England and Scotland could face each other at World Cup as easiest and nightmare groups revealed

England vs Scotland at the World Cup, anyone?

A repeat of their match at Euro 2020 would certainly whet the appetite of fans of both nations.

England and Scotland will soon find out their group stage opponents at next summer’s World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

The draw for the 2026 World Cup takes place in Washington DC on December 5 with both nations having already booked their spots at the showpiece tournament.

The Three Lions were handed a relatively straightforward task in qualifying from their group last time out in Qatar having drawn the USA, Iran and Wales.

Gareth Southgate‘s side topped Group B with seven points but it hasn’t always been a walk in the park in the World Cup group stage.

England were drawn in the ‘Group of Death’ at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil alongside Italy, Uruguay and Costa Rica.

And it was just a flying visit for the Three Lions as their World Cup hopes quickly went up in smoke, finishing bottom of the group.

Meanwhile, Scotland will play in their first World Cup since 1998 thanks to their stunning 4-2 win over Denmark at Hampden Park last week.

There is an air of confidence reverberating around the England camp under the gaze of Thomas Tuchel having secured a perfect 100 per cent record in qualifying.

But tougher tests await for Tuchel’s side in North America.

England are fourth in the FIFA rankings and will be one of four ranked teams to be seeded in pot one for the draw.

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They will be on the same side of the draw as either top seed Spain or second seed Argentina.

That means England will potentially avoid European champions Spain or world champions Argentina until the semi-finals.

Plus England would evade third-seed France until the final, assuming both sides win their groups.

Should they not top their qualifying groups then all protection would be removed for the knockout stages.

As per the rules of the draw, a maximum of two UEFA nations can be drawn into any one group.

When the four UEFA March play-off winners, with Wales, the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland all vying for a spot via this route, have been determined, they will be drawn into first available groups that don’t already have two European teams in it.

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And that could see Scotland of pot three paired with England.

However, that possibility will be removed if England draws a European opponent from pot two.

England’s best case scenario

Thomas Tuchel will hope his players come through the group stage unscathed and without any early banana skins.

For that to happen, England would benefit from drawing Australia from pot two and South Africa from pot three.

The group would conclude with a meeting with first time qualifiers Haiti.

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England’s worst possible group-stage draw

England could yet face another ‘Group of Death’ situation.

One scenario would see Tuchel and co drawn with Luis Diaz’s Colombia, who finished third behind Argentina and Ecuador in South American qualifying.

The addition of Egypt would also present an interesting challenge for England with the threat of Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah and Manchester City’s Omar Marmoush sure to test the Three Lions’ backline.

And finally 2006 world champions Italy who will be placed in pot four should they successfully come through their play-off in the spring.

Scotland’s best hope

Scotland could be handed a dream draw which would elevate their hopes of making it to the knockout rounds.

That scenario would include them facing joint hosts Canada from pot one, Australia from pot two and Ghana from pot four.

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Scotland’s worst possible group-stage draw

A ‘Group of death’ situation for Scotland would certainly look more daunting than England’s.

Steve Clarke‘s side could see themselves go head-to-head with holders Argentina led by captain and talisman Lionel Messi.

They could also face 2022 semi-finalists Morocco who are captained by the newly-crowned African Player of the Year Achraf Hakimi.

And finally, a clash with Gennaro Gattuso’s Italy who are yet to book their place at the tournament.

Kick-off times and the allocation of matches to stadiums will be announced on December 6, the day after the draw.

The allocation process will be designed to ensure the best possible conditions for all teams while, where possible, enabling fans all over the world to watch their teams play live across different time zones.

Organisers indicated on Friday there will be no movement of matches away from current host cities, despite US President Donald Trump threatening to relocate games.

As mentioned, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland are also vying for a spot in the expanded 48-team tournament.

They are all in the play-offs with Wales potentially meeting Northern Ireland in their final play-off. For that to happen, Wales would need to win at home to Bosnia-Herzegovina, while Northern Ireland would need to win away at Italy.

As for the Republic of Ireland, the first play-off hurdle sees them travel to Czechia. The winner of that tie will play either Denmark or North Macedonia in their play-off final.