FIFA WORLD CUP QATAR: ENGLAND VS IRAN

In addition to the political tension between Iran and its three Western group members, all four teams sit in the top 20 of the rankings, giving it the dreaded moniker of “Group of Death”.

• Who: England vs Iran, Group B
• Where: Khalifa International Stadium
• When: Monday, November 21 (6.30 pm local time, )
• Rankings: England (5), Iran (20)
• Head to head: The first match
• Last five matches: England LDDLL, Iran LWLWD

The first game of perhaps the most politically charged group pits England against Iran at the 40,000-capacity Khalifa International Stadium on Monday.

Given the historically fraught relations between the two countries, the only chance of the football teams facing off would have come in a global tournament and they managed to avoid each other until now.

England is the favorite to progress from the group based on their ranking, previous results, and tournament history. However, Gareth Southgate’s team has lost three and drawn three matches in their UEFA Nations League fixtures this summer that led to their relegation