Cup play-off in 2018 but two European Championship appearances have come either side of that to build up their experience of competing at major tournaments. After finishing as runners-up in their qualifying group, Wales then saw off Austria and Ukraine in the play-offs to book their spot in Qatar.
Page has a number of promising players in his side, such as Neco Williams and Dan James, but if he can get talisman Gareth Bale firing throughout the group stage, Wales will be in with a shout of booking their place in the knockout rounds.
Group B fixtures
England vs Iran - Monday, November 21 (1pm)
USA vs Wales - Monday, November 21 (7pm)
Wales vs Iran - Friday, November 25 (10am)
England vs USA - Friday, November 25 (7pm)
Iran vs USA - Tuesday, November 29 (7pm)
Wales vs England - Tuesday, November 29 (7pm)
