Will this be the year that England wipes away decades of failure on the international stage? Gareth Southgate has led the Three Lions to their most success in over five decades. England made it to the semifinals of the 2018 World Cup and the finals of the 2020 European Championships, so the country is extremely optimistic heading into this year’s World Cup in Qatar. The Three Lions are heavy favorites to win Group B, and they have a potentially fortuitous draw if they can live up to the oddsmakers’ expectations.
Odds to win 2022 FIFA World Cup Group B
England -310
Wales +600
United States +600
Iran +1600
England had little trouble qualifying for the World Cup. This team was impressive in its two friendlies in March, but the Three Lions left a lot to be desired with their play in the UEFA Nations League. They lost on the road to Hungary and drew against Germany in Munich. England was unable to score a goal in a nil-nil draw with Italy a few days later, and the offensive woes continued in a 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Hungary at home to close out the summer’s action.
Those poor performances haven’t scared bettors away from England though. They still have a bevy of talent led by captain Harry Kane up top. Kane has 50 goals in 73 matches for the Three Lions, and he has two extremely talented forwards alongside him in Raheem Sterling and Marcus Rashford. There is an incredible amount of depth at forward too, giving England the opportunity to put its foot on the gas pedal.
Jordan Pickford has been solid in net, but the back line might be more of a concern than was believed. Harry Maguire has not been at his best of late, and John Stones has been a little shaky too. England doesn’t have a lot of elite midfielders either, so a lot of pressure will be on Jordan Henderson in the middle of the pitch.
The United States would love to turn Group B on its head by beating out England for first place. The Stars and Stripes bested Mexico to win the Gold Cup last year, and they hammered Morocco in a friendly in June. They battled Uruguay to a scoreless draw in Kansas City too, leading to some whispered hype for the USMNT.
This could be the most talented team that the US has ever produced. Christian Pulisic will go down as the greatest American soccer player barring injury as he already has 21 goals in 51 games and has thrived at Chelsea. Paul Arriola has looked rejuvenated at FC Dallas, and Jesus Ferreira is a young player with some potential. Gyasi Zardes brings experience up top too, but the midfield is largely thin outside of Weston McKennie. Teenager Yunus Musah could end up playing a big role as he was courted by Southgate to play for England, but he decided to play with the US.
Wales was one of the last teams to qualify for the World Cup. The Dragons bested Austria and Ukraine this year in order to play in Qatar, and they ended up being the best Pot 4 team by a mile. Gareth Bale now has experience taking on American defenders after coming over to play for Los Angeles FC, and he has the talent to make things happen by himself up top. Aaron Ramsey is an elite midfielder, but the key will be a back line that has experienced players like Ben Davies, Ethan Ampadu, and Chris Gunter.
It won’t be easy for Iran to get out of this group, but Team Melli will certainly be motivated to beat two of its geopolitical rivals. Iran has never made it out of the Group Stage of the World Cup and has only won two matches at this tournament, yet one of those victories came against the United States.
Sardar Azmoun and Mehdi Taremi are the two players to watch up top, while Ehsan Hajsafi captains the team from the midfield. This back line could be a serious problem though as there is a dearth of both experience and talent.
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