The current average ranking in Group B is 15, making this the strongest group in the entire Qatar World Cup. Despite this strength, England are still the major favourites to win the group. But will it be Wales or the USA, or even Iran that follows them through to the Round of 16?
With only three goals to go, will Harry Kane overtake Wayne Rooney as England’s highest international goals scorer – can he do it in the opening match against Iran?
Read on to inform your World Cup 2022 predictions.
World Cup 2022 Insights: Group B preview
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World Cup 2022: Group B projected points
|
Team |
Pinnacle projected points |
|
England |
6.5 |
|
Wales |
3.5 |
|
USA |
3.5 |
|
Iran |
2.5 |
World Cup 2022: Group B schedule
All times listed are CET (Central European Time).
November 21, 14:00: England vs. Iran
November 21, 20:00: USA vs. Wales
November 25, 11:00: Wales vs. Iran
November 25, 20:00: England vs. USA
November 29, 20:00: Wales vs. England
November 29, 20:00: Iran vs. USA
Team Analysis
England
Manager: Gareth Southgate
Key Player: Harry Kane
FIFA World Ranking (at time of writing): 5th
Recent performances: Euro 2020 – Runners-up, World Cup 2018 – Semi-finals
Odds to win Group B: 1.400 (-250)*
Odds to win World Cup 2022: 8.100 (+710)*
This group is very much England’s group to lose. Strong favourites to win the World Cup at 8.100 (+710)*, Southgate’s men should comfortably cruise through to the Round of 16.
England will look to make a strong statement early on
A stellar performance in the 2018 World Cup – powered by Golden Boot winner Harry Kane – and a narrow loss on penalties in the 2020 European Championships have proven that England could be on the verge of a big tournament win.
However, recent performances in the Nations League also prove how easily England can slip and both Wales and USA are teams capable of capitalising should they slip in Qatar. England will look to make a strong statement in their opening game against Iran.
With an attacking 4-3-3 formation, England will look to hit Iran hard – Pinnacle’s odds of 2.300 (+130)* for England winning and scoring more than two goals in that match is good value.
Wales
Manager: Robert Page
Key Player: Gareth Bale
FIFA World Ranking (at time of writing): 19th
Recent performances: 2018 World Cup – Did not qualify, Euro 2020 – Round of 16
Odds to win Group B: 6.800 (+580)*
Odds to win World Cup 2022: 153.160 (+15216)*
Wales have only appeared in a single World Cup and that was back in 1958. They were also quite late to the World Cup party, only qualifying in June after their final playoff match against Ukraine was postponed.
While Wales do have a history of punching well above their weight, their record against the USA is 1-0 and they’ve only won 14 from 103 games against England. The Wales vs. Iran fixture will be a world first.
Pinnacle’s odds for Wales to advance from the Group Stage of 1.970 (-103)* shows they have some promise of success. They won’t be the best in this group, but matches against the USA and Iran are certainly winnable.
USA
Manager: Gregg Berhalter
Key Player: Christian Pulisic
FIFA World Ranking (at time of writing): 14th
Recent performances: 2018 World Cup – Did not qualify, 2021 Gold Cup - Winners
Odds to win Group B: 6.400 (+540)*
Odds to win World Cup 2022: 151.000 (+15000)*
The USA team have performed very well over the past two years – winning 25 matches while only losing five times. However, the USA almost didn’t qualify for World Cup 2022, only narrowly edging out Costa Rica on goal difference.
In what could be an advantage or a weakness, the USA are the youngest team in the World Cup with an average age of 23.82 – the average age of the other 31 teams together is 27.5. That youth can be counted on to provide outstanding performances but also potential mishaps.
A hungry and youthful USA squad is something to be feared and at odds of 5.070 (+407)*, backing them to upset England on November 25 holds value. Star striker Christian Pulisic has notched Champions League goals already this season and belted a hat-trick in the USA’s victory over Panama this March.
Iran
Manager: Carlos Queiroz
Key Player: Sardar Azmoun
FIFA World Ranking (at time of writing): 22nd
Recent performances: 2018 World Cup – Did not qualify, 2019 AFC Asian Cup – Third
Odds to win Group B: 13.000 (+1200)*
Odds to win World Cup 2022: 508.250 (+50725)*
In five attempts, Iran has never made it past the group stage of a World Cup. In fact, the Middle Eastern side has only ever won two games in the World Cup.
Bayer Leverkusen striker Sardar Azmoun is Iran’s strongest player with 40 international goals from only 62 games. Ehsan Hajsaft will once again lead the side. Iran will look to set the world on fire with an upset against England in the opening round. They’ll need to focus on their counter-attacking to do so but will likely fall short.
Pinnacle’s odds of 2.380 (+138)* on Iran scoring at least one goal against England are of great value in a potentially high-scoring affair that could see Iran find the net in a successful counter-attack.
Don't forget to read our previews for the other World Cup 2022 groups: Group A, Group C, Group D, Group E, Group F, Group G, and Group H.
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