The United States was placed into a blockbuster group after it was paired with England, Iran and the winner of the European playoff — Wales, Ukraine or Scotland — to be decided in June.
The USMNT will open its World Cup on the first day of the tournament on Nov. 21 against Wales, Scotland or Ukraine, depending on who wins their playoff. Scotland is scheduled to host Ukraine in June, with the winner playing at Wales in a one-legged playoff to determine the final spot in the group.
England is the clear group favorite and is the No. 1 team in our own Action Network power ratings, following their runs to the semifinal of the 2018 World Cup and Euro 2020 final last summer. England will open the group play against Iran, and then is scheduled to play the United States on Nov. 25, the day after Thanksgiving in the U.S.
Group play will conclude on Nov. 29 when the U.S. faces Iran, a rematch of the 1998 match that was later dubbed “most politically charged game in World Cup history.” Iran won that match 2-1 and knocked the U.S. out of the event.
Here are FanDuel’s odds to win Group B:
England -240
USA 7/1
Iran 11/1
Wales 150/1, Ukraine 150/1, Scotland 300/1
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The Favorite: England
England is one of the four best teams in this competition, along with Spain, France and Brazil. The Three Lions have a very deep squad that can withstand potential injuries that could come with a tough domestic start to the season in the Premier League.
The narrative around their recent World Cup failures will certainly build pressure around them in a group they’re expected to win, but this England World Cup squad might be the most talented group they’ve ever had.
The Dark Horse: Wales/Ukraine/Scotland winner
We don’t know what team will be in this position, but Wales will be the favorite given its home-field status. I’m not personally high on the overall squad in general, but there aren’t many better big-game players in the history of soccer than Gareth Bale. He has carried this team into the Euro 2016 semifinal and only needs one or two moments to swing a match.
Potential Shock Elimination: USA
I ultimately do think the USMNT advances from this group, but it’s far from an easy draw. This young squad isn’t tested much outside of the CONCACAF region, especially since the pandemic shortened the qualifying calendar and didn’t allow them to play in as many friendlies.
It would be a shock if the USMNT didn’t make it out of the group given how good their underlying numbers were in qualification, but there’s plenty of uncertainty and inexperience within this team.