Group B in the FIFA World Cup promises to be one of the more compelling in 2022 with England drawn against the USA and Iran along with one more team yet to be determined.
England was the Pot 1 team, leading the way in Group B. Behind the1966 champions, was the United States from Pot 2. Iran, drawn as the first Pot 3 team, was moved to Group B with England and the United States due to fellow Asian confederation team Qatar’s presence in Group A.
Finally, from Pot 4, it’s the undecided European playoff spot that could feature any of Wales, Scotland, or Ukraine. Wales will be waiting to host the winner of the match between Ukraine and Scotland after the two countries had their fixture postponed until the summer due to the hostilities in the Ukraine.
The United States have played both England and Iran in previous World Cups. The U.S. stunned England twice in the past, both in 1950 — with a famous win that knocked England out — and in 2010 with a draw that saw U.S. top the group.
World Cup Group B table & fixtures
World Cup Group B table & fixtures
| Team | PTS | GP | W | L | D | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B1: England | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| B2: Iran | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| B3: USA | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| B4: WAL/UKR/SCO* | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
* = Winner of European playoff (Wales vs. Ukraine/Scotland)
Group B match schedule
| Date | Match | Time (ET) | Stadium |
| Mon, Nov. 21 | England vs. Iran | 8 a.m. | Khalifa Int’l Stadium |
| Mon, Nov. 21 | USA vs. WAL/UKR/SCO | 2 p.m. | Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium |
| Fri, Nov. 25 | WAL/UKR/SCO vs. Iran | 5 a.m. | Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium |
| Fri, Nov. 25 | England vs. USA | 2 p.m. | Al Bayt Stadium |
| Tues, Nov. 29 | WAL/UKR/SCO vs. England | 2 p.m. | Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium |
| Tues, Nov. 29 | Iran vs. USA | 2 p.m. | Al Thumama Stadium |
The four teams selected into the group will play a round-robin format with each nation facing the other three. Group standings are based on points from those three group-stage matches — three points for a win, one for a draw, none for a loss.
The top two teams from each group based on total points advance to the single-game knockouts. If teams are tied on points, goal difference is the first tiebreaker followed by goals scored. If teams are also tied in those categories another set of tiebreakers is applied.
World Cup Group B draw
England
Having reached the semifinals of the 2018 World Cup and then the final of Euro 2020 — only to lose painfully on penalties to Italy — England will be determined to go one better in Qatar and finally win their first major trophy since 1966.
Gareth Southgate has some very exciting young players at his disposal — not least the likes of Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham and Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka — combined with a handful of experienced stars, who now possess significant tournament experience. It’s now a question of whether they can get over the line.
Southgate will hope that Manchester United defender Harry Maguire can recapture his best form ahead of the tournament, while there will inevitably again be much scrutiny on Harry Kane, who will likely have the chance to become his country’s leading all-time goalscorer.
- Current FIFA world ranking: No. 5 (March 2022)
- Regional ranking: 3rd (UEFA)
- World Cup titles: 1
- World Cup appearances (last): 15 (Russia 2018)
- How qualified: UEFA Group I winners 8W-0L-2D
- Overall record (all competitions & friendlies):
- 2022: 2W-0L-0D (Goals: 5 scored / 1 conceded)
- 2021: 15W-0L-4D (Goals: 52 scored / 5 conceded)
- Coach: Gareth Southgate (England) since September, 2016
- Star players: Harry Kane (Tottenham / England), Declan Rice (West Ham / England), Raheem Sterling (Manchester City / England)
USA
The U.S. will be joining the party at World Cup 2022, barely making it through the group on goal difference over Costa Rica. This will be the 11th time that the U.S. men’s national team (USMNT) have featured on the global stage, with the best result coming via a semifinal run at the inaugural tournament in 1930.
Without question, Gregg Berhalter’s side has enough young talent to have a chance at getting out of the group, and should excite supporters on the way, as they plot a potential deep World Cup run.
Chelsea’s Christian Pulisic will be expected to play the main role, while Gio Reyna will provide a creative spark between the midfield and attack. The U.S. will be a real threat going forward for teams to worry about, given their 21 goals scored in qualification.
- Current FIFA world ranking: No. 15 (March 2022)
- Regional ranking: 2nd (CONCACAF)
- World Cup titles: —
- World Cup appearances : 10 (Brazil 2014)
- How qualified: (CONCACAF qualifying third place: 7W-3L-4D)
- Overall record (all competitions & friendlies):
- 2022: 3W-2L-1D (Goals: 9 scored / 5 conceded)
- 2021: 17W-2L-3D (Goals: 45 scored / 12 conceded)
- Coach: Gregg Berhalter (USA) since December, 2018
- Star players: Christian Pulisic (Chelsea / England), Gio Reyna (Borussia Dortmund / Germany), Weston McKennie (Juventus / Italy)
Iran
Iran will appear at a third straight World Cup finals later this year, with the No.1 ranked national team in the AFC region capable of making a mark at the tournament.
Dragan Skocic’s side qualified for the 2022 showpiece in emphatic style, winning eight, drawing one and losing one of the last qualification round fixtures. That was enough for Iran to finish top of their group, as they edged out South Korea, who also qualified as runners-up.
Porto forward Mehdi Taremi, Feyenoord creator Alireza Jahanbakhsh and Bayer Leverkusen threat Sardar Azmoun make Iran a strong attacking unit, with Skocic’s team netting 15 times in 10 final-round qualifying matches, having already scored 10 times in a single match against Cambodia in an earlier phase.
- Current FIFA world ranking: No. 21 (March 2022)
- Regional ranking: 1st (AFC)
- World Cup titles: —
- World Cup appearances (last): 6 (Russia 2018)
- How qualified: AFC Third Round Group A winners: 8W-L1-D1
- Overall record (all competitions & friendlies):
- 2022: 3W-1L-0D (Goals: 4 scored / 2 conceded)
- 2021: 10W-0L-1D (Goals: 31 scored / 3 conceded)
- Coach: Dragan Skocic (Croatia) since February, 2020
- Star players: Sardar Azmoun (Bayer Leverkusen / Germany), Alireza Jahanbakhsh (Feyenoord / Netherlands), Mehdi Taremi (Porto / Portugal)
Wales / Scotland / Ukraine
Events away from the pitch mean that the outcome of who will qualify for the 2022 World Cup out of Wales, Scotland and Ukraine is yet to be determined. Wales are due to face the winners of Scotland vs. Ukraine in the last UEFA playoff final, however, the tie between Scotland and Ukraine has been indefinitely postponed due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. It has not yet been confirmed when that fixture will be settled.
Wales will look to qualify for a first World Cup finals since 1958, when they reached the quarterfinals of the competition. Being a relatively small nation, they have punched well above their weight in recent years, even managing to get to the semifinals of Euro 2016 before losing to eventual champions Portugal. Gareth Bale and Daniel James will be crucial to any World Cup hopes.
- Current FIFA world ranking: No. 18 (March 2022)
- Regional ranking: 12th (UEFA)
- World Cup appearances (last): 1 (Sweden 1958)
- Overall record (all competitions & friendlies):
- 2022: 1W-0L-1D (Goals: 3 scored / 2 conceded)
- 2021: 6W-4L-6D (Goals: 18 scored / 18 conceded)
- Coach: Robert Page (Wales) since April, 2021
- Star players: Gareth Bale (Real Madrid / Spain), Daniel James (Leeds United / England), Kieffer Moore (Bournemouth / England)
Scotland’s ambitions of the World Cup have been revived once again, as they seek to be part of a first finals since 1998. Currently on an eight-match unbeaten run, the Tartan Army will believe that they can negotiate tough ties against Ukraine and then Wales to book their ticket to Qatar. Captain Andrew Robertson, of Liverpool, and Southampton forward Che Adams will be ones to watch should they indeed qualify.
- Current FIFA world ranking: No. 39 (March 2022)
- Regional ranking: 20th (UEFA)
- World Cup appearances (last): 8 (France 1998)
- Overall record (all competitions & friendlies):
- 2022: 0W-0L-2D (Goals: 3 scored / 3 conceded)
- 2021: 8W-3L-4D (Goals: 21 scored / 14 conceded)
- Coach: Steve Clarke (Scotland) since May, 2019
- Star players: Andrew Robertson (Liverpool / England), Che Adams (Southampton / England), Kieran Tierney (Arsenal / England)
Football has rightly taken a back seat in Ukraine due to the ongoing invasion by Russian forces. Nevertheless, the Eastern Europeans will hope that they still have the chance to compete for their place in Qatar. Premier League men Andriy Yarmolenko (West Ham) and Oleksandr Zinchenko (Manchester City) will be expected to lead their challenge.
- Current FIFA world ranking: No. 27 (March 2022)
- Regional ranking: 16th (UEFA)
- World Cup appearances (last): 1 (Germany 2006)
- Overall record (all competitions & friendlies):
- 2022: 0W-0L-0D (Goals: 0 scored / 0 conceded)
- 2021: 6W-3L-9D (Goals: 25 scored / 21 conceded)
- Coach: Oleksandr Petrakov (Ukraine) since August, 2021
- Star players: Andriy Yarmolenko (West Ham / England), Oleksandr Zinchenko (Manchester City / England), Roman Yaremchuk (Benfica / Portugal)
Teams to advance from World Cup Group B
Shortly after the World Cup Draw, sportsbooks are expected to hang group odds for each team to advance from the group stage.
The first-place and second-place finishers in Group B will move on to the Round of 16 and will face off against the two teams to advance from Group A on Saturday, Dec. 3 and Sunday, Dec. 4.
The official FIFA 2022 World Cup match schedule outlines the following knockout pairings for the Round of 16 through to the final:
World Cup Round of 16
| Date | Match | Time (ET) | Stadium |
| Sat, Dec. 3 | 1A vs. 2B | 10 a.m. | Khalifa Int’l |
| Sat, Dec. 3 | 1C vs. 2D | 2 p.m. | Ahmad Bin Ali |
| Sun, Dec. 4 | 1D vs. 2C | 10 a.m. | Al Thumama |
| Sun, Dec. 4 | 1B vs. 2A | 2 p.m. | Al Bayt |
| Mon, Dec. 5 | 1E vs. 2F | 10 a.m. | Al Janoub |
| Mon, Dec. 5 | 1G vs. 2H | 2 p.m. | Stadium 974 |
| Tues, Dec. 6 | 1F vs. 2E | 10 a.m. | Education City |
| Tues, Dec. 6 | 1H vs. 2G | 2 p.m. | Lusail |
World Cup Quarterfinals
| Date | Match | Time (ET) | Stadium |
| Fri, Dec. 9 | QF1: 1E/2F vs. 1G/2H | 10 a.m. | Education City |
| Fri, Dec. 9 | QF2: 1A/2B vs. 1C/2D | 2 p.m. | Lusail |
| Sat, Dec. 10 | QF3: 1F/2E vs. 1H/2G | 10 a.m. | Al Thumama |
| Sat, Dec. 10 | QF4: 1B/2A vs. 1D/2C | 2 p.m. | Al Bayt |
World Cup Semifinals
| Date | Match | Time (ET) | Stadium |
| Tues, Dec. 13 | QF2 vs. QF1 | 2 p.m. | Lusail |
| Wed, Dec. 14 | QF4 vs. QF3 | 2 p.m. | Al Bayt |
World Cup 3rd Place
| Date | Match | Time (ET) | Stadium |
| Sat, Dec. 17 | Semifinal losers | 10 a.m. | Khalifa Int’l |
World Cup Final
| Date | Match | Time (ET) | Stadium |
| Sun, Dec. 18 | Semifinal winners | 10 a.m. | Lusail |
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