'It's coming home!' - England fans thrilled after 'easy' World Cup draw as Thomas Tuchel's men aim to finally end 60 years of hurt

England will clash with Croatia in their opener, offering a chance for revenge after the painful 2018 semi-final loss. Also in the group are the Black Stars of Ghana, a talented side who promise a physical battle with lots of familiar players from the Premier League, and tournament minnows Panama, who England famously thrashed 6-1 in 2018. 

Elsewhere, Scotland were handed plum ties against five-times World Cup winners Brazil and 2022 semi-finalists Morocco, in a mouthwatering repeat of their 1998 draw, sparking a wave of anticipation and a challenge that manager Steve Clarke called "fantastic". The Scots have also been drawn against Haiti and face an uphill battle to progress to the knockout phase for the first time in their history, but England fans are very confident of easing into the business end of the tournament. 

Three Lions fans queued up to have their say after the group was confirmed and @Rees_wba posted to X, saying: "Easy as you like, it's coming home 🏆" 

Elsewhere, @5eanOConnor added: "Relatively easy group. Croatia might be the only stumbling block, but they aren’t the force they once were. It’s the knockout phase that counts."

And @sherratt1876 said: "Nine points. The question is, who will come 2nd in the group behind England."

The votes of confidence kept on coming as @ace_man2574 observed: "Good Group, not like other years where is easy on group stage and then Knockout we are unable to cope with the top teams due to pressure."

And @billielaing1 said: "We should top that group. Excited for next June."

After the draw in Washington DC, Tuchel told reporters: "It’s a difficult group, a difficult opener. Croatia and Ghana are two regulars in World Cups and are two proud and strong nations. Croatia were the highest-ranked team from pot two and Ghana is always full of talent and can always surprise and have a big history in World Cup football. And Panama will try to make the most in their underdog role. No one can be underestimated, everyone deserves the fullest respect and we can show that."

He added: "For me, I’ve only experienced group football in Champions League formats and the way to approach it was to always give it the biggest respect and to put all the focus into winning the group. It always seems difficult, like our group now, but we are confident and we will be well prepared when we arrive."

The draw is complete, but the specific match dates, venues, and kick-off times are being announced by FIFA in a special program on Saturday. The opening match will be on June 11th in Mexico City, and the final will be on July 19th in New Jersey. And it will be a very different tournament this time round as it will feature a new, expanded format with 48 teams and nations have been divided into 12 groups of four teams each. The top two teams from each group, along with the eight best third-placed teams, will advance to a new Round of 32 knockout stage. This increases the total matches from 64 to a whopping 104, and the champions this time round will play eight matches instead of seven.