England on the brink of World Cup knockout stage
England head into their second World Cup game against Ghana on Tuesday night in a dominant position to qualify from their group. The 4-2 victory over Croatia last week has presented the Three Lions with an opportunity to secure qualification for the knockout stage with a game to spare.
A win in Boston against Ghana, who themselves beat Panama 1-0 in their Group L opener, will be enough to see England book their place in the Round of 32. Victory over the West African side would not automatically guarantee England finish top of the group, however, with Thomas Tuchel’s men needing to wait until Croatia play Panama in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
How England can top the group
Top spot would be secured if Panama fail to beat Croatia in Toronto. For the first time since 1970, goal difference will no longer be used to separate sides who finish level on points in the group stage at the World Cup. Instead, the head-to-head record between teams will now be used as the first tiebreaker – which is why England will top the group if they beat Ghana and Panama drop points against Croatia.
What a draw or defeat means
A draw against Ghana would still leave England with some work to do in their final match against Panama on Saturday in order to mathematically qualify for the next round. In reality, a draw will likely be enough to see England qualify for the knockouts as one of the eight best third-place sides at a minimum, with the general consensus being that four points will see a team advance to the Round of 32.
Defeat for England would end their hopes of topping the group, although victory over Panama four days later would still see them qualify.
Resting players and schedule
Wrapping up qualification with a game to spare would give Tuchel the luxury of being able to rest players, should he choose to do so, against Panama at the weekend. Rotating the squad could be particularly beneficial given England’s World Cup campaign got off to a late start, owing to the fact the Three Lions are in Group L. As such, England’s condensed schedule could see them having to play six games in the space of 23 days should they reach the final on July 19.
Possible Round of 32 opponents
As group winners, England would enter the bottom half of the draw where they would play one of the third-placed sides from Groups E, H, I, J or K. This includes the likes of Ecuador, Senegal, Saudi Arabia and DR Congo, with the clash set for Atlanta on July 1 (5pm).
A second place finish in the group would see England play the runner up in Group K, which consists of Portugal, Colombia, DR Congo and Uzbekistan. The game would take place in Toronto on July 2 (12am). Finishing third in the group would mean England play the winner of Group K in Kansas City on July 4 (2.30am).
