What's England’s route to World Cup final at Qatar 2022? When could Gareth Southgate's side meet France, Spain & Brazil?

Updated 04/12/2022 at 23:06 GMT

Like many of us, we bet you've found yourself occasionally daydreaming about Harry Kane lifting the World Cup trophy on December 18. After getting through their group without too much bother, only four matches now stand between England and glory in Qatar, so how might the tournament unfold for Gareth Southgate’s trio of brave lions?

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England are three games from winning the World Cup. THREE!

Sure they might be - if the draw sends through the toughest teams - three of the hardest matches Gareth Southgate's side have ever played back-to-back.

But it wouldn’t be a World Cup without trying to jump aboard the hype train and belting out Three Lions in the shower every morning.

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And with that in mind, we're asking a question that will no doubt backfire. Suppose England win it...what would their path to glory look like?

Quarter-finals

This is where it starts to get spicy, England will meet France in the quarter-finals on Saturday December 10.

Kyle Walker vs Kylian Mbappe. Harry Kane vs Hugo Lloris. Jude Bellingham vs Aurelien Tchouameni. Mouth-watering battles all over the pitch, and it looks like being one of the matches of the tournament.

Beating France would give England the confidence to go all the way, wouldn't it...?

Semi-finals

Who’s getting excited? England are just TWO games away from winning the World Cup, albeit in our fictional universe. But still, TWO games.

Obviously we’re now deep into the land of speculation, but England - based on the current landscape - should expect to meet either Spain or Portugal in the last four on December 14.

Portugal need to beat an impressive Swiss side to reach the quarters, and Spain need to see off Morocco if they want to meet their Iberian neighbours. It's anyone's guess who would win that resulting encounter, but no doubt it will be supremely entertaining with the quality of players - Bernardo Silva, Pedri, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ruben Dias, Gavi, Bruno Fernandes to name but six - on the pitch.

Gareth Southgate, Head Coach of England and Steve Holland, Assistant Coach lead the bench in singing the national anthem prior to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group B match between Wales and England at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium on November 29, 2022 in Doha.

Image credit: Getty Images

The final

Gareth Southgate, a master key to every heart in a nation, is now just one win away. And England will get a tough examination, should they make it, in the final showdown on December 18 at the Lusail Iconic Stadium.

The Three Lions can expect to face Brazil or Leo Messi's Argentina. Perhaps even the Netherlands, as an outside shout.

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England's predicted path to World Cup glory

Round	Opponent	Date	Time	Stadium
Quarter-finals	France	December 10	19:00	Al Bayt Stadium
Semi-finals	Spain/Portugal	December 14	19:00	Al Bayt Stadium
Final	Argentina/Brazil	December 18	15:00	Lusail Iconic Stadium