Sixty years on from England's only World Cup triumph, the 2026 tournament offers a familiar question with a new set of stakes: can Thomas Tuchel's side finally turn potential into a run to the final?
There are routes filled with danger, intrigue and the kind of heavyweight showdowns that define World Cups -- all shaped by where England finish in their group, and how the tournament's other favourites fare in theirs.
So what awaits England if they top Group L? And how dramatically does the picture change if they don't? From dream scenarios to potential nightmare draws, here is how England's road to glory could unfold.
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England's Group L games
Wednesday, June 17: England vs. Croatia (8 p.m., Dallas)
Tuesday, June 23: England vs. Ghana (9 p.m., Boston)
Saturday, June 27: England vs. Panama (10 p.m., New Jersey)
England's group at the World Cup probably ranks around middle of the pack in terms of overall difficulty -- and it's not particularly as deep as others -- but it's one of only two groups that contains two sides from the Top 11 of the FIFA Rankings (the other is Group C, featuring Brazil, Morocco and Scotland).
Croatia are the 11th ranked side and represent a tough first test for Tuchel and England, who were knocked out by Luka Modric and co. in the semi-finals in 2018.
Win that, and England will be confident of topping the group. If not, things get a whole lot trickier...
What happens if England win the group?
Round of 32
Wednesday, July 1, 5 p.m., Atlanta: England vs Group E/H/I/J/K third place
If England top Group L, they would face one of the eight teams who have qualified for the knockouts in third place.
Now, there are hundreds -- 495 in fact -- of different combinations to dictate which table-topping team a third-placed nation faces depending on which groups they come from, but we do know that England will face a team who finishes third in Group E, H, I, J or K.
That game would be played on July 1, in Atlanta.
If we assume Germany, Spain, France, Argentina and Portugal will win those groups, and that Curucao, Cape Verde, Iraq, Jordan and Uzbekistan may struggle to qualify, it would leave possible round-of-32 opponents as: Ivory Coast or Ecuador (Group E), Uruguay or Saudi Arabia (Group H), Norway or Senegal (Group I), Austria or Algeria (Group J) or Colombia or Congo DR (Group K).
Round of 16
Monday, July 6*, 1 a.m, Mexico City: England vs Mexico
*game takes place on Sunday, July 5 locally
If England make it past the round of 32, it gets a little bit easier to predict their next opponent -- hypothetically at least!
Next up, it would either be the winners of Group A, or the best-third placed team from Group C, E, F, H or I in Mexico City, in a game that kicks off at 1 a.m. in the UK.
Mexico are the favourites to top a group that also features South Africa, South Korea and Czechia, while possible third-place opponents include Scotland, Japan and Sweden.
Assuming Mexico win their group and advance past the first knockout stage -- which is also in Mexico City -- then a blockbuster clash against one of the co-hosts at the world-famous Estadio Azteca awaits Tuchel's side.
Quarterfinal
Sunday, July 11, 10 p.m., Miami: England vs. Brazil
While a tennis-style bracket means England would avoid the top three world-ranked sides until the semi-finals, if they get to the quarterfinal then Brazil could be next in line.
England's next opponent would be whoever wins the round-of-16 tie in New Jersey on July 5. That match will be contested between the Group C winners or the Group F runners up, versus the Group E runners up or the Group I runners up.
Brazil look most likely to top Group C -- unless Morocco pull off a shock -- and you'd expect them to get past the round-of-32 against Japan, Sweden or Tunisia, and a round-of-16 clash against what we're presuming will be Ivory Coast, Ecuador, Senegal or Norway. All those scenarios are assuming Germany, the Netherlands and France top Groups E, F and I.
The last time England faced Brazil in a World Cup quarter-final was in 2002, when Ronaldinho's iconic lobbed free-kick over David Seaman saw the eventual winners progress.
Semifinal
Wednesday, July 15, 8 p.m., Atlanta: England vs. Argentina
A lot of permutations to consider here, but if Argentina or Portugal win their respective Groups (J and K) and advance through the opening knockout rounds, then Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo will face off in a quarterfinal clash in Kansas City on July 11. The winner of that, will take on England, should they progress to the semis.
Other dark horses that could be in play here are Uruguay, the USA, Türkiye or Egypt -- on top of various third-placed sides.
Final
Sunday, July 19, 8 p.m., New Jersey: England vs Spain
England have avoided the side of the draw where several of their European rivals lie, with Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium all contenders to make a deep run at this summer's World Cup.
The biggest threats, however, look to be France or Spain, who will meet in the semi-final should they make their way through a gauntlet of a bracket.
France may be the top-ranked side in the world right now but we'll go with England's most likely opponent here being Spain, given their ominous recent form. Spain, of course, beat Gareth Southgate's England in 2024's European Championship final. Will we see a repeat?
What happens if England are second?
Round of 32
Friday, July 3, 12 a.m., Toronto: England vs. Colombia
*game takes place on Thursday, July 2 locally
If England are second in Group L, then they are on the opposite side of the bracket and will play the runners-up from Group K, which is formed of Portugal, Congo DR, Uzbekistan and Colombia.
On the face of it, you'd expect Colombia to finish second there.
Round of 16
Monday, July 6, 8 p.m., Dallas: England vs. Spain
Win that game, and England will take on whoever wins the July 2 round-of-32 tie in Los Angeles between the winners of Group H and a the runner-up from Group J.
You'd expect Spain to top Group H -- presuming they see off Uruguay -- and either Algeria or Austria to be their first knockout opponents, so we'd put the European champions through in this scenario.
This would be a nightmare potential round-of-16 game for England, and a reminder of how important every World Cup group game is.
Quarterfinal
Friday, July 10, 8 p.m., Los Angeles: England vs. Belgium
Somehow get past one of the favourites for the tournament -- or another round-of-16 opponent -- and England would likely face the winners of Group D or Group G.
Now, that could well be co-hosts the USA from Group D or Egypt from Group G, but we'll say Belgium are the most likely winners of that group and opponents for England here.
Semifinal
Tuesday, July 14, 8 p.m,, Dallas: England vs. France
France have a very tricky run through the World Cup, with a potential clash against Germany in the round-of-16 and the Netherlands in the quarter-final, but get through those and they would be England's opponent here.
Final
Sunday, July 19, 8 p.m., New Jersey: England vs. Argentina
Whoever gets through the gauntlet on this side of the bracket would get an extra day of rest than their opponents for the final, which could well be Argentina.
Argentina, as referenced earlier, may face Portugal in the quarters and it's a toss-up who could await them in the semis, but the holders could well make back-to-back World Cup finals.
What happens if England are third?
Now, we're not going to go through every scenario here -- maybe for fear of jinxing Tuchel and Co -- but the third-placed team from Group L does have a pretty clear idea of who they'd face in the round of 32, as long as they are one of the eight best-ranked third-placed sides.
The third placed team from Group L would face the winners of Group K on Friday, July 3 in Kansas City.
Group K, remember, is formed of Portugal, Congo DR, Uzbekistan and Colombia.