England will enter their opening Group B clash against Iran as clear favourites, while Wales face a tough encounter against an unpredictable United States side in their opening group fixture.
Group B: England, Iran, USA, Wales
England are making their 14th appearance and will be looking to end their drought in this competition, having last won it back in 1966.
This will be Iran’s fourth time participating in the World Cup, last appearing in 1976 when they finish seventh overall of reaching the quarter-finals.
USA comes into this tournament for the 10th time will their best feat coming all the way back in 1930 when they reached the semi-final and finished third.
Wales are only making their second appearance in the World Cup, having last qualified back in 1958, where they made it to the quarter-finals and finished in sixth place.
Best match: England vs USA
In what could be considered somewhat of a tough group, the fixture to look out for will be between England and the US when they square off at the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor on 25 November.
The two teams have only ever met twice in the World Cup, with the USA winning the first match 1-0 in 1950, while the only other match ended in a 1-1 draw back in 2010.
Predicted qualifiers: England and USA
England are overwhelming favourites to finish as Group B winners but there will be a battle for second place as both Wales and the USA are unpredictable in this group and their fixture between these two sides on 21 November could determine the outcome of the group, while inexperienced Iran is likely to finish bottom of the group.
Player to watch: Harry Kane (England)
Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane is one of the most lethal strikers in the world and has a good reputation for scoring goals for the Three Lions when it matters the most.
The England captain will not only have his eyes on winning the World Cup trophy but also finishing as the tournament’s top scorer, having achieved this feat in Russia 2018.
Kane will also be relishing the chance to make history with his nation by beating Wayne Rooney’s goalscoring record of 53 to become England’s all-time top scorer.
Player That Could Surprise: Christian Pulisic (USA)
Chelsea attacker Christian Pulisic will bear the weight of leading the United State national team at the World Cup after he formed part of the team that failed to qualify for the 2017 World Cup.
Pulisic is no stranger to winning silverware having already the DFB-Pokal with Borussia Dortmund as well as helped Chelsea win the Champions League despite their recent years failure to qualify for the World Cup, Pulisic now has a wealth of new generational talent to back him up, including Giovanni Reyna, Yunus Musah, Weston McKennie and Sergino Dest to name a few.