England will be confirmed as winners of Group L if they beat Panama in New Jersey tonight. Finishing top of the group would see them play against one of the third-placed sides from Groups E, I, J or K in the first round of the World Cup knockout stages. In that eventuality, the Round of 32 clash would almost certainly be against one of Ecuador, Senegal, Austria, Algeria or DR Congo. The match would take place in Atlanta on Wednesday, June 1, with kick-off at 5pm BST.
Confirmed third-placed teams
Ecuador and Senegal have been confirmed as the third place sides in Groups E and I respectively. Austria will play Algeria at 3am on Sunday in Group J, with the loser ending up in third. If the match ends as a draw, Algeria will finish third in the group. Group K’s matches will take place at 12.30am on Sunday, with DR Congo playing Uzbekistan. DR Congo will finish third in the group with a win. A draw will not be enough for the African side to qualify as one of the eight best third place teams. Uzbekistan can mathematically still advance as one of the eight best sides but need to beat DR Congo by at least six goals to stand any chance of extending their stay in the tournament.
Other scenarios for England
Portugal, who play current Group K leaders Colombia at the same time, could also end up in third if they lose and a six goal swing takes place with DR Congo. Finishing second in the group, meanwhile, will see England play the runner-up in Group K, which will almost certainly be either Colombia or Portugal. The match would be held in Toronto on Thursday, July 2 at 12am. Finishing third, meanwhile, will mean England playing the winner of Group K – either Colombia or Portugal – in Kansas City on Saturday, July 4 at 2.30am. The South Americans will finish ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo’s side if they pick up at least a point in their group game tonight.
England already through
England’s spot in the knockout stages is already secure before this evening’s match, with results overnight having confirmed Thomas Tuchel’s men as one of the eight best third-placed teams as a minimum without even kicking a ball against Panama.
