All the pots in the World Cup 2022 draw explained, who England can be drawn against and best and worst case scenarios
(Image credit: Getty)
The World Cup 2022 Draw takes place this Friday at 5pm BST and England fans are already itching to find out who the Three Lions could be facing in Qatar.
Not every spot at the tournament is filled – several countries still have play-off games to complete – meaning the draw will be made with questions marks over a few of the remaining blank places.
That being said, FFT has put together a quick (and admittedly loose!) guide to who England could conceivably face when the competition begins in November and also included a best and a worst case scenario, based on FIFA rankings and fierce rivalries.
World Cup 2022 draw: Which teams are in which pots?
The pots still need to be filled and finalised, with teams potentially moving around following this week's friendlies and World Cup qualifiers. However, below is a rough idea of who would be in which pot were the draw to include the favourites for the unsettled qualifiers.
Pot 1: Qatar, Brazil, Belgium, France, Portugal, England, Argentina, Spain
Pot 2: Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Switzerland, Mexico, USA, Uruguay, Croatia
Pot 3: Japan, Iran, Serbia, Morocco, South Korea, Poland, Senegal, Canada
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Pot 4: Cameroon, Ecuador, Saudi Arabia, Ghana, Wales, Peru, Costa Rica
World Cup 2022 draw: Who can England face?
(Image credit: PA)
With teams from the same pot unable to face one another, England will miss out on facing countries such as Belgium, France, Brazil and Argentina until the knockout rounds begin.
But with Germany ranking 11th at the moment, and in Pot 2 as things stand, the Three Lions' old foes could be a group rival in Qatar. AFCON champions Senegal or beaten finalists Egypt and European battlers Serbia are the most dangerous possible Pot 3 opponents, on paper at least.
The winners of a play-off between Nigeria and Ghana are set for Pot 4, along with a dangerous Ecuador side that breezed through South American qualifying.
Ed is a staff writer at FourFourTwo, working across the magazine and website. A German speaker, he’s been working as a football reporter in Berlin since 2015, predominantly covering the Bundesliga and Germany's national team. Favourite FFT features include an exclusive interview with Jude Bellingham following the youngster’s move to Borussia Dortmund in 2020, a history of the Berlin Derby since the fall of the Wall and a celebration of Kevin Keegan’s playing career.
