What the World Cup draw means for the USMNT

But the Americans certainly didn’t land the softest group for the quadrennial spectacle, which runs from Nov. 21 to Dec. 18. Although Group A includes a resurgent Netherlands team and African champion Senegal, the presence of Qatar — a first-time participant that received a top seed as the host nation — and Ecuador arguably makes that the weakest slate of teams. Group H isn’t particularly daunting, either, with talented but underachieving Portugal joined by an aging Uruguay team and underdogs South Korea and Ghana.

USMNT lands a tough but manageable group

Through three-quarters of the draw, the Americans — who were plucked from Pot 2 — could hardly have asked for a more favorable schedule. England is laden with talent but less imposing than fellow top seeds Brazil, Argentina, France and Spain. Considering Pot 3 could have served up Senegal or a Poland squad led by FIFA player of the year Robert Lewandowski, the Americans must have been pleased to see Iran land in Group B.

Pot 4 was where things got dicey: The Americans’ group drew the winner of the final European playoff, which was delayed to June because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Waleswhich already defeated Austria in its playoff semifinal, will face Scotland or Ukraine for the final spot in Group B. None of these teams are contenders; Wales hasn’t been to the World Cup since 1958, Scotland hasn’t won a game in the tournament since 1990, and Ukraine has been to just one World Cup, in 2006. But with all three squads ranked in FIFA’s top 40, they represented some of Pot 4′s toughest options.

There’s also some intriguing recent history to keep in mind: Although the United States has never faced Wales, Scotland or Ukraine on soccer’s grandest stage, the Americans lost to Iran, 2-1, in the 1998 group stage and tied England, 1-1, in the teams’ 2010 opener.

How does the USMNT shape up?

Before the United States failed to qualify for the 2018 tournament, the Americans had advanced out of the group stage in three of their previous four World Cups. With an unprecedented glut of young stars playing for some of Europe’s top teams, the 15th-ranked U.S. squad should be favored to advance again to the round of 16, where it would face a team from Group A for a chance to reach the quarterfinals for the first time since 2002.

That run ended when the Americans largely outplayed eventual runner-up Germany but fell, 1-0, on Michael Ballack’s first-half strike. Before that, you have to go all the way back to the first World Cup in 1930 — when the Americans were routed, 6-1, by Argentina in the semifinals — to find a U.S. run past the round of 16.

When U.S. Coach Gregg Berhalter — a defender on that 2002 World Cup squad — picks his roster for Qatar, he will have a wealth of enticing options to choose from. The goalkeeping corps includes Manchester City backup Zack Steffen and incoming Arsenal shot-stopper Matt Turner. Sergiño Dest, an attack-minded right back, roams the flank for Spanish heavyweight Barcelona. Midfielders Tyler Adams (Germany’s RB Leipzig), Weston McKennie (Italy’s Juventus) and Yunas Musah (Spain’s Valencia) also log regular minutes in top European leagues. And Gio Reyna, a crafty 19-year-old playmaker for Germany’s Borussia Dortmund, is healthy again after missing most of qualifying with a hamstring injury.

But the U.S. fortunes largely will rest on the shoulders of 23-year-old Christian Pulisic, a menacing attacking threat who signed with Chelsea for a $73 million transfer fee in 2019 — a record for an American — and went on to help the English Premier League side win the 2020-21 UEFA Champions League. After a then-teenage Pulisic tried and failed to carry the United States to the 2018 tournament, the Hershey, Pa., native finally will get his chance to shine on the World Cup stage.

England finds itself in the midst of a golden generation, having advanced to the 2018 World Cup semifinals and the European Championship final last summer. For a nation that lifted the 1966 World Cup on home soil but has mostly underachieved since, the Three Lions’ newfound optimism stems from a roster featuring decorated Tottenham striker Harry Kane, dynamic Manchester City winger Raheem Sterling and such promising attackers as Mason Mount, Phil Foden and Jack Grealish.

Although Iran enjoyed a dominant qualifying campaign in Asia, going 8-1-1 to win a group that included World Cup regular South Korea, the Middle Eastern nation has never gotten out of the first round. If the Iranians want to beat the odds and escape Group B, they will need to lean on forward Sardar Azmoun, who was a prolific scorer for Russia’s Zenit Saint Petersburg before he moved to Germany’s Bayer Leverkusen this winter.

Washington Post stuff illustrations with photos by Julio Cortez/AP, Orlando Ramirez/USA TODAY, Dylan Martinez/REUTERS, Farshad Abbasi/AFP, Vincent Mignott/EPA-EFE, John Raoux/AP, Eric Gay/AP and Eduardo Verdugo/AP.