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Next summer’s World Cup, at long last, is starting to feel very real.

But, while fans of the home nations can finally start marking their calendars and plotting routes through the tournament, Friday’s draw in Washington DC was not short of other major talking points.

Long before the Village People took to the stage to sing us out with a rendition of YMCA, we were left picking the bones out of a group stage which will see two of the world’s best strikers go head-to-head and a knockout stage which could produce a truly mouthwatering meeting between two greats of the game.

Are you excited yet?

Many people tuned into the BBC’s coverage bang on 17:00 GMT, eager to find out who their teams would be playing in the group stage of next year’s tournament.

But, even though supporters should, by now, be well accustomed to these draws taking some time to get going… this was extraordinary.

After performances by Robbie Williams and former Pussycat Dolls singer Nicole Scherzinger, speeches from US President Donald Trump and Fifa counterpart Gianni Infantino, plus numerous montages, cutaways and interviews, it finally seemed to get going at 17:55 GMT. Or so we thought.

Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum and Canada Prime Minister Mark Carney joined Trump on stage to pick their respective countries, as co-hosts, out of the hat. But this was not new news.

Cue more interviews and performances, before the actual draw eventually began at 18:27 GMT – nearly an hour and a half after the star-studded show first kicked off.

Next summer’s World Cup will the biggest in the competition’s history, with a record 48 teams taking part and a round of 32 being introduced for the first time.

But this has perhaps led to the group stage – with 12 groups each containing four teams – being slightly diluted in quality.

There are very few matches between the major nations. England’s game against Croatia – a repeat of the 2018 semi-final – is the most significant on paper.

That is the only group fixture which will see two teams ranked in the top 10 in the world come up against one another.

Brazil (fifth) v Morocco (11th) in Group C is the next best.

Netherlands have the toughest group in terms of Fifa world rankings, drawn against Japan, Tunisia and one of the play-off winners, while Germany – grouped with Ecuador, Ivory Coast and Curacao – have the weakest.

Generational goalgetter Erling Haaland will get a crack at his first major tournament next summer.

The Manchester City and Norway striker scored 16 times in eight World Cup qualifiers to drag his country to their first appearance in the competition since 1998.

And ‘drag’ is no exaggeration – no player, across any continent, scored more in qualifying than Haaland. No wonder one Norwegian journalist went as far as suggesting “there’s already a case to be made that he’s our greatest ever player”.

Few have managed to even come close to the 25-year-old’s ridiculous goalscoring feats in recent seasons – but someone who has is set to come up against him in the final round of group games.

Along with Senegal and one of the play-off winners, Norway have been drawn against Kylian Mbappe’s France in Group I.

It means the top marksmen in the Premier League and La Liga will go head-to-head for the first time in international football.

Mbappe, just two goals away from becoming France’s record scorer at the age of 26, has scored 16 times in 15 league games this season for Real Madrid. Haaland, already Norway’s record scorer and a whopping 22 goals clear of the next best, has scored 15 in 14 for City.

“It will be a great duel,” France coach Didier Deschamps said.

“Kylian and Haaland are two players recognised around the world and they will be two of the contenders to be the top scorer.”

Mexico will take on South Africa at Estadio Azteca in the opening match of next summer’s World Cup – and not for the first time.

The two teams also opened the 2010 edition, which was hosted by South Africa – the first time the competition had been held in the continent.

The game, which ended 1-1, is best remembered for Siphiwe Tshabalala’s rasping second-half strike to put Bafana Bafana in front. It was an iconic World Cup goal.

Another eye-catching group game will see France again come up against Senegal, who stunned the then-world champions in 2002 in one of the tournament’s most famous shocks.

On the opening night in Seoul, South Korea, future Fulham midfielder Papa Bouba Diop upstaged France’s cast of star names to score the decisive first goal of the tournament after 30 minutes.

Uzbekistan, Cape Verde, Jordan and Curacao have all taken advantage of the expanded World Cup by qualifying for the finals for the first time.

But standing in their way are former world champions, European champions and champions of South America.

In Group E Curacao, the tiny Caribbean island who will become the smallest nation to play at a World Cup, will take on four-time World Cup winners Germany in their first-ever finals match.

With a population of around 600,000, Cape Verde may well have been pinching themselves when they were drawn alongside European champions and World Cup winners Spain in Group H. They will take on the 2010 winners in their opening game.

Jordan took part in qualifying for the first time 40 years ago and their reward for reaching their first World Cup is a tie with defending champions Argentina and Lionel Messi in Group J.

Assuming all the top teams make it safely through their groups – a dangerous assumption, admittedly – we shouldn’t have to wait too long for some of the big hitters to collide.

It is in the last 16 where things could get really tasty, most notably with a potential tie between former champions Germany and France.

The pair last met in a World Cup at the quarter-final stage in 2014, with Mats Hummels’ early header enough to send the Germans through.

If Germany come out on top again they would have to contend with the Netherlands and Spain if they are to reach the final – a very tough run having ended up in the most straightforward group.

On the other side of the draw, eyes will instantly be drawn to the quarter-final stage, with old rivals Messi and Ronaldo set for a possible showdown.

It would depend on both Argentina and Portugal finishing top of their respective groups and then squeezing through the last 32 and 16 but, if they are able to do that, it would be a remarkable way to mark the pair’s final World Cups.

For England, a game against co-hosts Mexico seems the most likely last-32 tie, providing the Three Lions top their group.

Next summer’s World Cup, at long last, is starting to feel very real.

But, while fans of the home nations can finally start marking their calendars and plotting routes through the tournament, Friday’s draw in Washington DC was not short of other major talking points.

Long before the Village People took to the stage to sing us out with a rendition of YMCA, we were left picking the bones out of a group stage which will see two of the world’s best strikers go head-to-head and a knockout stage which could produce a truly mouthwatering meeting between two greats of the game.

Are you excited yet?

Many people tuned into the BBC’s coverage bang on 17:00 GMT, eager to find out who their teams would be playing in the group stage of next year’s tournament.

But, even though supporters should, by now, be well accustomed to these draws taking some time to get going… this was extraordinary.

After performances by Robbie Williams and former Pussycat Dolls singer Nicole Scherzinger, speeches from US President Donald Trump and Fifa counterpart Gianni Infantino, plus numerous montages, cutaways and interviews, it finally seemed to get going at 17:55 GMT. Or so we thought.

Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum and Canada Prime Minister Mark Carney joined Trump on stage to pick their respective countries, as co-hosts, out of the hat. But this was not new news.

Cue more interviews and performances, before the actual draw eventually began at 18:27 GMT – nearly an hour and a half after the star-studded show first kicked off.

Next summer’s World Cup will the biggest in the competition’s history, with a record 48 teams taking part and a round of 32 being introduced for the first time.

But this has perhaps led to the group stage – with 12 groups each containing four teams – being slightly diluted in quality.

There are very few matches between the major nations. England’s game against Croatia – a repeat of the 2018 semi-final – is the most significant on paper.

That is the only group fixture which will see two teams ranked in the top 10 in the world come up against one another.

Brazil (fifth) v Morocco (11th) in Group C is the next best.

Netherlands have the toughest group in terms of Fifa world rankings, drawn against Japan, Tunisia and one of the play-off winners, while Germany – grouped with Ecuador, Ivory Coast and Curacao – have the weakest.

Generational goalgetter Erling Haaland will get a crack at his first major tournament next summer.

The Manchester City and Norway striker scored 16 times in eight World Cup qualifiers to drag his country to their first appearance in the competition since 1998.

And ‘drag’ is no exaggeration – no player, across any continent, scored more in qualifying than Haaland. No wonder one Norwegian journalist went as far as suggesting “there’s already a case to be made that he’s our greatest ever player”.

Few have managed to even come close to the 25-year-old’s ridiculous goalscoring feats in recent seasons – but someone who has is set to come up against him in the final round of group games.

Along with Senegal and one of the play-off winners, Norway have been drawn against Kylian Mbappe’s France in Group I.

It means the top marksmen in the Premier League and La Liga will go head-to-head for the first time in international football.

Mbappe, just two goals away from becoming France’s record scorer at the age of 26, has scored 16 times in 15 league games this season for Real Madrid. Haaland, already Norway’s record scorer and a whopping 22 goals clear of the next best, has scored 15 in 14 for City.

“It will be a great duel,” France coach Didier Deschamps said.

“Kylian and Haaland are two players recognised around the world and they will be two of the contenders to be the top scorer.”

Mexico will take on South Africa at Estadio Azteca in the opening match of next summer’s World Cup – and not for the first time.

The two teams also opened the 2010 edition, which was hosted by South Africa – the first time the competition had been held in the continent.

The game, which ended 1-1, is best remembered for Siphiwe Tshabalala’s rasping second-half strike to put Bafana Bafana in front. It was an iconic World Cup goal.

Another eye-catching group game will see France again come up against Senegal, who stunned the then-world champions in 2002 in one of the tournament’s most famous shocks.

On the opening night in Seoul, South Korea, future Fulham midfielder Papa Bouba Diop upstaged France’s cast of star names to score the decisive first goal of the tournament after 30 minutes.

Uzbekistan, Cape Verde, Jordan and Curacao have all taken advantage of the expanded World Cup by qualifying for the finals for the first time.

But standing in their way are former world champions, European champions and champions of South America.

In Group E Curacao, the tiny Caribbean island who will become the smallest nation to play at a World Cup, will take on four-time World Cup winners Germany in their first-ever finals match.

With a population of around 600,000, Cape Verde may well have been pinching themselves when they were drawn alongside European champions and World Cup winners Spain in Group H. They will take on the 2010 winners in their opening game.

Jordan took part in qualifying for the first time 40 years ago and their reward for reaching their first World Cup is a tie with defending champions Argentina and Lionel Messi in Group J.

Assuming all the top teams make it safely through their groups – a dangerous assumption, admittedly – we shouldn’t have to wait too long for some of the big hitters to collide.

It is in the last 16 where things could get really tasty, most notably with a potential tie between former champions Germany and France.

The pair last met in a World Cup at the quarter-final stage in 2014, with Mats Hummels’ early header enough to send the Germans through.

If Germany come out on top again they would have to contend with the Netherlands and Spain if they are to reach the final – a very tough run having ended up in the most straightforward group.

On the other side of the draw, eyes will instantly be drawn to the quarter-final stage, with old rivals Messi and Ronaldo set for a possible showdown.

It would depend on both Argentina and Portugal finishing top of their respective groups and then squeezing through the last 32 and 16 but, if they are able to do that, it would be a remarkable way to mark the pair’s final World Cups.

If England get off to a great start against Croatia and go on to win their group, they would play a third-placed team in the last 32, although working out their exact opponents is somewhat complicated.

It took a while, but the World Cup draw is finally done. Fans of England and Scotland can start trying to work out their path to glory. And we can help.

It is deja vu for Scotland, drawn against Brazil and Morocco who they lost to the last time they made it to the World Cup in 1998. If the Scots are going to get out of the group, their biggest game is going to come very early.

England’s group is not one to set the pulses racing, but perhaps it will give coach Thomas Tuchel the chance to grow his squad into the tournament.

England’s toughest test, on paper at least, should be their first match against Croatia in Arlington, just outside Dallas, or Toronto.

Croatia beat England in the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup but they have met three times since with England unbeaten, winning two and drawing one. Most recently Raheem Sterling scored the only goal of a group stage meeting at Euro 2020 at Wembley.

Tuchel will hope a positive result sets them up to top the group.

Ghana are far from the force they once were. They were ranked 14th in the world in 2008 but have now slipped to 72nd and failed to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations which starts later this month.

England finish up against Panama, who they also played in 2018, thrashing them 6-1 in the group stage. Panama were runners-up in the Concacaf Gold Cup in 2023 but it would be huge shock if they picked something up here.

Tuchel will be aided by England being one of the last teams to start, nearly a week after Mexico face South Africa in the tournament opener. It gives the boss extra time to fit in the two friendlies he wants between the end of the domestic season and the Three Lions’ opening game.

Scotland start their World Cup campaign earlier in Group C and with a fixture that looks potentially important to their hopes of making the knockout rounds.

With Brazil and Morocco also in the group, Scotland and Haiti simply have to go all out to win when they meet in Foxborough, just outside Boston, or East Rutherford, next door to New York City, on 13 June.

If Steve Clarke’s men draw or lose to Haiti, they would then need to produce an almighty effort against two teams inside the top 11 of the Fifa world ranking.

Haiti have only made the World Cup once before in 1974, losing all three games and conceding 14 goals. They failed to get out of the group stage at the last three Concacaf Gold Cups, so reaching these finals is a huge achievement.

If Scotland can claim the ascendancy and score early, they will surely keep looking for further goals.

Eight of the 12 third-placed teams will go through to the round of 32. Three points will almost certainly be enough for some teams, but goal difference might be the difference.

If England get off to a great start against Croatia and go on to win their group, they would play a third-placed team in the first knockout stage, either in East Rutherford or Philadelphia.

However, the most complicated World Cup ever becomes even more confusing when trying to work out their opponents.

There are 495 different combinations of how groups could provide the eight advancing third-placed teams. We will not go through them all.

Only five groups could provide England’s opponents though: E, H, I, J or K. So, any one of 20 teams right now.

If we were to take a stab, that would probably involve Ecuador, Ivory Coast, Saudi Arabia, Cape Verde, Senegal, Norway, Austria, Algeria, Uzbekistan or the winner of the DR Congo play-off path.

It should present a winnable tie for England, though no-one wants to meet Erling Haaland’s Norway.

Finish second in the group? England would move into the other half of the bracket and fly to Toronto to take on the runners-up of Group K, and the odds are that would be Colombia.

If Scotland shock the world and win Group C, they would face the runners-up of Group F, Japan or Tunisia maybe, in Houston. If they were second they would jet off to Mexico to play the winners of the same group, the favourites being Portugal, in Guadalupe.

Finishing third and advancing would mean Scotland playing the winners of groups A, E or I – decided by which groups provide the third-placed teams.

Now the World Cup is really starting to get going.

England’s route might have been easing past one of the third-placed teams in the last 32, but it is about to get a whole lot more difficult.

England would have to go to Mexico City and feeding into that tie are the winners of Group A. And that would probably be Mexico.

Tuchel could be preparing to take his England side into a raucous atmosphere created by the supporters of the co-hosts.

Meeting one of the co-hosts on their own turf is far from ideal, though if England finished second in the group they would probably face Spain at this stage.

Scotland, remember, could be on the same route to the last-16 game at the iconic Azteca Stadium.

So, England have got past Mexico and they are now full of confidence. Who lies in wait in the quarter-finals when England fly back to the United States and into Miami?

There is only one other group winner feeding into this part of the bracket. That is from Group C and Brazil are the seeded nation.

Would it definitely be Brazil? The Selecao would come up against the runners-up of groups E, F and I in the same section.

Maybe Ecuador, Ivory Coast, Tunisia or, most likely, Norway could cause an upset and meet England in the last eight.

We are now entering the realms of fantasy, as it is impossible to predict who will still be active at this stage. But we will have a go as England leave Miami bound for Atlanta.

Argentina and Portugal appear to be the standout teams in the quadrant which will provide their opponents.

In the other half, Scotland head to Arlington with Spain clearly the top-ranked team. Belgium and United States are in the same quarter as Spain.

Then it’s off to East Rutherford for the final on July 19.

It took a while, but the World Cup draw is finally done. Fans of England and Scotland can start trying to work out their path to glory. And we can help.

It is deja vu for Scotland, drawn against Brazil and Morocco who they lost to the last time they made it to the World Cup in 1998. If the Scots are going to get out of the group, their biggest game is going to come very early.

England’s group is not one to set the pulses racing, but perhaps it will give coach Thomas Tuchel the chance to grow his squad into the tournament.

England’s toughest test, on paper at least, should be their first match against Croatia in Arlington, just outside Dallas, or Toronto.

Croatia beat England in the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup but they have met three times since with England unbeaten, winning two and drawing one. Most recently Raheem Sterling scored the only goal of a group stage meeting at Euro 2020 at Wembley.

Tuchel will hope a positive result sets them up to top the group.

Ghana are far from the force they once were. They were ranked 14th in the world in 2008 but have now slipped to 72nd and failed to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations which starts later this month.

England finish up against Panama, who they also played in 2018, thrashing them 6-1 in the group stage. Panama were runners-up in the Concacaf Gold Cup in 2023 but it would be huge shock if they picked something up here.

Tuchel will be aided by England being one of the last teams to start, nearly a week after Mexico face South Africa in the tournament opener. It gives the boss extra time to fit in the two friendlies he wants between the end of the domestic season and the Three Lions’ opening game.

Scotland start their World Cup campaign earlier in Group C and with a fixture that looks potentially important to their hopes of making the knockout rounds.

With Brazil and Morocco also in the group, Scotland and Haiti simply have to go all out to win when they meet in Foxborough, just outside Boston, or East Rutherford, next door to New York City, on 13 June.

If Steve Clarke’s men draw or lose to Haiti, they would then need to produce an almighty effort against two teams inside the top 11 of the Fifa world ranking.

Haiti have only made the World Cup once before in 1974, losing all three games and conceding 14 goals. They failed to get out of the group stage at the last three Concacaf Gold Cups, so reaching these finals is a huge achievement.

If Scotland can claim the ascendancy and score early, they will surely keep looking for further goals.

Eight of the 12 third-placed teams will go through to the round of 32. Three points will almost certainly be enough for some teams, but goal difference might be the difference.

If England get off to a great start against Croatia and go on to win their group, they would play a third-placed team in the first knockout stage, either in East Rutherford or Philadelphia.

However, the most complicated World Cup ever becomes even more confusing when trying to work out their opponents.

There are 495 different combinations of how groups could provide the eight advancing third-placed teams. We will not go through them all.

Only five groups could provide England’s opponents though: E, H, I, J or K. So, any one of 20 teams right now.

If we were to take a stab, that would probably involve Ecuador, Ivory Coast, Saudi Arabia, Cape Verde, Senegal, Norway, Austria, Algeria, Uzbekistan or the winner of the DR Congo play-off path.

It should present a winnable tie for England, though no-one wants to meet Erling Haaland’s Norway.

Finish second in the group? England would move into the other half of the bracket and fly to Toronto to take on the runners-up of Group K, and the odds are that would be Colombia.

If Scotland shock the world and win Group C, they would face the runners-up of Group F, Japan or Tunisia maybe, in Houston. If they were second they would jet off to Mexico to play the winners of the same group, the favourites being Portugal, in Guadalupe.

Finishing third and advancing would mean Scotland playing the winners of groups A, E or I – decided by which groups provide the third-placed teams.

Now the World Cup is really starting to get going.

England’s route might have been easing past one of the third-placed teams in the last 32, but it is about to get a whole lot more difficult.

England would have to go to Mexico City and feeding into that tie are the winners of Group A. And that would probably be Mexico.

Tuchel could be preparing to take his England side into a raucous atmosphere created by the supporters of the co-hosts.

Meeting one of the co-hosts on their own turf is far from ideal, though if England finished second in the group they would probably face Spain at this stage.

Scotland, remember, could be on the same route to the last-16 game at the iconic Azteca Stadium.

So, England have got past Mexico and they are now full of confidence. Who lies in wait in the quarter-finals when England fly back to the United States and into Miami?

There is only one other group winner feeding into this part of the bracket. That is from Group C and Brazil are the seeded nation.

Would it definitely be Brazil? The Selecao would come up against the runners-up of groups E, F and I in the same section.

Maybe Ecuador, Ivory Coast, Tunisia or, most likely, Norway could cause an upset and meet England in the last eight.

We are now entering the realms of fantasy, as it is impossible to predict who will still be active at this stage. But we will have a go as England leave Miami bound for Atlanta.

Argentina and Portugal appear to be the standout teams in the quadrant which will provide their opponents.

In the other half, Scotland head to Arlington with Spain clearly the top-ranked team. Belgium and United States are in the same quarter as Spain.

Then it’s off to East Rutherford for the final on July 19.

It took a while, but the World Cup draw is finally done. Fans of England and Scotland can start trying to work out their path to glory. And we can help.

It is deja vu for Scotland, drawn against Brazil and Morocco who they lost to the last time they made it to the World Cup in 1998. If the Scots are going to get out of the group, their biggest game is going to come very early.

England’s group is not one to set the pulses racing, but perhaps it will give coach Thomas Tuchel the chance to grow his squad into the tournament.

England’s toughest test, on paper at least, should be their first match against Croatia in Arlington, just outside Dallas, or Toronto.

Croatia beat England in the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup but they have met three times since with England unbeaten, winning two and drawing one. Most recently Raheem Sterling scored the only goal of a group stage meeting at Euro 2020 at Wembley.

Tuchel will hope a positive result sets them up to top the group.

Ghana are far from the force they once were. They were ranked 14th in the world in 2008 but have now slipped to 72nd and failed to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations which starts later this month.

England finish up against Panama, who they also played in 2018, thrashing them 6-1 in the group stage. Panama were runners-up in the Concacaf Gold Cup in 2023 but it would be huge shock if they picked something up here.

Tuchel will be aided by England being one of the last teams to start, nearly a week after Mexico face South Africa in the tournament opener. It gives the boss extra time to fit in the two friendlies he wants between the end of the domestic season and the Three Lions’ opening game.

Scotland start their World Cup campaign earlier in Group C and with a fixture that looks potentially important to their hopes of making the knockout rounds.

With Brazil and Morocco also in the group, Scotland and Haiti simply have to go all out to win when they meet in Foxborough, just outside Boston, or East Rutherford, next door to New York City, on 13 June.

If Steve Clarke’s men draw or lose to Haiti, they would then need to produce an almighty effort against two teams inside the top 11 of the Fifa world ranking.

Haiti have only made the World Cup once before in 1974, losing all three games and conceding 14 goals. They failed to get out of the group stage at the last three Concacaf Gold Cups, so reaching these finals is a huge achievement.

If Scotland can claim the ascendancy and score early, they will surely keep looking for further goals.

Eight of the 12 third-placed teams will go through to the round of 32. Three points will almost certainly be enough for some teams, but goal difference might be the difference.

If England get off to a great start against Croatia and go on to win their group, they would play a third-placed team in the first knockout stage, in Atlanta.

However, the most complicated World Cup ever becomes even more confusing when trying to work out their opponents.

There are 495 different combinations of how groups could provide the eight advancing third-placed teams. We will not go through them all.

Only five groups could provide England’s opponents though: E, H, I, J or K. So, any one of 20 teams right now.

If we were to take a guess, that would probably involve Ecuador, Ivory Coast, Saudi Arabia, Cape Verde, Senegal, Norway, Austria, Algeria, Uzbekistan or the winner of the DR Congo play-off path.

It should present a winnable tie for England, though no-one wants to meet Erling Haaland’s Norway.

Finish second in the group? England would move into the other half of the bracket and fly to Toronto to take on the runners-up of Group K, and the odds are that would be Colombia.

If Scotland shock the world and win Group C, they would face the runners-up of Group F, Japan or Tunisia maybe, in Houston. If they were second they would jet off to Mexico to play the winners of the same group, the favourites being the Netherlands, in Guadalupe.

Finishing third and advancing would mean Scotland playing the winners of groups A, E or I – decided by which groups provide the third-placed teams.

Now the World Cup is really starting to get going.

England’s route might have been easing past one of the third-placed teams in the last 32, but it is about to get a whole lot more difficult.

England would have to go to Mexico City and feeding into that tie are the winners of Group A. And that would probably be Mexico.

Tuchel could be preparing to take his England side into a raucous atmosphere created by the supporters of the co-hosts.

Meeting one of the co-hosts on their own turf is far from ideal, though if England finished second in the group they would probably face Spain at this stage.

Scotland, remember, could be on the same route to the last-16 game at the iconic Azteca Stadium.

So, England have got past Mexico and they are now full of confidence. Who lies in wait in the quarter-finals when England fly back to the United States and into Miami?

There is only one other group winner feeding into this part of the bracket. That is from Group C and Brazil are the seeded nation.

Would it definitely be Brazil? The Selecao would come up against the runners-up of groups E, F and I in the same section.

Maybe Ecuador, Ivory Coast, Tunisia or, most likely, Norway could cause an upset and meet England in the last eight.

We are now entering the realms of fantasy, as it is impossible to predict who will still be active at this stage. But we will have a go as England leave Miami bound for Atlanta.

Argentina and Portugal appear to be the standout teams in the quadrant which will provide their opponents.

In the other half, Scotland head to Arlington with Spain clearly the top-ranked team. Belgium and United States are in the same quarter as Spain.

Then it’s off to East Rutherford for the final on July 19.

It took a while, but the World Cup draw is finally done. Fans of England and Scotland can start trying to work out their path to glory. And we can help.

It is deja vu for Scotland, drawn against Brazil and Morocco who they lost to the last time they made it to the World Cup in 1998. If the Scots are going to get out of the group, their biggest game is going to come very early.

England’s group is not one to set the pulses racing, but perhaps it will give coach Thomas Tuchel the chance to grow his squad into the tournament.

England’s toughest test, on paper at least, should be their first match against Croatia in Arlington, just outside Dallas, or Toronto.

Croatia beat England in the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup but they have met three times since with England unbeaten, winning two and drawing one. Most recently Raheem Sterling scored the only goal of a group stage meeting at Euro 2020 at Wembley.

Tuchel will hope a positive result sets them up to top the group.

Ghana are far from the force they once were. They were ranked 14th in the world in 2008 but have now slipped to 72nd and failed to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations which starts later this month.

England finish up against Panama, who they also played in 2018, thrashing them 6-1 in the group stage. Panama were runners-up in the Concacaf Gold Cup in 2023 but it would be huge shock if they picked something up here.

Tuchel will be aided by England being one of the last teams to start, nearly a week after Mexico face South Africa in the tournament opener. It gives the boss extra time to fit in the two friendlies he wants between the end of the domestic season and the Three Lions’ opening game.

Scotland start their World Cup campaign earlier in Group C and with a fixture that looks potentially important to their hopes of making the knockout rounds.

With Brazil and Morocco also in the group, Scotland and Haiti simply have to go all out to win when they meet in Foxborough, just outside Boston, or East Rutherford, next door to New York City, on 13 June.

If Steve Clarke’s men draw or lose to Haiti, they would then need to produce an almighty effort against two teams inside the top 11 of the Fifa world ranking.

Haiti have only made the World Cup once before in 1974, losing all three games and conceding 14 goals. They failed to get out of the group stage at the last three Concacaf Gold Cups, so reaching these finals is a huge achievement.

If Scotland can claim the ascendancy and score early, they will surely keep looking for further goals.

Eight of the 12 third-placed teams will go through to the round of 32. Three points will almost certainly be enough for some teams, but goal difference might be the difference.

If England get off to a great start against Croatia and go on to win their group, they would play a third-placed team in the first knockout stage, either in East Rutherford or Philadelphia.

However, the most complicated World Cup ever becomes even more confusing when trying to work out their opponents.

There are 495 different combinations of how groups could provide the eight advancing third-placed teams. We will not go through them all.

Only five groups could provide England’s opponents though: E, H, I, J or K. So, any one of 20 teams right now.

If we were to take a stab, that would probably involve Ecuador, Ivory Coast, Saudi Arabia, Cape Verde, Senegal, Norway, Austria, Algeria, Uzbekistan or the winner of the DR Congo play-off path.

It should present a winnable tie for England, though no-one wants to meet Erling Haaland’s Norway.

Finish second in the group? England would move into the other half of the bracket and fly to Toronto to take on the runners-up of Group K, and the odds are that would be Colombia.

If Scotland shock the world and win Group C, they would face the runners-up of Group F, Japan or Tunisia maybe, in Houston. If they were second they would jet off to Mexico to play the winners of the same group, the favourites being Portugal, in Guadalupe.

Finishing third and advancing would mean Scotland playing the winners of groups A, E or I – decided by which groups provide the third-placed teams.

Now the World Cup is really starting to get going.

England’s route might have been easing past one of the third-placed teams in the last 32, but it is about to get a whole lot more difficult.

England would have to go to Mexico City and feeding into that tie are the winners of Group A. And that would probably be Mexico.

Tuchel could be preparing to take his England side into a raucous atmosphere created by the supporters of the co-hosts.

Meeting one of the co-hosts on their own turf is far from ideal, though if England finished second in the group they would probably face Spain at this stage.

Scotland, remember, could be on the same route to the last-16 game at the iconic Azteca Stadium.

So, England have got past Mexico and they are now full of confidence. Who lies in wait in the quarter-finals when England fly back to the United States and into Miami?

There is only one other group winner feeding into this part of the bracket. That is from Group C and Brazil are the seeded nation.

Would it definitely be Brazil? The Selecao would come up against the runners-up of groups E, F and I in the same section.

Maybe Ecuador, Ivory Coast, Tunisia or, most likely, Norway could cause an upset and meet England in the last eight.

We are now entering the realms of fantasy, as it is impossible to predict who will still be active at this stage. But we will have a go as England leave Miami bound for Atlanta.

Argentina and Portugal appear to be the standout teams in the quadrant which will provide their opponents.

In the other half, Scotland head to Arlington with Spain clearly the top-ranked team. Belgium and United States are in the same quarter as Spain.

Then it’s off to East Rutherford for the final on July 19.