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  "path": "/2026/06/06/englands-possible-routes-world-cup-final-2026-dates-kick-off-times-28416999/",
  "publishedAt": "2026-06-06T18:00:00.000Z",
  "site": "https://metro.co.uk",
  "tags": [
    "Football",
    "Sport",
    "Argentina football team",
    "Brazil football team",
    "England men's football team",
    "France football team",
    "Spain football team",
    "World Cup",
    "England",
    "first time since 1966",
    "Thomas Tuchel",
    "Sign up here",
    "final at the MetLife Stadium",
    "Senegal",
    "Portugal",
    "Cristiano Ronaldo",
    "Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google\nAdd as preferred source"
  ],
  "textContent": "Thomas Tuchel is hoping to mastermind England to World Cup glory (Picture: Getty)\n\nEngland will be looking to win the World Cup for the first time since 1966 with preparations well underway for their group stage opener against Croatia on June 17.\n\nThomas Tuchel’s men have further Group L games against Ghana and Panama on the horizon in what, on paper at least, seems a favourable draw.\n\nBut should England progress as group winners, as expected, their potential run through the knockout stages is anything but straightforward.\n\nEngland topping the group could see them facing the daunting prospect of playing Mexico, in Mexico City, in their second knockout match, before turning their attention to a possible mouthwatering quarter-final with Brazil.\n\n##  All the World Cup action\n\nGet everything you need to know about the World Cup – England updates, the games to watch and stories you missed – in five minutes, at 1pm, every day. Sign up here.\n\nWhilst plotting a team’s course through the knockout rounds of a major tournament is unpredictable by its very nature, such an undertaking can give a sense of the quality of opponents England will need to overcome if they are to contest the final at the MetLife Stadium on July 19.\n\n## Round of 32\n\n**As group winners:** England would enter the bottom half of the draw in the event they win their group. One of the third-placed sides from Groups E, H, I, J or K would await in Atlanta on July 1 (5pm), with **Ecuador** , **Senegal** , **Saudi Arabia** , **Algeria** and **DR Congo** all possible opponents.\n\nEngland played Senegal at the last World Cup – and they could meet again this time around (Picture: Getty)\n\n**As group runner-up:** The Three Lions would enter the top half of the draw with a second-placed finish. A trip to Toronto – their only Canadian game of the tournament in this eventuality – would be on the cards, where they would play the runner-up of Group K. That would potentially be **Colombia** on July 2 (12am).\n\n**As third-placed team:** England would remain in the bottom half if they slip to third in the group. A date with the Group K winner, most likely **Portugal** , would be set for July 4 (2.30am) in Kansas City.\n\n## Round of 16\n\n**As group winners:** This is where it starts to get tricky. Victory in the Round of 32 would see England head to Mexico City to play at the iconic Estadio Azteca on July 5 (1am), where they could possibly play against Group A winners **Mexico** , in what would essentially be an away game.\n\n**As group runner-up** : A repeat of the Euro 2024 final could be played out in Dallas on July 6 (8pm), with potential Group H winners **Spain** looking the likeliest bet.\n\n**As third-placed team:** England would pack their bags for Vancouver for a July 7 (9pm) clash with projected Group B winner **Switzerland** , in what could actually represent the easiest Round of 16 tie for Tuchel and his side.\n\n## Quarter-final\n\n**As group winners:** A showdown with Carlo Ancelotti’s **Brazil** could await on July 11 (10pm) in Miami. This would be a repeat of the 2002 quarter-final, which England infamously lost 2-1 courtesy of a Ronaldinho free-kick.\n\n**As group runner-up:** Assuming England beat probable Round of 16 opponents Spain, they would be rewarded with an easier-looking quarter-final match against potentially **Belgium** or the **United States**. A meeting with the hosts in Los Angeles, on July 10 (8pm), would be a particular spectacle.\n\n**As third-placed team:** Another South American heavyweight could be lurking in the last eight, in the form of world champions **Argentina**. Kansas City would play host to the match between the fierce rivals on July 11 (10pm).\n\nEngland could play Brazil in the last eight (Picture: Getty)\n\n## Semi-final\n\n**As group winners:** England would return to Atlanta, the location of their Round of 32 match, for a possible semi-final tussle with Lionel Messi’s **Argentina** on July 15 (8pm). Alternatively, Cristiano Ronaldo’s **Portugal** could lie ahead, should the former Real Madrid star help guide his team past Argentina.\n\n**As group runner-up:** **France,** in Dallas on July 14 (8pm), are potential opponents in this scenario. Should a date with Les Bleus not materialise, **Germany** or **Netherlands** could meet England instead in the final four.\n\n**As third-placed team:** England’s most likely opponents would be **Brazil** , scheduled for July 15 (8pm) in Atlanta. This could come off the back of having faced Argentina in the quarter-finals.\n\n## Final\n\n**As group winners:** **Spain** or **France** – take your pick – could stand in the way of England winning their second World Cup and ending their 60 years of pain. The final will take place in New York on July 19, with kick-off at 8pm.\n\n**As group runner-up:** **Brazil** or **Argentina** could be waiting for England in the final in this eventuality.\n\n**As third-placed team:** The scenario is the same as England winning their group – **Spain** or **France** could await at the MetLife Stadium.\n\nPOLL\n\nPoll\n\n### Will England win the World Cup?\n\n  * Yes - the wait will finally be over!Check\n\n  * No - it will be yet more disappointment!Check\n\n\n\n\nComment now Comments \nAdd Metro as a Preferred Source on Google\nAdd as preferred source\n",
  "title": "England’s possible routes to the World Cup final with dates and kick-off times"
}