After landing in the strongest group in three of last six World Cups - Qatar 2022 draw looks easy

Paul Okey
1 April 2022

England boss Gareth Southgate warned over Qatar comments

Gareth Southgate’s England side landed themselves arguably an easy draw for Qatar 2022 World Cup.

England were plucked out against USA, Iran and the winners of the play-off match between Wales and Scotland or Ukraine in Friday's draw, and should be licking their lips at those group matches.

England have featured in all six World Cups since the competition was expanded to 32 teams in 1998, progressing from their group five times.

However, they have only topped the table once and that may have something to do with the strength of those groups.

Planet Sport has analysed all the World Cups since the FIFA rankings were introduced in 1992 to see how the draws have panned out for the Three Lions.

The last tournament with 24 teams

England actually missed out on the first World Cup after the introduction of the FIFA rankings, failing to qualify for the USA-hosted tournament in 1994.

Brazil beat Italy on penalties in the final and it was the Azzurri who emerged from the hardest group. The Italians, who were the fourth-ranked side according to FIFA going into the tournament, sneaked through in third from a group that featured Norway (ranked 6th), Republic of Ireland (14th) and Mexico (16th).

South Korea, at 37th, were the lowest-ranked team in a tournament in which the average team's FIFA ranking was 16.54. As a guide, if the top 24 teams in the world had qualified for the tournament, the average team ranking would be 12.5. Italy's group averaged 10.

France 1998

England went into France '98 under Glenn Hoddle ranked fifth in the world and found themselves paired against Romania (22nd), Colombia (10th) and Tunisia (21st).

It gave the group an average FIFA ranking of 14.5, the lowest across the eight groups and well below the tournament average of 21.69.

The increase in teams to 32 led to a rise in the average ranking of the sides involved. However, the percentage increase on the average for the top 32 teams taking part (16.5) was broadly similar to the previous edition (31% to 32%).

Scotland, ranked 41st, could also count themselves unlucky having been dropped in a group which featured Brazil (1st), Norway (7th) and Morocco (13th). Unsurprisingly, the Scots finished bottom.

The lowest-ranked team in the tournament were Nigeria at 74th, who went on to top their group.

However, with Paraguay (29th), Spain (15th) and Bulgaria (35) also in Group D, it was the softest of the eight groups with average team ranking of 38.25.

South Korea and Japan 2002

Once again England found themselves in the strongest group. Now ranked 12th in the world under the stewardship of Sven-Goran Eriksson, the Three Lions made it through a group which also featured Argentina (3rd), Sweden (19th) and Nigeria (27th) for an average of 15.25.

Co-hosts South Korea (40th) and Japan (32nd) both topped their groups, with Japan's group which featured Belgium (23rd), Russia (28th) and Tunisia (31st), considered the weakest of the tournament according to FIFA rankings at 28.5.

The tournament average team ranking was 21.75, with China, at 50th, the lowest-ranked team to make the finals.

Germany 2006

England finally got a break with regards to the draw when Eriksson's 10th-ranked team were handed group games against Sweden (16th), Paraguay (33rd) and Trinidad and Tobago (47th) and they duly took advantage by coming out on top.

Angola (57th) and Togo (61st) were the lowest-ranked teams in the tournament, helping take the average FIFA ranking up to 24.63.

Ghana (48th) were the team handed what looked the hardest task, having been paired with Czech Republic (2nd), USA (5th) and Italy (13th). However, wins over USA and Czech Republic saw them emerge from the group in second before being knocked out by Brazil in the round of 16.

South Africa 2010

There were no gimmes in the Three Lions' group for 2010 but eighth-ranked England made heavy weather of emerging from a Group C also containing USA (14th), Slovenia (25th) and Algeria (30th).

England's group (19.25 average) was still the second strongest behind Group D which comprised Germany (6th), Australia (7th), Serbia (15th) and Ghana (32nd).

However, with hosts South Africa ranked 83rd in the world and New Zealand (78th) and North Korea (105th) also qualifying, the tournament average team rating was 25.63, marking it out as the weakest of all the tournaments since the rankings were introduced.

Brazil 2014

It was back to being in the strongest group again for England in 2014, with Roy Hodgson's side, ranked 10th, placed in Group D alongside Uruguay (7th), Italy (9th) and Costa Rica (28th).

Despite their group average being a lowly 13.5 (the tournament average was 21.63) no one could have expected it to pan out the way it did, with Costa Rica topping it and England picking up just one point, and that after having already been eliminated.

Portugal, who were fourth in the FIFA rankings going into the tournament, were also knocked out at the group stage after finding themselves in another strong group featuring Germany (2nd), USA (13th) and Ghana (37th).

Australia, at 62nd, were the lowest ranked team in the tournament which can lay claim to being the most stacked of all the World Cups since the rankings were introduced, with a team average of 21.63.

Russia 2018

Yet again England found themselves in a group averaging less than the tournament average of 25.43.

Belgium (3rd) represented their toughest assignment and so it proved, but Tunisia (21st) and Panama (55th) offered a way to the knockouts for the side ranked 12th in the world.

The presence of Brazil (2nd) and Switzerland (6th) made a Group E also containing Costa Rica (23rd) and Serbia (34th) the strongest of the tournament (16.25).

Meanwhile, host nation Russia proved blessed...or had a Putin-shaped angel looking out for them. The lowest-ranked team in the draw at 70th, they were placed in a Group A also containing Uruguay (14th), Egypt (45th) and Saudi Arabia (67th).

With a group average FIFA ranking of 49, it was far and away the weakest group since the introduction of the rankings.

Qatar 2022

The Three Lions will kick off their 2022 World Cup campaign against Iran on November 21, before taking on the United States in a reunion from the 2010 finals.

The final game of group B could be an all-British affair, should Wales or Scotland make it through the qualifying stage.