World Cup draw: group-by-group analysis for Qatar 2022

South Africa in 2010 were the only World Cup hosts to fail to make it through the group stage. Assessing the form of hosts, who have not had to play in qualifiers, is never easy but Qatar’s string of heavy defeats by Portugal, Ireland and Serbia last autumn, followed by a draw against Azerbaijan raises concerns. They did, though, win the Asian Cup under their Spanish coach, Félix Sánchez, in 2019.

They will begin the tournament against Ecuador, who reached their fourth World Cup despite losing six of 18 qualifiers.

The best side in the group are probably the Netherlands, after they were dragged from the roiling crisis of the past seven years by the reappointment of Louis van Gaal, who led them to third in Brazil in 2014.

Aliou Cissé’s well-organised and physically imposing Senegal are the African champions despite at times struggling to score the goals their attacking talent suggests they might.

Semi-finalists at the last World Cup, finalists at the Euros, can England go a step further and win a tournament for the first time since 1966? Certainly they should have the squad for it and in Gareth Southgate they have a clear-sighted, sober leader who has shown how a supportive environment can be created; the doubt is whether he is quick enough to react tactically when games begin to slip away from his side.

The USA may be one of the less threatening of the second pot of seeds, but England have failed to beat them in two previous World Cup meetings.

Iran add an element of political intrigue, and beat the USA in 1998. Their Croatian coach, Dragan Skocic, has made them solid rather than spectacular, 10 games in the third qualifying phase yielding only 15 goals for and four against.

Scotland, Wales or Ukraine will make up the