England is ready to face a familiar rival in the World Cup final after a tough journey.
England’s possible path to the 2026 World Cup final has been mapped out – and the Three Lions face a tough challenge if they want to lift the trophy.
They’ll kick off their World Cup preparations with a warm-up match against New Zealand on June 6, followed by a game against Costa Rica on June 10, both in Florida.
England’s first tournament match is against Croatia at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on June 17. Then, they’ll play Ghana at Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts on June 23, and wrap up the group stage against Panama at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on June 27.
With 32 out of 48 teams moving to the knockout rounds, England should make it through, given the strong squad they have.
If England finish top of Group L, they’ll face one of the best third-placed teams from Groups E, H, I, J, or K. The toughest opponent might be Norway, with stars like Erling Haaland and Martin Ødegaard. But there’s also a chance they could play against teams like Cape Verde, Curaçao, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, DR Congo, or Uzbekistan, assuming top teams like Germany, France, Argentina, and Portugal win their groups.
Looking ahead to the round of 16, England would meet the winner of Group A – which includes Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, or the Czech Republic – or another strong third-placed team. Mexico is the favorite to top Group A and could face England in Mexico City on July 6. Other possible opponents are Scotland and Japan.
If England get through the round of 16, they might face Brazil in the quarter-finals. But Brazil will first have to beat teams like Japan, Sweden, or Tunisia, then win in the round of 16 against Ivory Coast, Senegal, or Norway.
After a possible Brazil clash, England could face Argentina in the semi-finals in Atlanta on July 15. For this to happen, Argentina and Portugal need to win Groups J and K and progress through their knockout matches. Argentina and Portugal might meet in the quarter-finals in Kansas City on July 11, which could decide who faces England next.
Of course, all this is hypothetical, and England could end up playing against teams like Uruguay, the USA, Turkey, or Egypt in the semi-finals.
Then comes the World Cup final, something England hasn’t reached since winning in 1966. If they make it, they could meet France or Spain, with Spain having beaten England 2-1 in the Euro 2024 final.
Here’s a possible schedule:
Round of 32: England vs Norway – July 1
Round of 16: England vs Mexico – July 5
Quarter-final: England vs Brazil – July 11
Semi-final: England vs Argentina – July 15
Final: England vs Spain or France – July 19