World Cup 2022 draw: England to face USA, Iran and one of Wales, Scotland or Ukraine – as it happened – The Guardian

Group A: Qatar, Ecuador, Netherlands, Senegal

Group B: England, Iran, USA, Scotland/Wales/Ukraine

Group C: Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Poland

Group D: France, UAE/Australia/Peru, Denmark, Tunisia

Group E: Spain, Costa Rica/New Zealand, Germany, Japan

Group F: Belgium, Canada, Morocco, Croatia

Group G: Brazil, Serbia, Switzerland, Cameroon

Group H: Portugal, Ghana, Uruguay, South Korea

Thanks for joining us for coverage of all that. Here’s a report of the draw and there will be more analysis to come.

World Cup 2022: England draw Iran and USA – and wait on Wales, Scotland or Ukraine

The England manager, Gareth Southgate, speaks to the BBC:

The first two teams we’ve not played for quite a while and the third is a total unknown and throws up a possible British derby. We know what they are all about. We’ve had plenty of them. For us, we are clear what our programme is for ending the Premier League season and getting out here as soon as possible. We have to get out of the group, our first objective and we build from there.

In this situation all our thoughts are with the Ukraine and the people of Ukraine so when that tie is played out is irrelevant. It’s for the rest of us to adapt and adjust and provide them with the opportunity as and when they are able to.

We were delayed getting here, and I have not had a lot of time here. We have to build relationships to highlight any changes we would like to make. Today my focus is on the draw and working out what it all means.

When you are seeded you miss out on those big six or seven teams. The US is an interesting one, I know Gregg Berhalter well, we were smiling at the end there.

Stephen Wingrove gets in touch: “Here in Brazil the main TV network, Globo, reckons it’ll be a Brazil v England final!”

Brazil v England final predicted on Brazilian TV Photograph: Globo

Sven Mascarenhas gets in touch on the toughest group: “Group F has an argument – the #1/2 ranked team in Belgium, last time runners up in Croatia, #1 Concacaf qualifier in Canada, and (I believe) easiest qualification out of Africa in Morocco.

“Mind you, everyone here in Canada looked at the draw and started thinking “… you know, if we can squeeze a point out of one of the rapidly-aging Euro outfits there’s a chance….”

More stats.

Sunder Katwala (@sundersays)

In fact, England have never beaten any of the teams who will or could be in their group at a World Cup finals! (Having only ever played the USA at a World Cup, and not Iran, Scotland, Wales or Ukraine) https://t.co/KyEm72jzZa

April 1, 2022

The stats are in.

OptaJoe (@OptaJoe)

0 – England have never faced Scotland, Wales or Ukraine at the @FIFAWorldCup. Maiden. pic.twitter.com/ZL1bI44iDP

April 1, 2022

OptaJoe (@OptaJoe)

1 – England’s opening game against Iran at the @FIFAWorldCup will be their first ever match against the nation. England’s only previous match against an AFC side at the tournament saw them defeat Kuwait in 1982. Unknown. pic.twitter.com/T7PwJwc81F

April 1, 2022

Spurious.

OptaJoe (@OptaJoe)

1966 – @England will play on the opening day of a @FIFAWorldCup tournament for the first time since 1966. Harbinger. pic.twitter.com/b1zPddF4r8

April 1, 2022

Paul MacInnes speaks to the Norwegian Football Federation president who made her view on Qatar 2022 explicit this week.

Our members [in the Norwegian FA] have asked that we follow up, that we should pressure for real implementation. The kafala system going away, minimum pay, acts that protect against heat stress and give a break in the day, all these are very good legislative changes, but we hear from Amnesty, from Building and Wood Workers’ International, from many organisations, that they can still be improved. Now it’s our task to push more because the spotlight from the World Cup can be effective and we have to use it.

Lise Klaveness, the Norwegian who rocked Fifa: ‘It’s our job to push further’

What’s the toughest group? Perhaps G and H down the bottom of the draw. Nobody can really say they got a tough draw. Qatar v Ecuador as an opener is not the most thrilling, sadly. Germany and Spain meeting is two Euro superpowers, but with Japan and Costa Rica/New Zealand in the mix, they can afford not to risk too much. There is no Group of Death, more that Group of International Relations that features England, USA, Iran and very possibly Ukraine. Iran v USA in Qatar would seem a bumper payday for the security teams.

That group for England looks the most interesting, though mostly from a geopolitical point of view, whether Wales, Scotland or Ukraine make their way through, and with Iran and the USA in the mix.

Group A: Qatar, Ecuador, Netherlands, Senegal

Group B: England, Iran, USA, Scotland/Wales/Ukraine

Group C: Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Poland

Group D: France, UAE/Australia/Peru, Denmark, Tunisia

Group E: Spain, Costa Rica/New Zealand, Germany, Japan

Group F: Belgium, Canada, Morocco, Croatia

Group G: Brazil, Serbia, Switzerland, Cameroon

Group H: Portugal, Ghana, Uruguay, South Korea

And that concludes the draw….

And the very last ball out will be Canada, into Group F with Belgium, Morocco and Croatia as F2.

Cameroon can’t go into F so go into G, and in fourth position. Ghana join Group H, to join Portugal, Uruguay and South Korea.

The European playoff, Scotland, Wales or Ukraine can go into England’s group, in position 4. Complicated.

Saudi Arabia out next, and are pushed into Group C, with Argentina, Mexico and Poland. The next intercontinental playoff – Costa Rica/New Zealand can’t go into Group B so go into Group E.

Ok, here’s where it gets complicated. UAE, Australia or Peru, the intercontinental playoff join Group D in position 2 because of constraints. Ecuador next up join Group A and will play the opener v Qatar.

Pot 4 Cameroon, Canada, Ecuador, Saudi Arabia, Ghana, Wales/Scotland/Ukraine, Costa Rica/New Zealand, Peru/UAE/Australia.

Morocco join Belgium and Croatia in Group F, in position F3, and will start against Croatia. South Korea complete the third pot by joining Portugal and Uruguay in Group H.

Back to Group D, Tunsia will face France and Denmark, before Japan join Spain and Germany in Group E in position E4.

Poland go into Group C with Argentina and Mexico in C4. Serbia come out next but can’t go in D, E or F and so go into Group G and will face Brazil first.

Out come African champions Senegal, and they go back to Group A with Qatar and Netherlands.

Out come Iran, who can’t face Qatar, and go into Group B with England and USA in position B2, and will be England’s first match. It’s the group of diplomacy.

Pot 3 Senegal, Iran, Japan, Morocco, Serbia, Poland, South Korea, Tunisia.

Croatia enter Group F in position F4, and will join Belgium, playing them in their final group game. The next team out is Uruguay, who would have joined Brazil in Group F, but are moved to Group H in position H3, joining Portugal. That means Switzerland join Brazil in Group G in G3.

Lothar Matthaus draws the card of Croatia in Group F. Photograph: Alexander Hassenstein/Fifa/Getty Images

It’s going to be Germany v Spain in Group E, in position E3, a reheating of the Euro 2008 final.

Mexico are drawn in Argentina’s group C, and will play them in their second game. Denmark enter Group D with France in position D3.

And Team USA come out in England’s group! Memories of Rustenberg and Rob Green abound.

Netherlands come out and enter Qatar’s group in position A4. Lucky Louis!

Into pot 2: Mexico, Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, Uruguay, Switzerland, USA, Croatia.

England will go into Group B, their first game on the opening day of November 21. Argentina meanwhile go into Group C. France take Group D. Cafu, enjoying himself, pulls out Spain in Group E. Belgium go into Group F, and Roberto Martinez smiles as his team is drawn. Cafu smiles even more as Brazil take Group G. And that leaves Portugal in Group H.

Cafu draw the first ball, and it’s Qatar and they go into Group A in position A1.

“Bring on the draw” says the rather jaunty video, and away we go with the draw. Carli Lloyd announces the first pot.

Tim Cahill has his say, beginning with “look, it’s everything” before asking fans to “come and embrace this beautiful country”. Then JJ pulls the trigger on a video announcing the procedure.

Here come the legends: Cafu, Jay-Jay Okocha, Lothar Matthaus, Ali Daei, Qatari legend Adel Ahmed MalAllah, flamin’ Tim Cahill, Bora Milutinovic, the legendary coach, who has a broad smile, and Rabah Madjer, goalscorer for Algeria when they beat West Germany in 1982.

And the draw may actually be about to begin. Here’s … Tottenham, Newcastle and One Show legend Jermaine Jenas, with USA World Cup winner Carli Lloyd. Sam Johnson, the Bristish TV presenter, completes the trio.

Sam Johnson, Jermaine Jenas and Carli Lloyd, your … er, draw conductors. Photograph: Matthew Ashton/AMA/Getty Images

Now for the pots, the warm balls, the permutations? Not just yet Didier Deschamps, the France manager from 2018, carries the trophy itself to the stage, the water carrier himself. Here’s accompanied by the tousle-haired young man who you may recall celebrating victory in Moscow in 2018 on his father’s shoulders.

And then comes a puff video for Qatar, images of kids playing football and the like. “Qatar is ready for game,” it says, voiced by a woman with a Scottish twang. “Our hearts meet in sheer delights…the glory of diversity. Our off the charts Arabian hearts. Our golden coffee…to celebrate with the world…an Arabian country is hosting the Fifa World Cup.

Idris and Reshmin introduce a video that remembers some World Cup greats lost since the last finals: Diego Maradona, Paolo Rossi, Gerd Muller and Gordon Banks.

World Cup classic moments: relive them with our brick-by-brick videos

Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar, offers his welcome. Having admitted that nobody wants to listen to him and they want to see the draw, he sets off into a speech in Arabic before an embrace with Infantino. It was short, but sweet.

Infantino and Al-Thani. Photograph: Kai Pfaffenbach/Reuters

Gianni’s message for peace: “We face some turbulences, our world is aggressive and we need some occasions to bring people together. To all the leaders, stop the conflicts and the wars.”

And never knowingly invisible, here’s Fifa president Gianni Infantino. “Wow, what an emotion it is to be here,” he gleams. “Now it is getting serious,” he gushes, offering a welcome in several languages. “This World Cup will simply be the best World Cup ever, the greatest show on Earth. The world will be united in Qatar.”

And here come Idris Elba and Reshmin Chowdhury. There appears to be a problem with amplification but we can just about to hear them. They introduce the new Qatar 2022 anthem, Hayya Hayya, which you may be hearing a lot of. “This time is now or never” being its hook. It’s the type of thing you can imagine blaring out in pre-match before the White Stripes and AC/DC’s Thunderstruck really get the crowd going. It’s a bit Shakin’ Shakira, if we’re honest.

“The combination of breakthrough US star Trinidad Cardona, Afrobeats icon Davido and Qatari sensation Aisha captures the spirit of the FIFA World Cup and the FIFA Sound strategy by bringing together inspiration from across the globe,” it says here.

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Idris Elba is about to begin his presenting duties and the ceremony has started with some of the usual hoopla, including dancers jumping through hoops and now freestylers juggling the new World Cup ball, the Al Rhia. On comes an Egyptian songstress and actress Sherihan, who delivers a welcome in Arabic. “We welcome the entire world with open arms.”

Presenters Idris Elba and Reshmin Chowdhury take the stage. Photograph: Carl Recine/Reuters

Let us recall that the bidding for Qatar 2022 hosting the tournament remains highly controversial, as David Conn wrote last year.

Qatar’s multibillion-dollar World Cup signifies shifts in wealth and power

This tournament can and should be overshadowed by the following issues.

Revealed: 6,500 migrant workers have died in Qatar since World Cup awarded

Low-wage workers have paid dearly for Qatar’s glittering World Cup

If the FA wants to make a difference over Qatar it must speak up on compensation

Concerns raised over possible risk for LGBTQ+ people at Qatar World Cup

Qatar World Cup chief bites back after criticism from Norwegian FA

A reminder once more of those pots.

Pot 1 Qatar, Brazil, Belgium, France, Argentina, England, Spain, Portugal.

Pot 2 Mexico, Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, Uruguay, Switzerland, USA, Croatia.

Pot 3 Senegal, Iran, Japan, Morocco, Serbia, Poland, South Korea, Tunisia.

Pot 4 Cameroon, Canada, Ecuador, Saudi Arabia, Ghana, Wales/Scotland/Ukraine, Costa Rica/New Zealand, Peru/UAE/Australia.

Mark Storey makes a pertinent point about Sir David of Beckham’s shill for Qatar: “Perhaps David didn’t have to get his tickets via the Fifa website but it wasn’t actually possible to get tickets for two games in the same day. Such a massive selling point wasted, and frustratingly as I only live down the road in Dubai I didn’t get any anyway.”

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