England Could Land in Group of Death in Nightmare World Cup Draw
The draw for the World Cup will be held on December 5
England could find themselves in a World Cup 'Group of Death' after the projected pots for next summer's tournament were released.
The Three Lions are one of 42 teams to have already booked their place at the competition in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
They will be one of 16 European representatives, with four more places still up for grabs in March's play-offs.
The final two qualification spots will be determined by an inter-confederation play-off that will also be held in the spring.
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Although the full list of World Cup teams will not be confirmed for several months, the draw will take place on December 5.
With England now just weeks away from learning their potential opponents, fans have already started speculating about who they might face.
Assuming the higher-ranked countries qualify through the play-offs, a worst-case scenario could see them face Italy, Ecuador and Ghana.
Italy
Italy are one of the most successful countries in World Cup history with four titles, but they have not appeared at the tournament since 2014.
After finishing second in their qualifying group behind Norway, they now head into the play-offs.
Despite their recent struggles, Italy still have several world class players, including Gianluigi Donnarumma, Riccardo Calafiori and Sandro Tonali.
Their main weakness is in attack, with their top scorer during qualifying being Mateo Retegui, who plays his club football in the Saudi Pro League.
England have won the past two meetings between the sides, but Italy have come out on top at major tournaments, most recently in the Euro 2020 final.
Ecuador
Ecuador have qualified for their second consecutive World Cup and the fifth in their history.
They were hugely impressive during South American qualifying, finishing second in the group behind reigning world champions Argentina.
Their defensive record stood out in particular, as they only conceded two goals in 12 qualifiers under Sebastian Beccacece.
Chelsea's Moises Caicedo and PSG's Willian Pacho are their best players, while former West Ham and Everton striker Enner Valencia has also been in good form.
England and Ecuador have met competitively just once before, with the Three Lions winning 1-0 at the 2006 World Cup.
Ghana
Despite failing to qualify for next month's Africa Cup of Nations, Ghana will be at next summer's World Cup.
They impressed during qualifying, winning eight of their ten games and scoring 23 goals in the process.
With a forward line of Antoine Semenyo, Mohammed Kudus and Jordan Ayew, they have several attacking options with Premier League experience.
England and Ghana have only played once before, drawing 1-1 in an international friendly in 2011.
Topics: England, Football, Italy, Ecuador, Ghana, FIFA World Cup, Football World Cup
James Taylor