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World Cup: USMNT draws England; Mexico faces Messi

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2:28 PM ET

The 2022 FIFA World Cup was held at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center in Qatar on Friday, April 1. Here’s how the drama unfolded.

LIVE BLOG

14.20 ET / 18.20 GMT: That’s it for the live coverage of the World Cup draw, here’s a reminder of all the info.

– World Cup 2022 draw: England face U.S., potential UK derby
– Mexico to play Lionel Messi’s Argentina
– World Cup finals bracket and fixtures schedule

GROUP A: Qatar (51), Ecuador (46), Senegal (20), Netherlands (10)
GROUP B:England (5), IR Iran (21), United States (15), Wales or Scotland / Ukraine
GROUP C:Argentina (4), Saudi Arabia (49), Mexico (9), Poland (26)
GROUP D: France (3), Peru or Australia / United Arab Emirates, Denmark (11), Tunisia (35)
GROUP E:Spain (7), Costa Rica or New Zealand, Germany (12), Japan (23)
GROUP F:Belgium (2), Canada (38), Morocco (24), Croatia (16)
GROUP G:Brazil (1), Serbia (25), Switzerland (14), Cameroon (37)
GROUP H:Portugal (8), Ghana (60), Uruguay (13), South Korea (29)

14.12 ET / 18.12 GMT: We’ve got some reaction in from the coaches.

First up, U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter.

“We think it’s a good group,” Berhalter said. “We know every opponent in the World Cup is difficult but with England you get an exciting match up, with Iran it’s a diverse opponent and they’ve done well in qualifying and then we’ll have to wait to see who the third opponent is.

“Overall pleased with the group and excited to get started. We played Wales recently in a friendly game, we know Scotland and their history. And then with Ukraine, you’re pulling for them naturally just because of everything that’s going on and you want to give the people hope and spirit so it would be nice to see Ukraine pull through.

Berhalter had words of praise for England coach Gareth Southgate.

“We go way back and he’s a guy that I look up to and has always been there for me, always giving me advice,” Berhalter said. “When I first took the job as national team coach, I look to him as a mentor and have a lot of respect for what he’s doing. I am looking forward to competing against England. I reached out to him when I got the job and asked if he’d be interested in telling me more about international football and being the guy Gareth is, he was more than happy to have those conversations and we’ve kept in touch.”

And Gareth Southgate…

“When you’re seeded, you get the advantage of missing out on the big six or seven teams,” Southgate said. “For most of the first seeds they would be pleased with the group they get. There are some highly ranked teams in pot two. The U.S. is an interesting one, I know Gregg Berhalter well and we’ve met a few times and had long chats.

“They’ve got some very good players and we now what they could be capable of as a nation — that’s an intriguing game.”

Asked about potential round-of-16 opponents, Southgate said: “We have to get out of the group first. What we’ve done well is we’ve approached these tournaments by looking at the group, getting out of the group, and then building from there.”

Juventus and U.S. midfielder Weston McKennie told FS1: “The exciting thing is when you get to these world stages, when you get to these platforms to be able to play, you want to play against the best, you want to play against teams that are going to challenge you.”

14.07 ET / 18.07 GMT: Sebastian Salazar looks at the challenges awaiting the USMNT in Group B of the World Cup.

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Sebastian Salazar looks at the challenges awaiting the USMNT in Group B of the World Cup.

14.04 ET / 18.04 GMT: Is it an omen for England?

13.56 ET / 17.56 GMT: Brazil, who are the favourites for the World Cup, will be happy with a draw that gives them Serbia, Switzerland and Cameroon in Group G.

And also a quick mention of Group H. There will be a grudge match between Uruguay and Ghana on Dec. 2 — the final game of the group which could decide who goes through.

Why is it a grudge match? Well, in the 2010 World Cup it was Ghana who thought they had scored with the last kick to go through to the semifinals. That was until Uruguay’s Luis Suarez stopped the ball going in by handling on the goal-line. Suarez was sent off, Ghana missed the penalty and Uruguay went on to win on a shootout. Time for revenge?

13.50 ET / 17.50 GMT: What about highlights of the rest of the draw?

Group E has the real heavyweight clash with Spain and Germany, who won the tournament in 2010 and 2014 respectively. They will meet on Nov. 27 in the second game of the group. Japan and Costa Rica or New Zealand complete the group and will have their work out to make the knockout rounds.

Canada make only their second appearance at the finals, the other coming in 1986 when they lost all three matches without scoring a goal. The face Belgium, ranked No. 2 in the world, 2018 finalists Croatia, and also Morocco. Could they pull off a shock and go through in second?

13.44 ET / 17.44 GMT: What about Mexico? El Tri have been drawn in Group C against Saudi Arabia, Poland and Argentina.

Mexico have qualified from their group in the last seven World Cups, and only Brazil have achieved the same feat. Mexico will be fancied to go through alongside Argentina, but Robert Lewandowski with Poland will offer some resistance.

13.36 ET / 17.36 GMT: In Group A, we have hosts Qatar, plus Ecuador, Senegal and Netherlands.

This group is important to the U.S. and England. The winners of Group A play the runners-up of Group B in the round of 16, and the winners of Group B meet the runners-up of Group A.

Netherlands will be the favourites to win Group A and take on the runners-up of Group B.

13.30 ET / 17.30 GMT: England and the United States have met twice before in the World Cup.

In 1950, the U.S. famously won 1-0 in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.

More recently, the two teams drew 1-1 in Rustenburg, South Africa in 2010. Steven Gerrard gave England an early lead before Clint Dempsey earned a point.

England have never before played IR Iran at the World Cup, but the United States have. In 1998 in Lyon, France, it was Iran who claimed a 2-1 victory with a late U.S. consolation goal for Brian McBride.

13.25 ET / 17.25 GMT: Let’s start with Group B, featuring the United States and England.

These are the fixtures.

Nov 21: England vs. IR Iran, United States vs. Wales / Scotland / Ukraine
Nov 25: England vs. United States, Wales / Scotland / Ukraine vs. IR Iran
Nov 29: Wales / Scotland / Ukraine vs. England, IR Iran vs. United States

And here’s ESPN’s Mark Ogden saying before the draw that the United States would be a tough draw for England.

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Mark Ogden feels USMNT would pose a threat to England should they be drawn in the same group in Qatar.

13.20 ET / 17.20 GMT: Phew! That went at breakneck speed once the draw actually began. Now we can take a few seconds and take a look at the groups and how they could all pan out.

GROUP A: Qatar (51), Ecuador (46), Senegal (20), Netherlands (10)
GROUP B:England (5), IR Iran (21), United States (15), Wales or Scotland / Ukraine
GROUP C:Argentina (4), Saudi Arabia (49), Mexico (9), Poland (26)
GROUP D: France (3), Peru or Australia / United Arab Emirates, Denmark (11), Tunisia (35)
GROUP E:Spain (7), Costa Rica or New Zealand, Germany (12), Japan (23)
GROUP F:Belgium (2), Canada (38), Morocco (24), Croatia (16)
GROUP G:Brazil (1), Serbia (25), Switzerland (14), Cameroon (37)
GROUP H:Portugal (8), Ghana (60), Uruguay (13), South Korea (29)

13.11 ET / 17.11 GMT: NOW DRAWING POT 4:

First out of Pot 4, and it’s Peru or Australia / United Arab Emirates. They have to go into Group D2 due to the draw constraints.

Ecuador are out next, and they will be into A2 and play the opening game of the finals, against hosts Qatar.

Next, it’s Saudi Arabia and they have to go into C2.

Costa Rica or New Zealand up next, and they can’t go into the U.S. group. That means that playoff ties jump to E2.

Now we do know who England and United States get! It’s the winners of the UEFA playoff between Wales or Scotland / Ukraine. That will be the U.S. opening game on Nov. 21.

Cameroon are into G4 with Brazil, with Ghana into H2 with Portugal.

And last, but not least, it’s Canada into F2 with Belgium, Morocco and Croatia.

13.03 ET / 17.03 GMT: NOW DRAWING POT 3:

IR Iran are first out in Pot 3 and they will play United States and England! IR Iran are B2 and will play England first.

Next out, it’s Senegal. They go into A3.

And Poland are C4.

Serbia cannot go into D, E and F as there’s already two European teams. So they go to G with Brazil and Switzerland. G2, and Serbia play Brazil first.

Tunisia will play France and Denmark, drawn to D4.

And in E4 it’s Japan.

Morocco are going into Group F3, and South Korea into H.

12.54 ET / 16.54 GMT: NOW DRAWING POT 2:

First out… it’s Netherlands. They go into A4.

And it’s United States vs. England Group B on Friday, Nov. 25! The U.S. are B3.

Into Group C, it’s Mexico! Mexico into position 3.

Denmark are the fourth team out into D3.

And now we have… Germany! They will play Spain in Group E! Position 3.

And Croatia go into F4.

Uruguay are next out, but for the first time we have a block on the draw. They cannot join Brazil in Group G, so Uruguay go to H3 with Portugal.

So Switzerland are into G3.

12.47 ET / 16.47 GMT: NOW DRAWING POT 1:

England are first out after Qatar and into Group B! They go into B2.

And second out, it’s Argentina! They go into C1.

France are into Group D1.

Now E1 for Spain.

F1 next, it’s Belgium.

G1 is Brazil, and that means H1 is Portugal.

12.46 ET / 16.46 GMT: Here we go!

12.44 ET / 16.44 GMT: Now the draw procedure is being explained to us. Surely not long to go…

12.39 ET / 16.39 GMT: The eight FIFA legends who will make the draw are now being introduced.

For a reminder, that’s Cafu (Brazil), Lothar Matthaus (Germany), Adel Ahmed MalAllah (Qatar), Ali Daei (IR Iran), Bora Milutinovic (Serbia/Mexico), Jay-Jay Okocha (Nigeria), Rabah Madjer (Algeria) and Tim Cahill (Australia).

12.35 ET / 16.35 GMT: We’ve just watched a video about the story of Qatar hosting the World Cup, and now U.S. soccer legend and two-time Women’s World Cup winner Carli Lloyd, former England player Jermaine Jenas and British-Jamaican sports presenter Samantha Johnson have entered the stage for the draw!

They are giving their own little speeches, so we won’t get any teams drawn out for a few minutes yet.

12.32 ET / 16.32 GMT: France coach Didier Deschamps is bringing out the World Cup trophy onto the stage. France won the 2018 World Cup final by beating Croatia 4-2. He’s answering a few questions from the hosts.

12.29 ET / 16.29 GMT: It’s time! Here’s a reminder of your draw pots.

12.27 ET / 16.27 GMT: Hosts Idris Elba and Reshmin Chowdhury are now wrapping up the first part of the ceremony with a tribute to some famous footballers who have died recently, including Diego Maradona, Gordon Banks and Gerd Muller.

12.25 ET / 16.25 GMT: So, this is how the draw is going to work.

– It will begin with Pot 1, the strongest pot. A team will be drawn into a position in each group (1, 2, 3 or 4) apart from Qatar, who will be A1.
– After Pot 1, we go through 2, 3 and 4 and empty each pot before moving on.
– There must be no more than one team from each region, apart from Europe. There will be 5 groups with two teams from Europe. Every group must have at least one team from Europe.

12.20 ET / 16.20 GMT: Not long to go now. FIFA president Gianni Infantino has arrived to give his pre-draw speech.

12.17 ET / 16.17 GMT: Every tournament must have an official mascot, and for the Qatar World Cup it’s La’eeb!

12.11 ET / 16.11 GMT: So who exactly is making the draw? Only some soccer legends!

Cafu (Brazil) and Lothar Matthaus (Germany) will team up with six more assistants. They are joined by Adel Ahmed MalAllah (Qatar), Ali Daei (IR Iran), Bora Milutinovic (Serbia/Mexico), Jay-Jay Okocha (Nigeria), Rabah Madjer (Algeria) and Tim Cahill (Australia).

12.05 ET / 16.05 GMT: The ceremony, hosted by actor Idris Elba, is getting under way in Doha.

Right now, there’s six people within illuminated rings spinning around on the stage. It’s what we all wanted, after all.

There’s plenty more of this stuff before we get any teams drawn.

11.59 ET / 15.59 GMT: The 2026 World Cup will be hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada… and the presidents of the FAs have turned up to see how it’s done. From left to right, Canada’s Nick Bontis, U.S. Soccer Federation president Cindy Parlow Cone, and Mexican Football Federation president Yon de Luisa.

11.52 ET / 15.52 GMT: Looking at possible draws…. how about a group of England, United States, South Korea and Ghana? After all, the U.S. always draws Ghana!

Of course, the dream draw for the U.S. and Mexico, both in draw Pot 2, is to get the hosts, Qatar.

Qatar are ranked 51st in the world, while the rest of Pot 1 (Brazil, Belgium, France, Argentina, England, Spain, Portugal) are the top ranked countries in the world.

So U.S. and Mexico would love to get perhaps Qatar, South Korea and Ghana.

11.45 ET / 15.45 GMT: Only 15 minutes until the draw ceremony gets under way. This is what they’re all playing for…

11.41 ET / 15.41 GMT: Coach Tite and legends Kaka and Bebeto are among the entourage who are in Qatar to see who tournament favourites Brazil will get in their group.

11.36 ET / 15.36 GMT: After over 11 years since they won the bid to host the World Cup, Friday is a landmark day for Qatar’s biggest event yet. Now, stuff gets real. ESPN’s Gab Marcotti discusses Qatar as a surprise host country.

11.31 ET / 15.31 GMT: The United States failed to qualify for the World Cup in 2018. But this time it is BACK! What has changed since then?

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Taylor Twellman breaks down what’s changed for United States soccer from not qualifying in 2018 to now.

11.25 ET / 15.25 GMT: Qatar will be the smallest country to ever host a World Cup finals. Just to give you an idea of the size of Qatar (11,571 sq. km), it’s smaller than Connecticut (14,357 sq. km) — the home of ESPN in the U.S. The only states that are smaller than Qatar are Delaware (6,646 sq. km) and Rhode Island (4,001 sq. km.)

11.18 ET / 15.18 GMT: We will know the group stage fixtures and dates for all 32 teams as soon as the draw is made. However, we will have to wait to discover the venues and kickoff times. FIFA is going to optimise the order of matches for supporter demand and to fit in with local TV audiences for the participating teams.

– World Cup finals bracket and fixtures schedule

11.12 ET / 15.12 GMT: ESPN senior writer James Olley is already in the auditorium, and can show us how the Convention Center is filling up.

11.10 ET / 15.10 GMT: The guests are already arriving at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center ahead of the draw.

The event is being hosted by U.S. soccer legend and two-time Women’s World Cup winner Carli Lloyd, former England player Jermaine Jenas and British-Jamaican sports presenter Samantha Johnson.

Here’s Carli chatting to U.S. men’s coach Gregg Berhalter on the red carpet.

11.00 ET / 15.00 GMT: Welcome to the 2022 World Cup finals draw…. LIVE! Over the next couple of hours we’ll give you a flavour of the draw and the highlights of the ceremony itself, which begins at 4 p.m. GMT, midday ET.

Pot 1 contains the hosts, Qatar, along with strongest seven nations according to the new FIFA World Ranking, which were published on Thursday ahead of the draw.

The other pots are filled in order of the FIFA World Ranking, apart from Pot 4, which contains the five lowest-ranked nations along with the winners of the three remaining playoffs (two intercontinental and the outstanding UEFA path involving Ukraine that are due to be played in June).
Sourced from Man United

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