Follow along as the Three Lions take on Team Melli to open play in a tricky group at the 2022 World Cup.
Day 2 at the 2022 World Cup begins at Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Qatar, where England and Iran are opening Group B play.
The Three Lions have high expectations after finishing fourth at the 2018 World Cup and second at Euro 2020, but recent results under manager Gareth Southgate have also meant that England is already under pressure to perform in the opener, to ease some weariness in the only group in the competition where are all four teams are in the top 20 in FIFA’s most recent world ranking.
Iran, which sits at No. 20, enters amid turmoil both on and off the field. It fired its coach just months before the tournament began in order to bring back Carlos Queiroz for his third World Cup in charge, while protests against the Iranian government at home have drawn the attention of players on Team Melli as well. Beyond that, there have been multiple calls for Iran to be disqualified from the World Cup due to its government’s alleged support of Russia in its invasion of Ukraine.
Tension and stakes are high enough at a World Cup, but there are multiple additional layers in play as the two sides meet in the Qatari capital.
Follow along here for live updates and highlights of goals and key plays from throughout the match (refresh for most recent updates).
Here are the lineups for both teams:
Full World Cup squads:
England
GOALKEEPERS: Jordan Pickford (Everton), Nick Pope (Newcastle), Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal)
DEFENDERS: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Conor Coady (Everton), Eric Dier (Tottenham), Harry Maguire (Manchester United), Luke Shaw (Manchester United), John Stones (Manchester City), Kieran Trippier (Newcastle), Kyle Walker (Manchester City), Ben White (Arsenal)
MIDFIELDERS: Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund), Conor Gallagher (Chelsea), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Mason Mount (Chelsea), Kalvin Phillips (Manchester City), Declan Rice (West Ham)
FORWARDS: Phil Foden (Manchester City), Jack Grealish (Manchester City), Harry Kane (Tottenham), James Maddison (Leicester City), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Raheem Sterling (Chelsea), Callum Wilson (Newcastle)
COACH: Gareth Southgate
Iran
GOALKEEPERS: Amir Abedzadeh (Ponferradina), Alireza Beiranvand (Persepolis), Hossein Hosseini (Esteghlal), Payam Niazmand (Sepahan)
DEFENDERS: Rouzbeh Cheshmi (Esteghlal), Ehsan Hajsafi (AEK Athens), Majid Hosseini (Kayserispor), Abolfazl Jalali (Esteghlal), Hossein Kanaanizadegan (Al-Ahli), Shojae Khalilzadeh (Al-Ahli), Milad Mohammadi (AEK Athens), Sadegh Moharrami (Dinamo Zagreb), Morteza Pouraliganji (Persepolis), Ramin Rezaeian (Sepahan)
MIDFIELDERS: Vahid Amiri (Persepolis), Saeid Ezatolahi (Vejle), Saman Ghoddos (Brentford), Ali Gholizadeh (Charleroi), Alireza Jahanbakhsh (Feyenoord), Ali Karimi (Kayserispor), Ahmad Nourollahi (Shabab Al-Ahli), Mehdi Torabi (Persepolis)
FORWARDS: Karim Ansarifard (Omonia), Sardar Azmoun (Bayer Leverkusen), Mehdi Taremi (Porto)
COACH: Carlos Queiroz
