England face an uncertain route through the rounds at the 2022 World Cup with so much hanging in the balance going into the final batch of group stage games.
Naturally, the attention of the nation will swiftly turn to ‘What’s next?’ should England do enough against Wales to book their place in the Round of 16, and we’re on hand to help you make sense of it all.
Gareth Southgate’s men will know their opponents in the Round of 16 by the end of Tuesday night should they qualify, barring any wild shocks.
Make no mistake, there are always upsets at a World Cup. At least one surprise team will reach the quarter-finals, while some of the big boys will fall in the group stage. Anyone remember Germany in Russia? Given the precarious nature of several tables right now, expect surprises.
RadioTimes.com takes a look at the likely path England will be forced to tread should they go all the way to the final.
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Who will England play in the Round of 16?
If England win Group B as expected, they will face the runners up in Group A. If England finish second, they will face the winners of Group A.
The current situation, after two rounds of matches played, would see England play Ecuador at 7pm on Sunday 4th December, but the chaotic, close nature of Group A means it could be any of group leaders Netherlands, Ecuador or third-place Senegal who land in the top two.
RadioTimes.com predicts… Netherlands will beat Qatar to win Group A, Ecuador will beat Senegal to finish second and England will beat Wales to win Group B. That would mean England v Ecuador, as listed above.
As things stand (before the last round of group games): Ecuador
Most likely opponent: Ecuador
Who England could play in the quarter-finals
Should England defeat their Round of 16 opponents, as they’d be expected to, they could be set to face one of the tournament favourites in the quarter-finals.
Group C and Group D will filter towards A and B in the quarters. As things stands, France would meet Argentina in a Round of 16 blockbuster, with the winner of that game set to play the the winner of the hypothetical England v Ecuador match.
We tip France to win that game, meaning England v France in the quarter-finals at 7pm on Saturday 10th December.
RadioTimes.com predicts… All roads lead to France. They qualified for the Round of 16 after just two games, and they look sure to win their Group. We think Argentina will beat Poland to win Group C, which would mean France v Poland in the Ro16. The reigning champions should win that one – and then it’d be a clash against England.
As things stand (before the last round of group games): France or Argentina
Most likely opponent: France
Who England could play in the semi-finals
This is where everything gets a little bit convoluted and theoretical, but we’ll go there regardless.
Assuming England play and defeat Ecuador followed by France, the semi-finals could actually offer a more favourable match-up than the 2018 champions.
The winners of Group F and Group H would be most likely to clash in the quarter-finals. That would mean either Croatia, Morocco or Belgium versus Portugal or Uruguay.
RadioTimes.com predicts… Belgium look off the boil and are unlikely to win their group. That clears the path for Croatia to triumph in Group F, while Portugal should be expected to win Group H. If so, and if our other predictions come off, Croatia would face Japan in the Ro16 and Portugal would face a tricky clash against Switzerland, before meeting one another in the quarters for a hypothetical shot at England.
As things stand (before the last round of group games): Croatia or Portugal
Most likely opponent: Portugal
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Who England could play in the World Cup final
Easy as that, England reach the World Cup final with the scalps of Ecuador, France and Portugal firmly claimed. What next?
If Argentina manage to dig themselves out of a Group C hole to avoid France, we predict they will face Denmark followed by the Netherlands.
If Brazil win Group G, we predict they will face Uruguay followed by Spain – a very tough run.
If all of that happens, we’re on course for a show-stopping semi-final between Argentina and Brazil, and the winner of that one would play England in the World Cup final – if all else goes swimmingly…
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