At the 40,000-capacity Khalifa International Stadium on Monday, England will take on Iran in the first game of perhaps the most politically charged group also comprising the United States of America (USA) and Wales as members. England and Iran have a historically fraught relationship and the only chance of the football teams facing off would have come in a global tournament and they managed to avoid each other until now. In addition to the political tension between Iran and its three Western group members, all four teams sit in the top 20 of the rankings, giving it the dreaded moniker of “Group of Death”.  

Considering their ranking, past performances, and tournament history, England is considered the group's favorite to advance. The UEFA Nations League games played by Gareth Southgate's team this summer resulted in three losses and three draws, which resulted in their relegation. Southgate has named a strong 26-man squad for the World Cup, and will hope his top performers from last year’s Euro run will make a comeback to their best form. Captain Harry Kane will lead the attack with the likes of Phil Foden, Raheem Sterling, and Bukayo Saka. Jordan Henderson, Jude Bellingham, and Mason Mount also make up for a strong midfield. However, England’s problems have been in defense where Southgate has been unable to stop them from leaking goals. Iran will look to exploit this weakness with star striker Mehdi Taremi at the front of the attack, supported by Sardar Azmoun and Alireza Jahanbakhsh. 

Carlos Queiroz, a Portuguese coach in Iran, will try to stifle the English offensive talent by using his defensive-heavy strategies. With victories over Lebanon and Uruguay in recent friendlies, Iran has had a respectable run of results. During the second stage of their World Cup campaign, Iran won eight of their 10 games and topped their group ahead of South Korea. Iran will hope to come away from their opening encounter with at least a point. And with the out-of-form USA and closely ranked Wales being the other two teams in the group, Queiroz’s team will have a chance of pulling off an upset and qualifying for the knockout round at the World Cup for the first time.