World Cup 2022 Group B Preview: England may face tougher task than expected

Group B of the 2022 World Cup contains England, Iran, the USA and Wales. With strong British interest, it promises to be comfortably the most viewed group in the UK.

Matches in Group B will take place from the opening day of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, 21 November, and will conclude eight days later on 29 November.

Each of the top two teams will progress to the knockout stages of the tournament, with the other two nations eliminated. 

Which teams are in Group B at the World Cup?

England, Iran, the USA and Wales have been drawn in the pool. 

England are the top seeds and favourites to progress against three nations that have little pedigree at the finals stages of the World Cup previously. 

Iran have never before made it out of the groups, the USA once reached the quarter-finals, and Wales are in the competition for the first time in living memory for everyone born after 1958.

England manager Gareth Southgate has lead his side to a semi-final and a final in his two tournaments in charge of the Three Lions

Group B World Cup fixtures

• 21 November, 1pm: England vs Iran (Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan)
• 21 November, 7pm: USA vs Wales (Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan)
• 25 November, 10am: Wales vs Iran (Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan)
• 25 November, 7pm: England vs USA (Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor)
• 29 November, 7pm: Wales vs England (Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan)
• 29 November, 7pm: Iran vs USA (Al Thumama Stadium, Al Khor)

England: FIFA Ranking, Squad, Fixtures

England are top seeds in the group and boast a FIFA Ranking of 5. This is two places short of England’s best ever FIFA Ranking. After reaching the final of Euro 2020, the Three Lions are regarded as one of the favourites to go all the way at the World Cup. 

Gareth Southgate’s side, however, suffered an alarming slump of form in their June Nations League fixtures which has cast fresh doubt over their tournament-winning capabilities.

England’s World Cup squad is yet to be announced. Southgate will likely have most of his group in mind, though it will only be finalised following the September international break, during which the remainder of the Nations League fixtures will be played. This will be subject to change until the last minute, though, with Premier League fixtures set to be played up until eight days before the Three Lions’ first match. 

The latest date that England’s World Cup squad, which will comprise of 23 players, can be named is 20 October, 2022. 

England’s World Cup 2022 fixtures

• 21 November, 1pm BST: England vs Iran (Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan)
• 25 November, 7pm BST: England vs USA (Al Bayt Stadium, Al Kohr)
• 29 November, 7pm BST: Wales vs England (Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan)

Iran: FIFA Ranking, qualifying, squad

Iran’s FIFA Ranking is 21, showing that they are not a nation to be treated lightly at the World Cup, even if few of their squad are household names. Indeed, Iran are the top-placed team from the AFC Confederation on the FIFA Ranking, ahead of Japan, South Korea and Australia.

This will be Iran’s fifth visit to the World Cup, during which time they have never progressed past the group stage and have only won two of their 15 fixtures. Incidentally, one of these came against the USA in a famous 1998 encounter. They also beat Morocco in 2018 and narrowly missed out on qualification from Group B that same year after snatching a late draw with Portugal. 

Iran’s World Cup qualifying campaign was one they breezed through, although there was a brief scare in the second group stage when they lost back-to-back away matches against Bahrain and Iraq. Nevertheless, they won all of their other six fixtures, including 14-0 and 10-0 successes against Cambodia. In the third group stage, they stepped up their level still further, with a succession of close home wins ensuring they easily progressed to the 2022 World Cup. 

In Iran’s World Cup team, Bayer Leverkusen star Sardar Azmoum is the man to watch. The 27-year-old was a coveted player during the January transfer window and has scored 40 international goals in just 63 caps. 

Iran’s World Cup 2022 fixtures 

• 21 November, 1pm BST: England vs Iran (Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan)
• 25 November, 10am: Wales vs Iran (Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan)
• 29 November, 7pm: Iran vs USA (Al Thumama Stadium, Al Khor)

USA: FIFA Ranking, qualifying, squad

The USA’s FIFA Ranking is 15, though the national team has been going through a transitional period of late and is not nearly as dominant in CONCACAF along with Mexico as it once was. The US surprisingly missed out on the 2018 World Cup in Russia but is back for this edition of the tournament, albeit qualification was not achieved with much comfort. 

Indeed, the Stars and Stripes finished third in the CONCACAF standings, ahead of Costa Rica only on goal difference, helping to explain why the USA’s FIFA Ranking is in decline. 

Nevertheless, they have had some success against England previously at the World Cup, drawing with the Three Lions in their 2010 opener and overcoming them 1-0 in 1950 in one of the biggest shocks in the tournament’s history.

The US World Cup team is likely to be headlined by some familiar faces, with Chelsea’s Christian Pulisic arguably the star attraction. They also possess the likes of Giovanni Reyna, Sergino Dest and Weston McKennie playing at the very elite level of European football. 

USA’s World Cup 2022 fixtures

• 21 November, 7pm: USA vs Wales (Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan)
• 25 November, 7pm: England vs USA (Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor)
• 29 November, 7pm: Iran vs USA (Al Thumama Stadium, Al Khor)

Wales skipper Gareth Bale will be playing in a World Cup for the first time, as his country head to their first global tournament since 1958

Wales: FIFA Ranking, qualifying, squad

Wales’ FIFA Ranking of 18 reflects the excellent state that the national team finds itself in. Indeed, this is something of a golden era for international football in the country, with 2016’s charge to the semi-finals of Euro 2016 still fresh in the memory. At that point, Wales enjoyed a top FIFA Ranking of 8 – and it is those heights they are seeking to return to at Qatar 2022. 

Wales were the last European side to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup thanks to a playoff success over Ukraine in Cardiff. It means that they are back in the finals stages for the tournament for just a second time – and for the first time since 1958. Their preparations, however, have been rocked by the resignation of coach Ryan Giggs, who had been on leave due to legal troubles, with Robert Page in de facto charge.

There are several members of Wales’ World Cup team who will doubtless see this as their last big chance to shine on a major stage. Gareth Bale will lead the team into battle in Qatar as their standout figure, with the former Real Madrid man coming into the competition after a long history of success on the big stage. He has been a rallying point for the national team for years, often inspiring those around them to hit heights they probably did not imagine they might manage, and he is utterly central to any success Wales may have at the 2022 World Cup.

Wales’ World Cup 2022 fixtures

• 21 November, 7pm: USA vs Wales (Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan)
• 25 November, 10am: Wales vs Iran (Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan)
• 29 November, 7pm BST: Wales vs England (Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan)

Verdict

When the draw was made, it was assumed England would breeze through this group and they still should, however Gareth Southgate's side's recent wobbles mean this is now no foregone conclusion. Expect Wales to be very competitive in this group, and Robert Page's team have every chance of finishing in the top two, while USA and Iran could be heading for an early exit.