Sir Gareth Southgate has picked out Japan, Colombia and Scotland as three teams England may want to avoid in the group-stage draw for the 2026 World Cup.

The eyes of the world will be on Washington DC’s Kennedy Center on Friday, where those nations that have safely qualified will discover their fate for next year’s bumper 48-team tournament.

The glitzy ceremony is set to get underway at 17:00 GMT and will be presented by supermodel Heidi Klum, comedy icon Kevin Hart and actor Danny Ramirez.

The USA, Canada and Mexico, the three host nations, have automatically been placed into Pot 1, while those countries who must qualify through the six available play-off pathways find themselves in Pot 4.

Thomas Tuchel’s England cruised through qualifying with a flawless record and join the hosts in

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