World Cup draw: USMNT gets England on Black Friday
The United States got England and Iran at the men's World Cup draw on Friday, as organizers unveiled the full slate of group stage matchups for the 2022 tournament.
At a glitzy, utterly bizarre ceremony in Doha, the U.S., seeded in Pot 2 after clinching qualification Wednesday, drew the English from Pot 1, then the Iranians from Pot 3. Its fourth group opponent will be the winner of a European playoff in June — either Wales, Scotland or Ukraine.
The USMNT will play England on Friday, Nov. 25, which is Black Friday, in its second match. Its opener, on the opening day of the tournament, Nov. 21, will be against the European playoff winner. The group finale, against Iran, is Nov. 29.
All three matches will kick off at 10 p.m. local time, which is 2 p.m. ET. FIFA released the final schedule, including locations and match times, late Friday.
Below is the full draw, followed by the full schedule.
Full 2022 World Cup draw
GROUP A
1. Qatar (A1)
2. Netherlands (A4)
3. Senegal (A3)
4. Ecuador (A2)
GROUP B
1. England (B1)
2. United States (B3)
3. Iran (B2)
4. Wales/Scotland/Ukraine (B4)
GROUP C
1. Argentina (C1)
2. Mexico (C3)
3. Poland (C4)
4. Saudi Arabia (C2)
GROUP D
1. France (D1)
2. Denmark (D3)
3. Tunisia (D4)
4. Peru/Australia/UAE (D2)
GROUP E
1. Spain (E1)
2. Germany (E3)
3. Japan (E4)
4. Costa Rica/New Zealand (E2)
GROUP F
1. Belgium (F1)
2. Croatia (F4)
3. Morocco (F3)
4. Canada (F2)
GROUP G
1. Brazil (G1)
2. Switzerland (G3)
3. Serbia (G2)
4. Cameroon (G4)
GROUP H
1. Portugal (H1)
2. Uruguay (H3)
3. South Korea (H4)
4. Ghana (H2)
Two teams advance from each group to the knockout rounds. The winner of Group A players the runner-up in Group B in the Round of 16. The winner of Group B plays the runner-up in Group A. The same matchup structure applies to Groups C and D; Groups E and F; and Groups G and H.
The USMNT failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup. In 2014, when pots were seeded geographically rather than by FIFA ranking, the Americans drew Germany, Portugal and Ghana. They advanced from the group in second place, and lost to Belgium in the Round of 16.
They opened the 2010 World Cup against England, and drew 1-1. Both teams are better now than they were then.
Day-by-day World Cup Schedule
(All times ET. Games will be shown on Fox networks and platforms in English, and on Telemundo/NBCUniversal networks and platforms in Spanish.)
Monday, November 21
5 a.m. — Senegal vs. Netherlands
8 a.m. — England vs. Iran
11 a.m. — Qatar vs. Ecuador
2 p.m. — United States vs. Wales/Ukraine/Scotland
Tuesday, November 22
5 a.m. — Argentina vs. Saudi Arabia
8 a.m. — Denmark vs. Tunisia
11 a.m. — Mexico vs. Poland
2 p.m. — France vs. Peru/Australia/UAE
Wednesday, November 23
5 a.m. — Morocco vs. Croatia
8 a.m. — Germany vs. Japan
11 a.m. — Spain vs. Costa Rica/New Zealand
2 p.m. — Belgium vs. Canada
Thursday, November 24 (Thanksgiving)
5 a.m. — Switzerland vs. Cameroon
8 a.m. — Uruguay vs. South Korea
11 a.m. — Portugal vs. Ghana
2 p.m. — Brazil vs. Serbia
Friday, November 25
5 a.m. — Iran vs. Wales/Ukraine/Scotland
8 a.m. — Qatar vs. Senegal
11 a.m. — Ecuador vs. Netherlands
2 p.m. — England vs. United States
Saturday, November 26
5 a.m. — Peru/Australia/UAE vs. Tunisia
8 a.m. — Saudi Arabia vs. Poland
11 a.m. — France vs. Denmark
2 p.m. — Argentina vs. Mexico
Sunday, November 27
5 a.m. — Costa Rica/New Zealand vs. Japan
8 a.m. — Belgium vs. Morocco
11 a.m. — Canada vs. Croatia
2 p.m. — Spain vs. Germany
Monday, November 28
5 a.m. — Serbia vs. Cameroon
8 a.m. — Brazil vs. Switzerland
11 a.m. — Ghana vs. South Korea
2 p.m. — Portugal vs. Uruguay
Tuesday, November 29
10 a.m. — Qatar vs. Netherlands
10 a.m. — Ecuador vs. Senegal
2 p.m. — England vs. Wales/Ukraine/Scotland
2 p.m. — Iran vs. United States
Wednesday, November 30
10 a.m. — France vs. Tunisia
10 a.m. — Peru/Australia/UAE vs. Denmark
2 p.m. — Argentina vs. Poland
2 p.m. — Saudi Arabia vs. Mexico
Thursday, December 1
10 a.m. — Belgium vs. Croatia
10 a.m. — Canada vs. Morocco
2 p.m. — Spain vs. Japan
2 p.m. — Costa Rica/New Zealand vs. Germany
Friday, December 2
10 a.m. — Portugal vs. South Korea
10 a.m. — Ghana vs. Uruguay
2 p.m. — Brazil vs. Cameroon
2 p.m. — Serbia vs. Switzerland
Saturday, December 3
10 a.m. — A winner vs. B runner-up
2 p.m. — C winner vs. D runner-up
Sunday, December 4
10 a.m. — D winner vs. C runner-up
2 p.m. — B winner vs. A runner-up
Monday, December 5
10 a.m. — E winner vs. F runner-up
2 p.m. — G winner vs. H runner-up
Tuesday, December 6
10 a.m. — F winner vs. E runner-up
2 p.m. — H winner vs. G runner-up
Friday, December 9
10 a.m. — Dec. 5 winner vs. Dec. 5 winner
2 p.m. — Dec. 3 winner vs. Dec. 3 winner
Saturday, December 10
10 a.m. — Dec. 6 winner vs. Dec. 6 winner
2 p.m. — Dec. 4 winner vs. Dec. 4 winner
Tuesday, December 13
2 p.m. — Dec. 9 winner vs. Dec. 9 winner
Wednesday, December 14
2 p.m. — Dec. 10 winner vs. Dec. 10 winner
Saturday, December 17
10 a.m. — Third-place match
Sunday, December 18
10 a.m. — Final
