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England have managed to avoid the three teams that former Three Lions manager Gareth Southgate revealed he would not want to face in the World Cup group stage next summer.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino put on quite the show in Washington on Friday evening for the 2026 World Cup draw. It was a star-studded event with President Donald Trump in attendance, along with Hollywood and sporting names such as Kevin Hart, Tom Brady and Shaquille O’Neal.

After more than an hour of pre-show - which many fans complained was far too long - Thomas Tuchel finally learned who his England side would be facing in the group stage.

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The Three Lions will take on Croatia, Ghana and Panama next summer in Group L. It won’t be an easy start for England, but Tuchel may be relieved he wasn’t drawn against the three teams Southgate warned him about.

Speaking to Heart Breakfast via GiveMeSport, the former England boss said: “I think someone like Japan would be a very tough game.

“Colombia, who we played in 2018, but if you’re thinking about the amount of Colombians that will go to those games in the States or Mexico, what an atmosphere that will be.”

Regarding the third team, Southgate picked one of England’s closest neighbours. He added: “For England, I think we had a pretty good record against Scotland. But there’s always that thing that if you lose to Scotland that [Kenny] Dalglish and [Graeme] Souness and [Sir Alex] Ferguson will be going on about it for decades!”

Scotland were drawn in Group B with Brazil, Morocco and Haiti. As for Wales and Northern Ireland, they both still have a play-off semi-final and final to win if they want to qualify. Whoever progresses will join Group B with Canada, Qatar and Switzerland.

Ireland also need to win their play-off games to reach the World Cup next year. Should they qualify, they will enter Group A with Mexico, South Africa and South Korea.

Southgate also reflected on England’s famous victory over Colombia in the 2018 World Cup. The 1-1 draw couldn’t be settled in extra-time, so it went to penalties - not traditionally good news for England.

They had never won a World Cup penalty shootout before then. But with Jordan Pickford the hero and Eric Dier scoring the decisive penalty, England progressed to the quarter-finals.

The last time England faced Japan was in an international friendly in 2010. As for Scotland, the Three Lions last beat the Tartan Army 3-1 in a friendly in 2023, with the previous meeting being a forgettable 0-0 draw in the group stage at Euro 2020.

Group A: Mexico, South Africa, Korea Republic, Winner of Play-Off D

Group B: Canada, Winner of Play-Off A, Qatar, Switzerland

Group C: Brazil, Morocco, Haiti, Scotland

Group D: USA, Paraguay, Australia, Winner of Play-Off C

Group E: Germany, Curaçao, Cote d’Ivoire, Ecuador

Group F: Netherlands, Japan, Winner of Play-Off B, Tunisia

Group G: Belgium, Egypt, IR Iran, New Zealand

Group H: Spain, Cabo Verde, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay

Group I: France, Senegal, Winner of Play-Off 2, Norway

Group J: Argentina, Algeria, Austria, Jordan

Group K: Portugal, Winner of Play-Off 1, Uzbekistan, Colombia

Group L: England, Croatia, Ghana, Panama

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