2018 World Cup draw: England to face Belgium, Tunisia and Panama
Russia face opening game against Saudi Arabia while Spain drawn with Portugal
The final draw for the next year’s Fifa World Cup has finished, with England drawn in Group G alongside Belgium, Tunisia and Panama.
Gareth Southgate’s team will begin their tournament against Tunisia on Monday, 18 June (19:00 BST) in Volgograd, and will then then play Panama in Nizhny Novgorod on 24 June (13:00 BST) before facing the group’s top seeds Belgium on 28 June in Kaliningrad (19:00 BST).
Elsewhere, hosts Russia will take on Saudi Arabia in the opening game of the tournament in Moscow on 14 June (16:00 BST), while holders Germany have been drawn in Group F alongside Mexico, Sweden and South Korea, and are now the bookies’ favourite to lift the cup.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Five-time champions Brazil are in Group E alongside Switzerland, Costa Rica and Serbia, and arguably the game of the round will see 2010 champions Spain play their closest neighbours, last year’s European Championship winners Portugal, in Group B. They will be joined by Morocco and Iran.
England’s draw was met with cautious optimism from pundits and fans alike. “Given England could have been drawn in the same group as France, Argentina, Brazil or Germany, Southgate and his players will be relatively pleased,” the Guardian writes.
The BBC points out that England are currently on an 11-game unbeaten run in meetings with Belgium, and they last lost to them in 1936, England’s only defeat in 23 games between the two sides.
Tunisia have played England twice before, drawing a friendly in 1990 before losing to the Three Lions in their opening game of the 1998 World Cup in France.
England have never played Panama before, but they are one of the lowest-ranked teams in the tournament. However, England fans are all too aware that the Three Lions are never ones to make things easy for themselves:
Further problems await England if they progress from the group. The draw could - in a worst-case scenario - see them face Colombia, Brazil, France and then Germany on their path to the final.
Here’s a look at the final draw:
Group A: Russia, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Uruguay
Group B: Portugal, Spain, Morocco, Iran
Group C: France, Australia, Peru, Denmark
Group D: Argentina, Iceland, Croatia, Nigeria
Group E: Brazil, Switzerland, Costa Rica, Serbia
Group F: Germany, Mexico, Sweden, South Korea
Group G: Belgium, Panama, Tunisia, England
Group H: Poland, Senegal, Colombia, Japan
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Gareth Southgate's England: a bittersweet swan song
In Depth History books will favour football manager who transformed culture of football in England
By The Week UK Published
-
Mason Greenwood: footballer arrested on suspicion of rape and assault
Speed Read Man Utd confirm the striker will not train or play until further notice
By The Week Staff Published
-
Handball: swapping bikini bottoms for tight pants
Speed Read Women competitors will be required to ‘wear short tight pants with a close fit’
By The Week Staff Published
-
Cristiano Ronaldo’s second coming
Speed Read Last week, Manchester United re-signed the forward on a two-year deal thought to be worth more than £400,000 a week
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Bank holidays and boycotts: are MPs trying to jinx England?
Speed Read Declaring a bank holiday would be ‘tempting fate’, says Boris Johnson
By The Week Staff Published
-
Weightlifting: Olympic Games set for transgender first
Speed Read New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard will make history at Tokyo 2020
By The Week Staff Published
-
Euro 2020: has Jude Bellingham played his way into England’s starting XI?
feature The 17-year-old impressed on his first start for the Three Lions
By Mike Starling Published
-
Sport shorts: Champions League expansion plan to be agreed
Speed Read News and reactions from the world of sport, featuring Joachim Low and the Lions women’s team
By Mike Starling Published