There are no easy games...

GROUP A

SOUTH AFRICA

MEXICO

URUGUAY

FRANCE


GROUP B

ARGENTINA

NIGERIA

SOUTH KOREA

GREECE


GROUP C

ENGLAND

USA

ALGERIA

SLOVENIA


GROUP D

GERMANY

AUSTRALIA

SERBIA

GHANA


GROUP E

HOLLAND

DENMARK

JAPAN

CAMEROON


GROUP F

ITALY

PARAGUAY

NEW ZEALAND

SLOVAKIA


GROUP G

BRAZIL

NORTH KOREA

IVORY COAST

PORTUGAL


GROUP H

SPAIN

SWITZERLAND

HONDURAS

CHILE



Of the second pot teams England draw the USA, who are weaker than Mexico, Nigeria, Denmark and North Korea and no better than the other teams. Of the third pot teams, England draw Algeria, who should be easier opponents than Uruguay, South Korea, Serbia, Japan and the Ivory Coast; if not New Zealand and Honduras. Of the fourth pot teams, England draw Slovenia which is an easier draw than France, Portugal, Greece, Chile and Cameroon and no harder than the others.

In other words, whilst there may be no easy games at the World Cup, this is a dream group for England and there will be no excuses should they fail to qualify from this easy group in first place. However I then expect England to just scrape through the round of the last 16 and go out in the quarter finals as usual - probably on penalties...

The "group of death" looks like Group B and if England had been drawn in a group with Nigeria, South Korea and Greece then I would be a worried man.