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England were drawn with Poland in their qualifying group for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, while Wales will face Belgium, the world’s highest-ranked team.
England, one of the top seeds, will be pleased with the group they were handed over, with Poland and Hungary top-ranked of their opponents, while Wales will also have to overtake the Czech Republic to qualify for the 2022 event.
Scotland avoided many of the best teams in Europe, with Denmark and Austria as the highest ranked teams of their opponents.
The Republic of Ireland’s task will be even more difficult as they host Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal in Dublin, while Northern Ireland has been drawn in the same group as Italy and Switzerland.
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Republic of Ireland manager Stephen Kenny says his team is excited for the upcoming World Cup qualifying campaign
In total, 55 teams were divided into five groups of five and five groups of six.
The winners of the 10 groups will automatically qualify for the final, which will be played for the first time in November and December 2022 to avoid the harsh summer heat in the Middle East.
A further three spots will be contested between the 10 group runners-up and the two highest-ranked Nations League teams that have not yet qualified or finished runner-up.
These 12 teams will be divided into three play-off routes, each with four countries, to determine the last three European spots.
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Wales interim manager Robert Page is unfazed despite seeing them tied in the same European Qualifying Group for the 2022 World Cup as Belgium.
Qualifying draw for the World Cup in its entirety
Group A: Portugal, Serbia, Republic of Ireland, Luxembourg, Azerbaijan
B Group: Spain, Sweden, Greece, Georgia, Kosovo
Group C: Italy, Switzerland, North Ireland, Bulgaria, Lithuania
Group D: France, Ukraine, Finland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kazakhstan
Group E: Belgium, Welsh, Czech Republic, Belarus, Estonia
Group F: Denmark, Austria, Scotland, Israel, Faroe Islands, Moldova
Group G: Netherlands, Turkey, Norway, Montenegro, Latvia, Gibraltar
Group H: Croatia, Slovakia, Russia, Slovenia, Cyprus, Malta
Group I: England, Poland, Hungary, Albania, Andorra, San Marino
Group J: Germany, Romania, Iceland, North Macedonia, Armenia, Liechtenstein
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Northern Ireland manager Ian Baraclough says his team faces a tough World Cup qualifying campaign and hopes to have a large selection of fit players to choose from for matches.
When will the playoffs be played?
The playoffs will be played between March and November 2021, and the play-offs are scheduled for March 2022.
Matchday 1: March 24-25, 2021
Matchday 2: March 27-28, 2021
Matchday 3: March 30-31, 2021
Matchday 4: September 1-2, 2021
Matchday 5: 4-5 September 2021
Matchday 6: 7-8 September 2021
Matchday 7: October 8-9, 2021
Matchday 8: October 11-12, 2021
Matchday 9: November 11-13, 2021
Matchday 10: November 14-16, 2021
Playoffs: March 24, 25, 28, 29, 2022
Southgate: young England may peak en route to Qatar
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England manager Gareth Southgate says their World Cup qualifying group has a “ great history ” as Poland and Hungary are among the other top seeds that make up the group.
Gareth Southgate says he is excited to see his young England team mature en route to the 2022 World Cup after learning about their qualifying route.
Captain Harry Kane will be 29 at the end of the qualifying campaign, and other key players such as Raheem Sterling and Jack Grealish will be 27.
Meanwhile, younger talents like Phil Foden and Bukayo Saka will be 22 and 21, respectively, by the time Qatar 2022 kicks off.
Southgate said: “I think even in two years (we will see the benefit). In our last qualifying campaign, we had nine players involved who were still eligible for the U21, so we had an incredibly young group, which means for two Ages four and six, with some of the other players also going through the system, there is great potential.
“We have to keep winning in the present as well. We have a good balance, he’s been young up to now, but for the next few years that’s very exciting.
England’s forgotten heroes at the 2018 World Cup
Sky Sports News reporter Kaveh Solhekol discusses why some of England’s 2018 FIFA World Cup heroes have struggled to enter the fold since that unforgettable campaign in Russia …
How the times change. In July 2018, one of England’s youngest World Cup teams returned home from Russia as heroes.
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Sky Sports News’ Kaveh Solhekol examines why some of England’s 2018 World Cup heroes have struggled to make it to the Three Lions team since the tournament in Russia.
After 52 years of pain, here was a group of young people who had not felt burdened by carrying the weight of expectations that comes with representing England in a major tournament.
There have been no scandals or controversies. The 23 players laughed and joked together at their training base outside of St. Petersburg. There were no egos or tantrums.
The players lived and worked together in perfect harmony and relations with the media were so warm that there was even a daily game of darts between players and journalists. On the field, players captured the imagination of fans at home by playing with freedom and discipline and Captain Harry Kane returned home with the Golden Boot.
But what went wrong for the forgotten men of Russia 2018? Who has taken their place and is there any chance that they will return in time to play in euros next summer or in Qatar 2022?
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