By Eli Jordan
Later this month, the group stage of the FIFA World Cup takes place in Qatar. One of the groups that many eyes have been watching is Group B. The group consists of a few centuries old rivalries and a current world political opponent. England, Iran, The United States, and Iran are all slated to play each other in a round robin style tournament.
The week of Thanksgiving starts with a central time 7 A.M. start with England vs. Iran, which is followed with the USA taking on Wales at 1 P.M. But the big-name matchup for most Americans is on Friday, November 25th. The day is spearheaded with a Wales vs. Iran match at 4 A.M., but the day is headlined by a Revolutionary War matchup between England and the United States. The group is wrapped up the following Tuesday, the 29th, with Wales vs. England and Iran vs. USA. Both games take place at 2 P.M.
The top two teams in the group will advance to the single-game knockout portion of the World Cup. To get to the top two teams, a point system is followed to score the games. A win grants three points, a draw grants one, and a loss gives zero.
The FIFA ranking going into the stage has England as the clear favorite with them being the 5th ranked team. The USA is the second highest at 14th, followed by Wales at 19th, and Iran at 22nd. England should have a cake walk, but this USA team is one of the better US men’s national teams that have played in the Cup. The United States’ best result at the World Cup was in 1930, which was the inaugural run of the tournament, when they made it to the semifinals. So a run to win the Cup would be the United States’ first time holding the World Cup Trophy.
