World Cup 2018 draw: Why England have got very lucky - Gavin Hamilton
ENGLAND have been very fortuitous with their draw for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, according to the editor of World Soccer Magazine Gavin Hamilton.
England have been drawn alongside Belgium, Tunisia and Panama in Group G.
The Three Lions will start their campaign against Tunisia and end the group versus a Belgium side packed full of Premier League stars.
Hamilton believes the match-up with Panama will be straightforward for Gareth Southgate’s side and says they have drawn two of the worst teams at the tournament.
“The sequence is good, Belgium the final game,” Hamilton told Sky Sports News.
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To have two of them in the group is very fortuitous for England
“Panama and Tunisia are arguably two of the weakest teams in the entire 32, so to have two of them in the group is very fortuitous for England.
“Panama are debutants, they were very luck to scrape in as the final team from the CONCACAF region.
“They edged USA out with a very lucky goal in their final game, a goal where the ball didn’t actually cross the line but it was given as a goal and gave them a 2-1 victory over Costa Rica.
“They scraped into the World Cup, they weren’t expected to qualify.
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“Most of the players are based in central America, some of them in some South American leagues, a couple in North America in Major League Soccer.
“Very little experience of playing in Europe so for them the experience of playing in the World Cup is the most important thing.
“They won’t be able to progress beyond the group stage so it’s a very easy game for England, potentially.”
