England's wait for a major trophy has now stretched into its 60th year. Six decades have come and gone since Bobby Charlton hoisted the Jules Rimet trophy above his head in front of a packed-out Wembley Stadium following a 4-2 victory over West Germany in the 1966 World Cup final. Nobody inside the stadium that day could have imagined the despair England fans would feel in the years since, and even fewer would have imagined turning to a German to save the day. But that is where England find themselves, with the hopes of a nation resting on Thomas Tuchel and his players' shoulders.
As well as getting the best out of the squad, Tuchel will be hoping luck is on his side, and in a World Cup, that can often come in the form of how the bracket plays out. There is a chance that finishing second gives England a better chance of making the final in New Jersey on July 19.
Granted, it would require all of the big nations to win their group as expected, but the most likely route for England if they won the group would be:
- Round of 32: 3rd place team from Group E, H, I, J or K
- Round of 16: Mexico (in Mexico City)
- Quarter-final: Brazil
- Semi-final: Argentina
- Final: France or Spain
One of the benefits is certainly getting one of the third-place finishers in the round of 32, but a knockout game against Mexico at the Azteca Stadium is about as banana skin as it comes. Not least because a victory in that game could mean five-time champions Brazil in Miami, which will likely feel like playing against the home nation, such is their support in Florida.
If they were to finish second though, it could look something like this:
- Round of 32: Runner-up in Group K (Portugal, Colombia, Uzbekistan, DR Congo)
- Round of 16: Spain
- Quarter-final: USA or Belgium
- Semi-final: France, Germany, or Netherlands
- Final: Argentina, Brazil, or Portugal
There are pros and cons to each route, with the second-place finish most likely meaning a round-of-16 clash against European champions Spain. But after that, the quarter-final tie looks much more appetising, and then you are in the semi-finals where anything can happen.
The manager and the players will say you have to beat the best to be the best, but there have certainly been World Cup winners in the past who have enjoyed more favourable paths to glory. Will that be the case for Tuchel and co. this time around?
