The United States will face England and Iran in Group B at the World Cup finals while Spain will take on Germany in a clash of former winners in Group E. “Always exciting to see who we get in the group! Playing on the opening day will be incredible as well,” Harry Kane wrote on Twitter.

Holders France will meet Denmark and Tunisia in Group D while the tournament will kick off on November 21 with hosts Qatar playing Ecuador. For the US, the draw pits them against their former colonial rulers England and the Iranians, a country they have had long-running political disputes with.

The US faced Iran at the 1998 World Cup in France, losing 2-1 to the Gulf nation. Group G was one of the toughest, pitting five-time World Cup winners Brazil against Serbia, Switzerland and Cameroon.

In Group C, two-time World Cup champions Argentina will face Saudi Arabia, Mexico and Poland. That means there will be a showdown between Ballon d’Or rivals Argentine captain Lionel Messi and Poland’s super marksman Robert Lewandowski.

“This is a very interesting group. We are humble, but we are not afraid of anyone. We will fly to Qatar without complexes and ready to fight. Be with us,” Cezary Kulesza, Polish FA president, wrote on Twitter.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal are in Group H with Ghana Uruguay and South Korea. The draw came after a 45 minute musical and video show as Fifa president Gianni Infantino promised the event would “simply be the best tournament ever”.

Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani welcomed the guests who included national team coaches, World Cup-winning players and football officials all waiting to discover the group stage match-ups during a ceremony presented by British actor Idris Elba and broadcaster Reshmin Chowdhury.

The tournament will run from November 21 to December 18.

Lack of friendlies

Brazil are the bookmakers’ favourites but their lack of friendlies against European oppositions over the last four years perturbs coach Tite, who fears it could cost them in Qatar. They are unquestionably the best side in South America along with Argentina, having recorded a record 45 points in the qualifiers and going unbeaten in all 17 matches.

But without game-time against teams such as France, Spain, England and Germany, Tite admitted there was a question mark over just how good Brazil really are.

“We don’t have these encounters so there’s a doubt,” he said. In the four years between the last two World Cups, Brazil faced eight European teams including holders Germany, hosts Russia and eventual winners France.

However, in the four years since Belgium knocked them out at the quarter-final stage in Russia, they have only once met a team from Europe, beating the Czech Republic 3-1 in a March 2019 friendly.