England World Cup 2022 fixtures: Kick-off times, route to final, and latest injury news for Qatar

England made a winning start to their 2022 World Cup campaign with an emphatic 6-2 win over Iran.

Bukayo Saka scored twice in his first major tournament appearance since missing his spot-kick in last year's European Championship final defeat to Italy while Marcus Rashford, who has not represented the national team at all since missing his attempt in that shootout, scored within minutes of coming on in a thumping victory that Jude Bellingham, Raheem Sterling and Jack Grealish also scored in.

Having finished runners-up at last summer's Euros and reached the semi-finals in Russia four years ago, England are among the favourites to triumph in Qatar.

The 2022 World Cup kicked off on Sunday, with hosts Qatar losing 2-0 to Ecuador in the tournament's opening fixture, while Wales got under way on Monday, with Rob Page's side drawing 1-1 with the USA.

Group stage fixtures

All times in GMT

England 6 Iran 2 - November 21

USA 1 Wales 1: November 21

Wales vs Iran: Friday November 25, 10am (GMT), 1pm local time, 5am (ET) (Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan)

England vs USA: Friday November 25, 7pm (GMT), 10pm local time, 2pm (ET) (Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor), 

Iran vs USA: Tuesday November 29, 7pm (GMT), 10pm local time, 2pm (ET) (Al Thumama Stadium, Doha)

Wales vs England: Tuesday November 29, 7pm (GMT), 10pm local time, 2pm (ET) (Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan)

Latest England news from Qatar

By Matt Law

England are optimistic that captain Harry Kane has not suffered any damage to his ankle after the striker underwent a scan and took part in training.

Manager Gareth Southgate must still decide whether or not to start Kane against the United States on Friday. But the news on his injury was treated as encouraging inside the England camp, with goalkeeper Jordan Pickford confirming the striker had trained on Wednesday.

“I think he (Kane) is good, a little bit sore but he is fine and he’s out on the grass today with is,” said Pickford. “He is our captain, he has been good. He is fine, yeah.”

Kane was sent for a scan after undergoing a heavy challenge in the victory over Iran, which both the player and Southgate were unconcerned about on Monday night.

The FA said that Kane took part in an indoor recovery session on Tuesday and it remains unclear whether or not the scan was booked as a precaution or because he felt any additional discomfort.

Even though he did not get on the scoresheet in the 6-2 victory over Iran, Kane still performed excellently and registered two assists.

England's Group B opponents

Wales reached the World Cup finals in dramatic style via the qualifying play-offs, after beating an impassioned Ukraine side in Cardiff in June. Victory for Wales' talent-studded golden generation booked them a trip to the nation's second ever World Cup finals – their first since 1958.

USA also make their return to the tournament after an absence, albeit a less protracted one. After failing to make it to Russia in 2018, USA came third in Concacaf qualifiers to secure their place in Qatar. More so than ever, team players will be familiar to Premier League fans, due to the league's recent influx of American players, including Tyler Adams and Brenden Aaronson at Leeds, Antonee Robinson at Fulham, and USA captain Christian Pulisic, who plays for Chelsea.

Whilst Wales and the USA could cause group upset and jostle for runners-up spot, Iran are the underdogs of Group B. Although a Fifa ranking of 22 suggests they are by no means one of the weakest sides in the competition statistically, preparations have been marred by infighting while head coach Dragan Skocic has been replaced by former manager Carlos Queiroz, who oversaw the team's group stage knock-out in Russia.

World Cup schedule

If England win Group B

The winners of Group B will play the runners-up of Group A – Qatar, Holland, Ecuador and Senegal – with the Afcon winners their most likely opponents.

France are favourites to win Group D, over Denmark, Tunisia and Australia, and would face the Group C runner-up out of Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Mexico or Poland to win the chance to face England in the quarter-finals, should Southgate's men make it out of the last-16 knock-out round.

If England reached the semi-finals, they could meet either Belgium or Portugal, strong contenders in Group F and H, and a potential final could see England meet Spain, Brazil, or Germany.

If England finish as runners-up in Group B

This would set up a clash between the winner of Group A, and if England were to beat Holland, they could face Argentina or Denmark in the quarter-finals.

In this scenario, should England make it to the semi-finals, their opponents might be one of either Spain, Germany, or Brazil, the cream of the crop from Groups E and G, to set up a possible final against France, Belgium, or Portugal in Lusail.

Quarter-final dates

The first two quarter-finals will take place on Friday, December 9, at 3pm and 7pm, and will be played at Education City Stadium and Lusail Iconic Stadium. The remaining quarter-finals are on Saturday, December 10, at 3pm and 7pm, and will be played at Al Thumama Stadium and Al Bayt Stadium.

Semi-final dates

The semi-finals will take place on Tuesday, December 13 and Wednesday, December 14, at Lusail Iconic Stadium and Al Bayt Stadium, with both matches taking place at 7pm.

Final

The World Cup final will take place on Sunday, December 18 at 3pm at Lusail Iconic Stadium.

Who is in the England squad?

Southgate has named a 26-man squad for the tournament, including call-ups for James Maddison and Conor Gallagher.