RIP Laura Buckley Noonan
Search
06 Sept 2025
Search
06 Sept 2025
Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content.
Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist.
If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter .
Support our mission and join our community now.
To continue reading this article, you can subscribe for as little as €0.50 per week which will also give you access to all of our premium content and archived articles!
Alternatively, you can pay €0.50 per article, capped at €1 per day.
Thank you for supporting Ireland's best local journalism!
England potentially face a first-ever ‘Battle of Britain’ at a World Cup finals.
The Three Lions will be up against either Scotland, Wales or Ukraine in the group stage in Qatar, with that play-off path still to be settled in June due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Gareth Southgate’s men will kick off Group B on the tournament’s opening day against Iran, a side they have never faced in a senior competitive international.
They will also face the United States, who they have met twice in the World Cup finals – in 1950 and 2010 – but never beaten.
Always exciting to see who we get in the group! Playing on the opening day will be incredible as well https://t.co/1h6gQBk0uP
— Harry Kane (@HKane) April 1, 2022
England have never faced Scotland or Wales at a World Cup finals, but do have recent Euros experience against both sides.
Scotland faced England at Wembley in the group stage of Euro 2020 last June, while Wales and England came together at Euro 2016.
England won that match 2-1 but Wales progressed further in the tournament, reaching the semi-finals.
After opening against Iran, England take on the US before finishing off against their currently unknown European opponents.
Upon discovering the outcome of the draw, England captain and striker Harry Kane tweeted: “Always exciting to see who we get in the group! Playing on the opening day will be incredible as well.”
One of his predecessors as Three Lions skipper, Alan Shearer, said on BBC Sport: “Gareth will look at that and think it could have been a lot more difficult.
“He will be happy with that and I’m sure his players will be too.”
Hosts Qatar will kick off the tournament against Ecuador on November 21, whilst elsewhere Group E pitted two former world champions Spain and Germany against each other.
Belgium take on fellow 2018 World Cup semi-finalists Croatia in Group F, while reigning champions France take on Denmark, Tunisia and the winner of intercontinental play-off one, which will be one of Australia, the United Arab Emirates and Peru.
If they get through their group, England would face one of hosts Qatar, Holland, Ecuador or Senegal in the last 16.
Subscribe or register today to discover more from DonegalLive.ie
Buy the e-paper of the Donegal Democrat, Donegal People's Press, Donegal Post and Inish Times here for instant access to Donegal's premier news titles.
Keep up with the latest news from Donegal with our daily newsletter featuring the most important stories of the day delivered to your inbox every evening at 5pm.
This publication supports the work of the Press Council of Ireland and Office of the Press Ombudsman, and our staff operate within the Code of Practice of the Press Council. You can obtain a copy of the Code, or contact the Council, at www.presscouncil.ie, Lo-call 1800 208 080 or email: info@presscouncil.ie.
