World Cup Group B: England favourites as Wales and USA fight for second
Published:
World Cup Group B guide and odds
Our World Cup Group B guide covers England, Wales, USA and Iran as we take a look at all four nations, the dark horses, players to watch and a prediction on where they will finish in the group.
You can read all the latest on England and Wales as we provide odds and features on the two nations and also have the latest World Cup winner odds.
England are 4/11 favourites to reach the knockout stage as group winners but let’s look at their prospects and those of their rivals.
England
The Three Lions reached the last four in Russia and the Euro 2020 final which took place last year, so there is a definite line of progress under Gareth Southgate, who admitted not getting the balance right between experimentation and experience in a terrible Nations League campaign during which England lost 4-0 at home to Hungary and were ultimately relegated to the second tier.
When it really mattered, England crushed the Magyars 4-0 in Budapest in qualification for the World Cup in an unbeaten campaign which yielded eight wins in 10 games.
England have reached the knockout stage in five of the last six editions of the World Cup and anything less than a quarter-final place will be deemed a failure for the fourth favourites, who have named James Maddison and Marcus Rashford in their 26-man squad.
Fail to win the group and England could find themselves playing against the Netherlands in the last 16 but finish top and a likely meeting with either Senegal or Ecuador awaits.
Head coach: Gareth Southgate had enjoyed unbridalled success in his six years in charge until the Nations League campaign which means his position is under scrutiny heading to Qatar. Regarded as a cautious coach, Southgate prefers a 4-2-3-1 formation, although he deployed a three-man defence against Germany in the round of 16 at the Euros.
Players to watch: An obvious candidate but Harry Kane’s record of 51 goals in 75 international appearances speaks for itself. The England captain was the joint top scorer of all European nations in qualifying with 12 goals and won the Golden Boot in Russia with six. Jude Bellingham has been sensational for Borussia Dortmund this season and will be crucial in a holding role in midfield alongside Declan Rice, with Kalvin Phillips unlikely to start against Iran following a lengthy injury lay-off.
Fixtures:
Iran: Nov 21, 13.00, Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan, BBC 1
USA: Nov 25, 19.00, Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor, ITV
Wales: Nov 29, 19.00, Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan, BBC 1
Verdict: England are heavy favourites to top the group but they have never beaten the USA at the World Cup and struggled to overcome Wales at Euro 2016.
Prediction: Should win the group and get through the round of 16, but a quarter-final exit seems likely.
Wales
Gareth Bale steered Wales to their first appearance at the World Cup finals since 1958 with his performances in the play-offs.
The former Real Madrid winger, who helped Los Angeles FC win the MLS Cup earlier this month, scored both goals in a 2-1 victory over Austria and has now been credited with the match winner against Ukraine which was originally given as an own goal by Andriy Yarmolenko.
Four years, and it all starts with a @FIFAWorldCup 🏴 #TogetherStronger pic.twitter.com/1uogpaniYp
— Wales 🏴 (@Cymru) September 13, 2022
Wales have enjoyed success at recent European Championships, reaching the semi-finals at Euro 2016 and the round of 16 last year, but can they do it on the biggest stage of all in Qatar when they are likely to be fighting it out with the USA for the runners-up spot?
Rob Page signed a new four-year contract as head coach in September and said: “This is an exciting time for Welsh football and I hope we can make the country proud in November and continue our success by qualifying for more major tournaments in the future.”
Head coach: Tactically astute, popular manager Rob Page is likely to field a three-man defence, with Connor Roberts and Neco Williams operating as wing-backs.
Players to watch: Bale is undoubtedly the talisman for Wales and his fitness will be paramount to their hopes of reaching the round of 16. The former Tottenham and Real Madrid star is the all-time top scorer for Wales with 40 and he could overtake Chris Gunter for appearances if he plays four games in Qatar. Brennan Johnson could also announce himself on the international stage having scored against Belgium and Netherlands in the Nations League.
Fixtures:
USA: Nov 21, 19.00, Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan, ITV
Iran: Nov 25, 10.00, Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan, BBC 1
England: Nov 29, 19.00, Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan, BBC 1
World Cup group qualifying odds: 1/1
Verdict: Wales’ hopes of reaching the knockout stage is likely to hinge on their clash with USA and should they draw that game, it could be goal difference that settles their fate, so they need to get off to a good start against Iran.
Prediction: Touch and go whether they make it through to the last 16.
USA
The United States are back at the World Cup after missing out four years ago for the first time since 1986.
Needing just a draw against Trinidad & Tobago in their final qualifier in October 2017, USA slumped to a 2-1 defeat to a team that had lost their previous six matches and three days later head coach Bruce Arena resigned.
Columbus Crew’s Gregg Berhalter was tasked with the job of restoring national pride which he just about achieved despite a 2-0 defeat against Costa Rica in their final qualifier ensuring they took the third and final World Cup spot on goal difference, thus avoiding an inter-continental play-off.
They managed to take four points off arch rivals Mexico, but they were underwhelming in a 2-0 defeat by Japan and goalless draw with Saudi Arabia in their final warm-ups in September. Who leads the attack is an open question.
Head coach: Gregg Berhalter spent a season at Crystal Palace in the early 2000s, but ended his career at LA Galaxy where he was an assistant for a year before joining Swedish side Hammarby. Took the national reins after five seasons with Columbus Crew and won the Gold Cup last year.
Players to watch: Chelsea winger Christian Pulisic was the top scorer in qualifying with five goals and he will be the focal point in attack. Leeds supporters will be keeping a close eye on how Brenden Aaronson and Tyler Adams perform on the big stage while it remains to be seen who will be the main striker, possibly Jesus Ferreira who is the USA’s top scorer in the CONCACAF Nations League.
Fixtures:
Wales: Nov 21, 19.00, Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan, ITV
England: Nov 25, 19.00, Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor, ITV
Iran: Nov 29, 19.00, al Thumama Stadium, Doha, BBC
World Cup group qualifying odds: 1/1
Verdict: Berhalter has many talented individuals in his squad, especially in midfield, but making them gel into a cohesive unit capable of making the round of 16 is another matter. There are concerns about who will play at centre-back and up front, so the squad seems to be lacking a credible spine.
Prediction: Strong midfield will make life difficult for the two British teams, but their clash with Wales is likely to prove pivotal to their chances of reaching the last 16 where the Netherlands could await.
Iran
Social upheaval provides the backdrop for Iran’s third successive appearance at the finals and their coaching situation has been equally chaotic.
England’s first opponents were in danger of missing out altogether after shock defeats by Bahrain and Iraq in the second round of qualifying led to the dismissal of Marc Wilmots but his replacement Dragan Skocic steadied the ship with four successive victories.
Iran won eight of their 10 games in the third round to qualify comfortably for Qatar as group winners, but Skocic was sacked and replaced by Carlos Queiroz for his third spell in charge of Iran.
They caused a stir in Russia where they ended up third in Group B, a point behind Spain and Portugal, but have never beaten a European team at the World Cup and their 1-0 victory against Morocco in their opener in 2018 was their first victory at the finals in 20 years.
Head coach: Carlos Queiroz is in charge of Iran for a second time and the third at the World Cup finals, although he has never managed to get them out of the group stage. Sir Alex Ferguson’s former assistant at Manchester United failed to reach the finals with both Colombia and Egypt, so it seems strange that he is leading the team instead of Skocic, who was so successful.
Players to watch: Queiroz has a couple of dangerous players in attack, the main one being Mehdi Taremi who scored 20 goals in Porto’s title-winning campaign in the 2021-22 season. Sardar Azmoun scored nine goals for Zenit St Petersburg and one for his current club Bayer Leverkusen last season and his partnership with Taremi will be pivotal to their hopes of winning a match.
Fixtures:
England: Nov 21, 13.00, Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan, BBC 1
Wales: Nov 25, 19.00, Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor, ITV
USA: Nov 29, 19.00, Al Thumama Stadium, Doha, BBC
Verdict: Avoiding the wooden spoon would be viewed as a success
Prediction: Bottom of the group
All odds and markets correct as of date of publication
