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2022 FIFA World Cup Group B

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Group B of the 2022 FIFA World Cup took place from 21 to 29 November 2022. The group consisted of national association football teams from England, Iran, the United States and Wales. Both England and the United States progressed to the round of 16 undefeated. England won the group, winning two games and drawing the other, while the United States won one game and drew the other two. Iran finished the group third, having won a game, with Wales finishing fourth with a single point.

Initially noted for unusually containing four teams all ranked in the top 20 at the time of the tournament, as well as two teams within the same sovereign state and other geopolitical conflicts, various incidents relating to Qatar's ban on LGBTQ+ symbols affected the games on the first match day.

Teams

The teams were decided by the World Cup draw that took place on 1 April 2022.[1] The group was set to receive one team from each pot, which sorted all World Cup teams by position on the FIFA World Rankings.[1][2] The first team drawn was England, which secured qualification as a pot one team by winning Group I of UEFA qualification.[3] The second pot team, the United States, qualified by finishing third in CONCACAF qualification.[4] The third team was Iran, which won Group A of the AFC third round.[5] The final team was not known at the time of the draw, as it was the UEFA second round Path A winner. Wales defeated Ukraine 1–0 to qualify for this position.[6]

Group B was widely described as the "group of death" before the tournament.[7] It had the highest average FIFA ranking of any group,[8] and controversy given the political hostility between Iran and the United Kingdom, and between Iran and the United States.[9][10][11]

FIFA World Cup Group B draw[12]
Draw position Team[13] Pot Confederation Method of
qualification
Date of
qualification
Finals
appearance
Last
appearance
Previous best
performance
FIFA Rankings[14]
March 2022[nb 1] October 2022
B1  England 1 UEFA UEFA Group I winners 15 November 2021 16th 2018 Winners (1966) 5 5
B2  Iran 3 AFC AFC third round Group A winners 27 January 2022 6th 2018 Group stage (1978, 1998, 2006, 2014, 2018) 21 20
B3  United States 2 CONCACAF CONCACAF third round third place 30 March 2022 11th 2014 Third place (1930) 15 16
B4  Wales 4[nb 2] UEFA UEFA second round Path A winners 5 June 2022 2nd 1958 Quarter-finals (1958) 18[nb 2] 19

Notes

  1. ^ The rankings of March 2022 were used for seeding for the final draw.
  2. ^ a b As the identity of the UEFA second round Path A winners was not known at the time of the final draw, positions in the FIFA Rankings were not taken into account, and the placeholder in the draw was automatically seeded into pot 4.[2]

LGBT symbol incidents

Captains' armbands

See caption.
Harry Kane in England's first match, wearing a FIFA "No discrimination" armband

England captain Harry Kane, Wales captain Gareth Bale, and several other European captains intended to wear OneLove rainbow armbands promoting acceptance and diversity during the World Cup; shortly before England's opening match (the first match to feature one of these nations), however, FIFA announced that players wearing these armbands would face "unlimited" sanctions, with a yellow card given at minimum.[15][16] The affected football associations said they would not put their players in this position, criticising FIFA for the ruling.[17][18][19] A spokesperson for Rishi Sunak, the British Prime Minister, also criticised FIFA for introducing player punishment for the armbands.[20] After the first United States match, and though the US had not been intending to wear the armband, Antony Blinken, the United States Secretary of State, described the ban as "concerning".[21]

At the England–Iran match, BBC pundit and former England women's team captain Alex Scott chose to wear a OneLove armband while being interviewed pitchside ahead of the match, a move that was praised on social media.[17][18] At the United States–Wales match, though she did not appear on screen, German ZDF broadcaster Claudia Neumann wore a rainbow armband and Pride shirt, later telling the Sport-Informations-Dienst that she wanted to set an example, lamenting that the captains would not be able to wear the armbands.[22] England would change their armband to one that simply read "no discrimination".[23] During England's second match, the Wembley Stadium arch, iconic of the team's home stadium, was lit up in rainbow colours.[16]

Other Pride items

Many Wales fans in attendance at their first match as part of the nation's official LGBTQ+ supporters group wore the group's rainbow Wales bucket hats. Women who had these hats, including former women's team captain Laura McAllister, were prohibited from entering the stadium with them; McAllister reported that the security officials told her it was "a banned symbol".[24] At the same match, American journalist Grant Wahl was reportedly detained for 25 minutes when attempting to enter the stadium wearing a Pride shirt, being told it was "political" and being asked if he was British; he said that FIFA later apologised to him and security allowed him to enter with the shirt.[25]

After the match, the Football Association of Wales confronted FIFA about the confiscation of the bucket hats, and FIFA entered talks with the Qatari Supreme Committee to discuss Qatar's commitment to make all fans welcome at the World Cup, also citing an incident of an American fan with a rainbow flag being harassed.[26]

Standings

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  England 3 2 1 0 9 2 +7 7 Advanced to knockout stage
2  United States 3 1 2 0 2 1 +1 5
3  Iran 3 1 0 2 4 7 −3 3
4  Wales 3 0 1 2 1 6 −5 1
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers

In the round of 16:

  • The winners of Group B, England, advanced to play the runners-up of Group A, Senegal.
  • The runners-up of Group B, the United States, advanced to play the winners of Group A, the Netherlands.

Matches

Matches took place between 21 and 29 November 2022.[27] All times listed are local, AST (UTC+3).[27]

England vs Iran

The opening match of Group B was contested between England and Iran.[28] The two sides had never played each other in a competitive match.[29] Many England supporters missed the start of the match due to problems with FIFA's ticketing app.[30] In defiance of their government, the Iranian team refused to sing their national anthem ahead of the match, a sign of support for the Mahsa Amini protests in their own country.[31] Many Iranian women, some of them bearing protest signs, were in attendance at the match, a gesture which by itself was considered an act of protest as women are barred from football matches in Iran.[32]

The match was delayed for seven minutes in the first half after head to head collision between the Iranian goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand and defender Majid Hosseini.[33] Beiranvand initially seemed to be convinced to continue playing by Iran captain Ehsan Hajsafi despite appearing to be dazed and taking his gloves and shirt off after he received treatment, drawing criticism from the brain injury charity Headway.[34] After collapsing on the field minutes later, Beiranvand was substituted for Hossein Hosseini.[35] England scored three first-half goals: Jude Bellingham opened with his first ever senior England goal in the 35th minute (becoming the first player born in the 2000s and in the 21st century to score a goal in a World Cup), with Bukayo Saka (in the 43rd minute) and Raheem Sterling (in the first minute of stoppage time) being the other contributors to the scoreline up to this point.[36]

In the second half, England's Saka scored his second of the game in the 62nd minute, before Iran's Mehdi Taremi scored with their first shot on target.[36] England defender Harry Maguire was then removed from play after also suffering a head injury.[37] Substitute Marcus Rashford, who had been introduced a minute before, scored England's fifth goal with his third touch of the game.[36] Shortly into stoppage time, Jack Grealish scored England's sixth goal.[38] The final goal, a contentious penalty kick for Iran, was scored two-and-a-half minutes after the final whistle, awarded only after a review of a late-occurring foul was suggested by the VAR. Taremi converted from the penalty kick with the final score being 6–2.[39]

The Iranian media blamed the "humiliating" loss on the protests in their country affecting their players' mindset, additionally claiming that the United States and its allies, including the United Kingdom, had manufactured the protests to disrupt Iran; though these nations comprise all of Iran's group stage competition, the line of blame is common due to longstanding political tensions.[40] Iran manager Queiroz had supported protests by players prior to the tournament,[41] then said that such protests were "not welcomed" following the loss.[42]

England 6–2 Iran
Report
England
Iran
GK 1 Jordan Pickford
RB 12 Kieran Trippier
CB 5 John Stones
CB 6 Harry Maguire downward-facing red arrow 70'
LB 3 Luke Shaw
CM 22 Jude Bellingham
CM 4 Declan Rice
RW 17 Bukayo Saka downward-facing red arrow 70'
AM 19 Mason Mount downward-facing red arrow 70'
LW 10 Raheem Sterling downward-facing red arrow 70'
CF 9 Harry Kane (c) downward-facing red arrow 75'
Substitutions:[note 1]
DF 15 Eric Dier upward-facing green arrow 70'
FW 11 Marcus Rashford upward-facing green arrow 70'
MF 20 Phil Foden upward-facing green arrow 70'
FW 7 Jack Grealish upward-facing green arrow 70'
FW 24 Callum Wilson upward-facing green arrow 75'
Manager:
Gareth Southgate
GK 1 Alireza Beiranvand downward-facing red arrow 20'
CB 8 Morteza Pouraliganji Yellow card 48'
CB 15 Rouzbeh Cheshmi downward-facing red arrow 46'
CB 19 Majid Hosseini
RWB 2 Sadegh Moharrami
LWB 5 Milad Mohammadi downward-facing red arrow 63'
RM 7 Alireza Jahanbakhsh Yellow card 25' downward-facing red arrow 46'
CM 21 Ahmad Nourollahi downward-facing red arrow 77'
CM 18 Ali Karimi downward-facing red arrow 46'
LM 3 Ehsan Hajsafi (c)
CF 9 Mehdi Taremi
Substitutions:[note 1]
GK 24 Hossein Hosseini upward-facing green arrow 20'
MF 6 Saeid Ezatolahi upward-facing green arrow 46'
DF 13 Hossein Kanaanizadegan upward-facing green arrow 46'
MF 17 Ali Gholizadeh upward-facing green arrow 46'
MF 16 Mehdi Torabi upward-facing green arrow 63'
FW 20 Sardar Azmoun upward-facing green arrow 77'
Manager:
Portugal Carlos Queiroz

Man of the Match:
Bukayo Saka (England)[44]

Assistant referees:
Rodrigo Figueiredo (Brazil)
Danilo Simon Manis (Brazil)
Fourth official:
Kevin Ortega (Peru)
Reserve assistant referee:
Michael Orué (Peru)
Video assistant referee:
Leodán González (Uruguay)
Assistant video assistant referees:
Julio Bascuñán (Chile)
Martin Soppi (Uruguay)
Juan Martínez Munuera (Spain)
Stand-by assistant video assistant referee:
Juan Pablo Belatti (Argentina)

United States vs Wales

The teams had met twice previously, both in friendly matches: the United States won 2–0 in 2003 and the two teams drew 0–0 in 2020.[45] The game was broadcast on ITV in the United Kingdom, with the network announcing during the broadcast that its technical director, Roger Pearce, had died in Qatar.[46]

The United States scored the opening goal in the 32nd minute when Timothy Weah scored after a pass over the top by Christian Pulisic (and becoming the second player born in the 2000s to score a goal in a World Cup, hours after of the Englishman Jude Bellingham).[47] The United States had the better of the chances in the first half, but in the second half Wales improved, particularly after introducing substitute Kieffer Moore.[48] In the second period, Wales had a chance to equalize through Ben Davies, but his header was saved. Wales would nonetheless eventually manage to score their first World Cup goal in 64 years after Bale was fouled in the box by Walker Zimmerman and scored the resulting penalty kick himself. After over nine minutes of stoppage time,[49] the match finished 1–1, with the United States picking up four yellow cards, the most they had received in a World Cup game since their 2002 quarter-final against Germany.[48]

United States 1–1 Wales
Report
United States
Wales
GK 1 Matt Turner
RB 2 Sergiño Dest Yellow card 11' downward-facing red arrow 74'
CB 3 Walker Zimmerman
CB 13 Tim Ream Yellow card 51'
LB 5 Antonee Robinson
DM 4 Tyler Adams (c)
CM 8 Weston McKennie Yellow card 13' downward-facing red arrow 66'
CM 6 Yunus Musah downward-facing red arrow 75'
RF 21 Timothy Weah downward-facing red arrow 88'
CF 24 Josh Sargent downward-facing red arrow 74'
LF 10 Christian Pulisic
Substitutions:
FW 11 Brenden Aaronson upward-facing green arrow 66'
FW 19 Haji Wright upward-facing green arrow 74'
DF 22 DeAndre Yedlin upward-facing green arrow 74'
MF 23 Kellyn Acosta Yellow card 90+10' upward-facing green arrow 75'
FW 16 Jordan Morris upward-facing green arrow 88'
Manager:
Gregg Berhalter
GK 1 Wayne Hennessey
CB 5 Chris Mepham Yellow card 45+2'
CB 6 Joe Rodon
CB 4 Ben Davies
DM 15 Ethan Ampadu downward-facing red arrow 90+5'
CM 10 Aaron Ramsey
CM 8 Harry Wilson downward-facing red arrow 90+3'
RW 14 Connor Roberts
LW 3 Neco Williams downward-facing red arrow 79'
CF 11 Gareth Bale (c) Yellow card 40'
CF 20 Daniel James downward-facing red arrow 46'
Substitutions:
FW 13 Kieffer Moore upward-facing green arrow 46'
FW 9 Brennan Johnson upward-facing green arrow 79'
MF 22 Sorba Thomas upward-facing green arrow 90+3'
MF 16 Joe Morrell upward-facing green arrow 90+5'
Manager:
Rob Page

Man of the Match:
Gareth Bale (Wales)[50]

Assistant referees:
Taleb Al-Marri (Qatar)
Saud Al-Maqaleh (Qatar)
Fourth official:
Ma Ning (China)
Reserve assistant referee:
Cao Yi (China)
Video assistant referee:
Abdulla Al-Marri (Qatar)
Assistant video assistant referees:
Rédouane Jiyed (Morocco)
Mokrane Gourari (Algeria)
Adil Zourak (Morocco)
Stand-by assistant video assistant referee:
Elvis Noupue (Cameroon)

Wales vs Iran

During the match between Wales and Iran

Wales had faced Iran previously only once, a 1–0 friendly win in 1978.[51] The Iranian team opted to sing their national anthem at this match.

The game was driven by Iran in attack and quick counter-attack, with Wales mostly holding in defence; though Wales made attempts in attack, their midfield was described by BBC Sport's Dafydd Pritchard as "worryingly porous". In the first half, Iran had a goal from Ali Gholizadeh disallowed by VAR for offside. Early in the second half, Iran had two attempts hit each post in quick succession.[52] In the 86th minute, Welsh goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey was originally given a yellow card for a foul he committed outside his penalty area. However, following review by VAR, this was upgraded to a red card. Iran substitute Rouzbeh Cheshmi scored the match's first goal eight minutes into stoppage time, followed by Ramin Rezaeian scoring three minutes later to give Iran a first-ever win against a European team at the FIFA World Cup.[53] Cheshmi's goal was the latest-minute match-winning goal scored in any World Cup game (excluding extra time) since the 1966 FIFA World Cup in England, when exact goal times were first made available.[54] Officially, nine minutes of stoppage time were added; with further delays in the added time, over twelve minutes were actually played.[52]

Wales 0–2 Iran
Report
Wales
Iran
GK 1 Wayne Hennessey Red card 86'
CB 5 Chris Mepham
CB 6 Joe Rodon Yellow card 45+3'
CB 4 Ben Davies
DM 15 Ethan Ampadu downward-facing red arrow 77'
CM 10 Aaron Ramsey downward-facing red arrow 87'
CM 8 Harry Wilson downward-facing red arrow 57'
RW 14 Connor Roberts downward-facing red arrow 57'
LW 3 Neco Williams
CF 11 Gareth Bale (c)
CF 13 Kieffer Moore
Substitutions:
FW 9 Brennan Johnson upward-facing green arrow 57'
FW 20 Daniel James upward-facing green arrow 57'
MF 7 Joe Allen upward-facing green arrow 77'
GK 12 Danny Ward upward-facing green arrow 87'
Manager:
Rob Page
GK 24 Hossein Hosseini
RB 23 Ramin Rezaeian Yellow card 90+5'
CB 19 Majid Hosseini
CB 8 Morteza Pouraliganji
LB 5 Milad Mohammadi
RM 17 Ali Gholizadeh downward-facing red arrow 77'
CM 6 Saeid Ezatolahi downward-facing red arrow 83'
CM 21 Ahmad Nourollahi downward-facing red arrow 77'
LM 3 Ehsan Hajsafi (c) downward-facing red arrow 77'
SS 9 Mehdi Taremi
CF 20 Sardar Azmoun downward-facing red arrow 68'
Substitutions:
FW 10 Karim Ansarifard upward-facing green arrow 68'
MF 16 Mehdi Torabi upward-facing green arrow 77'
MF 7 Alireza Jahanbakhsh Yellow card 90+5' upward-facing green arrow 77'
DF 15 Rouzbeh Cheshmi upward-facing green arrow 77'
MF 18 Ali Karimi upward-facing green arrow 83'
Manager:
Portugal Carlos Queiroz

Man of the Match:
Rouzbeh Cheshmi (Iran)[55]

Assistant referees:
Caleb Wales (Trinidad and Tobago)
Juan Carlos Mora (Costa Rica)
Fourth official:
Maguette Ndiaye (Senegal)
Reserve assistant referee:
Djibril Camara (Senegal)
Video assistant referee:
Drew Fischer (Canada)
Assistant video assistant referees:
Fernando Guerrero (Mexico)
Nicolás Taran (Uruguay)
Adil Zourak (Morocco)
Stand-by assistant video assistant referee:
Bruno Pires (Brazil)

England vs United States

The sides had previously met twice in the World Cup: the United States famously won 1–0 in the 1950 tournament in Brazil, and the teams drew 1–1 in the 2010 edition in South Africa. Their most recent meeting was a 3–0 friendly victory for England in 2018.[56]

Harry Kane had a shot blocked in the box for England in the 9th minute, before United States midfielder Weston McKennie missed a shot in the six-yard box, and teammate Christian Pulisic hit the crossbar in the 32nd minute.[57] The match featured only a small number of chances, with only four shots on target between the two teams.[58][59] Despite avoiding defeat, many England fans booed the team after the match ended, expressing criticism of a perceived lacking performance.[60]

England 0–0 United States
Report
Attendance: 68,463
England
United States
GK 1 Jordan Pickford
RB 12 Kieran Trippier
CB 5 John Stones
CB 6 Harry Maguire
LB 3 Luke Shaw
CM 22 Jude Bellingham downward-facing red arrow 68'
CM 4 Declan Rice
RW 17 Bukayo Saka downward-facing red arrow 77'
AM 19 Mason Mount
LW 10 Raheem Sterling downward-facing red arrow 68'
CF 9 Harry Kane (c)
Substitutions:
FW 7 Jack Grealish upward-facing green arrow 68'
MF 8 Jordan Henderson upward-facing green arrow 68'
FW 11 Marcus Rashford upward-facing green arrow 77'
Manager:
Gareth Southgate
GK 1 Matt Turner
RB 2 Sergiño Dest downward-facing red arrow 77'
CB 3 Walker Zimmerman
CB 13 Tim Ream
LB 5 Antonee Robinson
RM 8 Weston McKennie downward-facing red arrow 77'
CM 4 Tyler Adams (c)
CM 6 Yunus Musah
LM 10 Christian Pulisic
CF 21 Timothy Weah downward-facing red arrow 83'
CF 19 Haji Wright downward-facing red arrow 83'
Substitutions:
FW 11 Brenden Aaronson upward-facing green arrow 77'
DF 18 Shaq Moore upward-facing green arrow 77'
FW 7 Giovanni Reyna upward-facing green arrow 83'
FW 24 Josh Sargent upward-facing green arrow 83'
Manager:
Gregg Berhalter

Man of the Match:
Christian Pulisic (United States)[61]

Assistant referees:
Jorge Urrego (Venezuela)
Tulio Moreno (Venezuela)
Fourth official:
Yoshimi Yamashita (Japan)
Reserve assistant referee:
Neuza Back (Brazil)
Video assistant referee:
Juan Soto (Venezuela)
Assistant video assistant referees:
Nicolás Gallo (Colombia)
Diego Bonfá (Argentina)
Julio Bascuñán (Chile)
Stand-by assistant video assistant referee:
Ezequiel Brailovsky (Argentina)

Wales vs England

The teams had met 103 times, most recently in a friendly game in 2020 won 3–0 by England. This was their second meeting in a major tournament, the first being the group stage of UEFA Euro 2016, which ended in a 2–1 win for England. The teams had met in multiple FIFA World Cup qualifiers, including two British Home Championship matches that served as World Cup qualifiers (in 1949–50 and 1953–54), as well as in the 1974 and 2006 qualification campaigns.[62]

Marcus Rashford had the best chance of the opening period, but his chipped shot was saved by Wales goalkeeper Danny Ward. Following a goalless first half, Rashford scored a direct free kick in the 51st minute to give England the lead. Shortly after the restart, England would double the lead after Rashford won the ball in the Welsh defence and passed to Harry Kane, whose crossed ball low from the right was converted at the back post by Phil Foden. Rashford got his second of the game in the 68th minute, with a shot from deep inside the Welsh penalty area that went through the goalkeeper's legs.[63] The victory was enough for England to finish at the top of the group, whilst Wales finished at the bottom with just one point.[64]

Wales 0–3 England
Report
Wales
England
GK 12 Danny Ward
RB 3 Neco Williams downward-facing red arrow 36'
CB 5 Chris Mepham
CB 6 Joe Rodon
LB 4 Ben Davies downward-facing red arrow 57'
DM 15 Ethan Ampadu
CM 10 Aaron Ramsey Yellow card 61'
CM 7 Joe Allen downward-facing red arrow 81'
RF 11 Gareth Bale (c) downward-facing red arrow 46'
CF 13 Kieffer Moore
LF 20 Daniel James Yellow card 29' downward-facing red arrow 77'
Substitutions:
DF 14 Connor Roberts upward-facing green arrow 36'
FW 9 Brennan Johnson upward-facing green arrow 46'
MF 16 Joe Morrell upward-facing green arrow 57'
MF 8 Harry Wilson upward-facing green arrow 77'
MF 25 Rubin Colwill upward-facing green arrow 81'
Manager:
Rob Page
GK 1 Jordan Pickford
RB 2 Kyle Walker downward-facing red arrow 57'
CB 5 John Stones
CB 6 Harry Maguire
LB 3 Luke Shaw downward-facing red arrow 65'
DM 4 Declan Rice downward-facing red arrow 57'
CM 8 Jordan Henderson
CM 22 Jude Bellingham
RF 20 Phil Foden
CF 9 Harry Kane (c) downward-facing red arrow 57'
LF 11 Marcus Rashford downward-facing red arrow 75'
Substitutions:
DF 18 Trent Alexander-Arnold upward-facing green arrow 57'
FW 24 Callum Wilson upward-facing green arrow 57'
MF 14 Kalvin Phillips upward-facing green arrow 57'
DF 12 Kieran Trippier upward-facing green arrow 65'
FW 7 Jack Grealish upward-facing green arrow 75'
Manager:
Gareth Southgate

Man of the Match:
Marcus Rashford (England)[65]

Assistant referees:
Tomaž Klančnik (Slovenia)
Andraž Kovačič (Slovenia)
Fourth official:
Yoshimi Yamashita (Japan)
Reserve assistant referee:
Karen Díaz Medina (Mexico)
Video assistant referee:
Marco Fritz (Germany)
Assistant video assistant referees:
Paolo Valeri (Italy)
Paweł Sokolnicki (Poland)
Bastian Dankert (Germany)
Stand-by assistant video assistant referee:
Vasile Marinescu (Romania)

Iran vs United States

The teams had met twice previously: Iran won 2–1 during the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France, and the teams drew 1–1 in a 2000 friendly.[66] Prior to the match, the United States Soccer Federation displayed the flag of Iran on social media without the emblem of the country. The removal of the emblem showed support for the women in Iran fighting for basic human rights, according to the Federation.[67] In response, Iranian state media reported that the United States should be immediately removed from the tournament and suspended for ten games for a "distorted image" of the country's flag.[68][69] Following this, the emblem was returned to the flag.[70]

Both teams were guaranteed qualification to the round of 16 with a win, whilst Iran would qualify with a draw, provided Wales did not defeat England.[71] Christian Pulisic scored the only goal of the game for the United States in the 38th minute, being injured in the process.[72][73] The United States thus advanced to the round of 16 as group runners-up with five points, whilst England finished top of the group with seven.[74]

Iran 0–1 United States
Report
Attendance: 42,127
Iran
United States
GK 1 Alireza Beiranvand
RB 23 Ramin Rezaeian
CB 19 Majid Hosseini Yellow card 77'
CB 8 Morteza Pouraliganji
LB 5 Milad Mohammadi downward-facing red arrow 45+2'
RM 17 Ali Gholizadeh downward-facing red arrow 77'
CM 6 Saeid Ezatolahi
CM 21 Ahmad Nourollahi downward-facing red arrow 71'
LM 3 Ehsan Hajsafi (c) downward-facing red arrow 71'
SS 9 Mehdi Taremi
CF 20 Sardar Azmoun downward-facing red arrow 46'
Substitutions:
MF 18 Ali Karimi upward-facing green arrow 45+2'
MF 14 Saman Ghoddos upward-facing green arrow 46'
MF 16 Mehdi Torabi upward-facing green arrow 71'
DF 25 Abolfazl Jalali Yellow card 90+6' upward-facing green arrow 71'
FW 10 Karim Ansarifard upward-facing green arrow 77'
Other disciplinary actions:
DF 13 Hossein Kanaanizadegan Yellow card 83'
Manager:
Portugal Carlos Queiroz
GK 1 Matt Turner
RB 2 Sergiño Dest downward-facing red arrow 82'
CB 20 Cameron Carter-Vickers
CB 13 Tim Ream
LB 5 Antonee Robinson
DM 4 Tyler Adams (c) Yellow card 43'
CM 6 Yunus Musah
CM 8 Weston McKennie downward-facing red arrow 65'
RF 21 Timothy Weah downward-facing red arrow 82'
CF 24 Josh Sargent downward-facing red arrow 77'
LF 10 Christian Pulisic downward-facing red arrow 46'
Substitutions:
FW 11 Brenden Aaronson upward-facing green arrow 46'
MF 23 Kellyn Acosta upward-facing green arrow 65'
FW 19 Haji Wright upward-facing green arrow 77'
DF 18 Shaq Moore upward-facing green arrow 82'
DF 3 Walker Zimmerman upward-facing green arrow 82'
Manager:
Gregg Berhalter

Man of the Match:
Christian Pulisic (United States)[75]

Assistant referees:
Pau Cebrián Devís (Spain)
Roberto Díaz Pérez del Palomar (Spain)
Fourth official:
Kevin Ortega (Peru)
Reserve assistant referee:
Jesús Sánchez (Peru)
Video assistant referee:
Juan Martínez Munuera (Spain)
Assistant video assistant referees:
Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea (Spain)
Neuza Back (Brazil)
Alejandro Hernández Hernández (Spain)
Stand-by assistant video assistant referee:
Bruno Pires (Brazil)

Discipline

Fair play points would have been used as tiebreakers if the overall and head-to-head records of teams were tied. These were calculated based on yellow and red cards received in all group matches as follows:[74]

  • first yellow card: −1 point;
  • indirect red card (second yellow card): −3 points;
  • direct red card: −4 points;
  • yellow card and direct red card: −5 points;

Only one of the above deductions was applied to a player in a single match.

Team Match 1 Match 2 Match 3 Points
Yellow card Yellow card Yellow-red card Red card Yellow card Red card Yellow card Yellow card Yellow-red card Red card Yellow card Red card Yellow card Yellow card Yellow-red card Red card Yellow card Red card
 England 0
 United States 4 1 −5
 Iran 2 2 3 −7
 Wales 2 1 1 2 −9

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b Due to the concussion protocol, both teams were allowed up to six substitutions (rather than five) during the match.[43]

References

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  3. ^ "European Qualifiers – Standings". UEFA.
  4. ^ "Schedule & Results". Concacaf. 9 March 2021.
  5. ^ "AFC Asian Qualifiers – Road to Qatar Fixtures & Standings". the-AFC.
  6. ^ "UEFA Qualifiers". FIFA.
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  8. ^ Liddle, Rod (3 April 2022). "World Cup draw: There's no 'group of death', but I'm excited about England in the group of fervent political hatred". The Sunday Times.
  9. ^ Bosher, Luke (14 June 2022). "Which World Cup group is the hardest?". The Athletic.
  10. ^ Creditor, Avi (7 June 2022). "Just How Difficult Is the USMNT's World Cup Group?". Sports Illustrated.
  11. ^ Whitehead, Jacob (5 June 2022). "So, who are Wales? Introducing the team joining the U.S., England and Iran in Group B". The Athletic.
  12. ^ "World Cup 2022 Group B: Match schedule, fixtures, times and dates for England, USA, Iran, Wales in Qatar". sportingnews.com. 29 March 2022.
  13. ^ "World Cup 2022 Group B: Match schedule, fixtures, times and dates for England, USA, Iran, Wales in Qatar". sportingnews.com. 29 March 2022. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
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