The draw is done and the field is (nearly) set, so we opened the history books to find the most intriguing World Cup stats for the teams of 2022.
The draw for the 2022 World Cup is done. The field is largely set — three places remain up for grabs through playoffs, contested by Wales, Scotland, Ukraine, Peru, Australia, United Arab Emirates, Costa Rica and New Zealand. With 29 teams learning their opponents at Qatar 2022, let’s use numbers to break down some of the most intriguing matchups of the tournament, courtesy of ESPN Stats & Information. The United States men’s national team are unbeaten in two previous meetings against England, with the Americans and Three Lions contesting Group B along with Iran and the winner of the UEFA playoff of Wales vs. the rescheduled semifinal between Scotland and Ukraine. The last time the U.S. and England met was in the group stage of the 2010 World Cup, which finished in a 1-1 draw. The Americans also have a World Cup history with Iran. The U.S. fell 2-1 in the pair’s only tournament meeting, midway through a 1998 group stage in which the USMNT would lose all three games (2-0 to Germany,2-1 to Iran and 1-0 to Yugoslavia). The last time the U.S. met a group-stage opponent from the Asian Football Confederation was 2002, when they battled for a 1-1 draw with South Korea. — 2022 World Cup bracket and fixtures — Stream ESPN FC Daily on ESPN+ (U.S. only) — Don’t have ESPN? Get instant access Historically speaking, France have something of a mountain to climb: The past three defending champions have gone out in the group stage — Italy in 2010, Spain in 2014 and Germany in 2018.
