England’s potential route to World Cup final revealed after group draw

England’s possible route to the World Cup final has been revealed after the group-stage draw was made on Friday.

The Three Lions begin their World Cup campaign next year in Group L alongside Croatia, Panama and Ghana. The first game for Thomas Tuchel’s side will be against Croatia on June 17.

The venues and kick-off times for England’s games in Group L will be confirmed in a separate broadcast on Saturday.

If England finish top of Group L they will face a third-place finisher in Groups E/H/I/J/K in the round of 32.

In the round of 16, England would play the winner of Group A, which would be tournament co-hosts Mexico, according to FIFA’s seedings.

In the quarter-final, England would meet Brazil if the tournament goes as expected, while World Cup holders Argentina are the potential semi-final opponents for Thomas Tuchel’s side.

Spain would then be England’s opponents in the final on July 19.

If England finished as runners-up in Group L, they would likely play Colombia in the round of 32 and Spain in the round of 16.

Belgium would then be England’s likely opponents in the quarter-final, while France would be who the Three Lions would face in the semi-final.

If England reached the World Cup final after finishing second in their group, Argentina would be their most opponents, according to FIFA’s seedings.

A third-placed finish in Group L currently throws up too many potential routes to predict before the tournament begins, but England could still reach the knockout phase if they miss out on a top-two finish.

Speaking after the draw was made, Tuchel described England’s draw as ‘tough’ and insisted ‘no one can be underestimated’.

We have Croatia and Ghana, two regulars in World Cups, and we have Panama,’ Tuchel said.

‘I don’t know much about Panama but we will know everything about them when the tournament starts.

‘For me personally, even in Champions League, you have to focus on the group – the group is always the most difficult and we want to escape and we want to win the group. It’s a tough one.

‘No one should be underestimated. Of course, Croatia is the standout name [and] the highest-ranked team from Pot 2 that we got into our group. It’s a difficult opener against Croatia. We take it from here.

‘Ghana is always full of talent and can always surprise and has a big history in World Cup football. Also, Panama will try to make the most in the underdog role. No one can be underestimated, everyone deserves the fullest respect and we will show that.’

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