The 2022 World Cup is here, and that means soccer fans' attention will be turned to Qatar for the next two months.
First up on the menu is group stage action – with eight groups of four teams each playing a round-robin to determ ine which two teams will advance to the knockout stage.
American fans will, of course, be focusing most closely on Group B action, which features the following four teams. We've also gone ahead and ranked them by FanDuel Sportsbook's World Cup odds for each team to win the group.
World Cup Group B Teams and Odds
- England (-250)
- Wales (+550)
- United States (+550)
- Iran (+1900)
These odds paint a pretty interesting picture for the group. While it really does appear to be England's to lose, that second spot in the knockout stage is firmly up for grabs, as both the USA and Wales share the same odds to win the group.
World Cup Group B Schedule
- England vs. Iran (8:00 a.m. ET)
- United States vs Wales (2:00 p.m. ET)
- Wales vs. Iran (5:00 a.m. ET)
- England vs. United States (2:00 p.m. ET)
- Iran vs. United States (2:00 p.m. ET)
- Wales vs England (2:00 p.m. ET)
World Cup Group B Prediction
US Men's National Team fans were largely disappointed with the announcemet of the World Cup roster, and I'm afraid that disappointment could become a common theme through the tournament.
England is no stranger to disappointing on the international stage, but it's hard not to like them to come out as the winner of Group B, possibly even with an undefeated record. This is an exciting young team, with Phil Foden, Jude Bellingham, Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka all promising to play huge roles at 23-years-old or younger. The experienced Harry Kane should provide the veteran leadership th at this young group needs to gel.
That leaves who will come out as the No. 2 team in Group B. We can pretty safely remove Iran from the conversation, as they are -430 favorites to make a Group Stage exit.
This situation adds a massive amount of intrigue to the USA's first match of the tournament, as they'll kick things off against Wales on Monday. There's room for the loser of this game to still climb back into the top two, but there's a very good chance that this game ends up deciding who joins England in the knockout stage.
Even at 34 years old, Gareth Bale will give Christian Pulisic a run for his money as the best player on the pitch in that mat chup. Unfortunately it takes more than one player, and the depth of the United States' 'golden generation' should carry them to an appearance in the knockout stage.
Group B Standings Prediction:
- England (3-0)
- United States (2-1)
- Wales (1-2)
- Iran (0-3)