While USA and Wales battle later in the day for breathing room in Group B, England and Iran match up in the other clash in the group as the Three Lions hope to establish early supremacy.
Gareth Southgate enters the World Cup on the heels of shock UEFA Nations League relegation, dumped into League B after slumping to defeats to Italy once and Hungary twice over the past few months.
That leaves the Three Lions in poor form heading into the World Cup, but they'll put that behind them and look to equal or best their 2018 result of reaching the semifinals.
Iran, meanwhile, are hoping to spring an upset or two and earn qualification to the knockout stage, but they know it's an uphill battle in such a difficult group. They have a critical injury to a key attacking player to worry about as well, but their defensive capabilities will cause trouble for all opponents.
There is turmoil of many kinds in the Iran locker room. The team has been forced to defend the actions of some players who supported womens' rights protests back home after reports of criticism from the national federation. Additionally, head coach Carlos Queiroz only signed back on for a second stint in early September after the dismissal of Dragan Skocic.
MORE: Follow all of The Sporting News picks each day through the 2022 FIFA World Cup here
England vs. Iran odds
England are heavy favorites as one of the top-ranked teams in the world but they'll know, in this match, it will be tough to find openings.
Iran are extremely defensive, and therefore the under 2.5 goal total is a massive -155 (1.63, 8/13) favorite. It's even more unbalanced on both teams to score, with "No" set at -250 (1.38, 4/9), as the betting market doesn't expect Iran to find a way past Gareth Southgate's defenders.
Odds via BetMGM (USA), Sports Interaction (Canada), SkyBet (UK), and LadBrokes (Australia).
| BetMGM | Sports Interaction | SkyBet | Ladbrokes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| England win | -275 | 1.29 | 1/3 | 1/3 |
| Draw | +360 | 4.63 | 18/5 | 17/5 |
| Iran win | +950 | 11.00 | 10/1 | 12/1 |
| Both teams to score Y / N | +175 / -250 | 2.60 / 1.38 | 13/8, 4/9 | 2/1, 1/3 |
| Over / Under 2.5 goals | +110 / -155 | 2.15 / 1.63 | 6/5, 8/13 | 13/10, 4/7 |
| England -1.5 | +105 | 2.09 | — | — |
| Iran +1.5 | -145 | 1.69 | — | — |
England vs. Iran: 3 things to know
England vs. Iran team news
England enter the World Cup with a number of key injuries. They're missing full-backs Reece James and Ben Chilwell, and the fitness of Kalvin Phillips is in question while Kyle Walker and James Maddison have both been ruled out.
Iran will be concerned over the fitness of star attacker Sardar Azmoun, who hasn't played for Bayer Leverkusen since suffering a torn hamstring in early October. He is on the Iran roster for the tournament, but it's unclear what role he will be fit to play. The Middle Eastern nation will also be without Allahyar Sayyadmanesh and Omid Ebrahimi who both missed out on the tournament due to injuries.
England vs. Iran key stats
- This is the first ever match between England and Iran.
- England have not won in six straight matches, their joint-longest ever winless streak, also doing so in 1925-27 and 1958.
- If they fail to win vs. Iran, it will mark the first-ever seven-match winless streak for England in their history.
- England were the second-to-last team to score a non-penalty goal in all 2022/23 UEFA Nations League levels, finally scoring two in their 3-3 draw with Germany on the final day of competition. Only San Marino went without a non-penalty goal.
- Iran dropped just five points through the final phase of AFC qualifying, which came in a pair of results against South Korea that yielded just a draw and a defeat.
England vs. Iran match facts
- Date: Monday, November 21
- Kickoff Time: 8:00 am ET / 1:00 pm GMT / 12:00 am AEDT (Tue, Nov. 22)
- Location: Khalifa International Stadium
- Official: Raphael Claus (Brazil)
England vs. Iran prediction
- Moneyline lean: England (-275)
- Against the spread lean: Iran +1.5 (-145)
- Score prediction: England 1-0 Iran
Iran will bunker for much of the match against England, and that could cause significant problems for a Gareth Southgate side which struggles to produce much positive attacking play against low blocks.
Still, ultimately, there's a lack of quality in the Iran side on the whole when compared to England, and there should be enough meat on the bone for the Three Lions to find a winner at some point. The earlier the better, so they're not forced to sweat it out as tensions rise.
MORE: World Cup 2022 Group B: Schedule, fixtures and times for England, USA, Iran, Wales
England vs. Iran: best bet
- Pick: England to win & Under 3.5 total goals
- Odds: -130 (BetMGM)
There will likely be very little for England to savor in this match, but even less for Iran. It's likely that England come away as comfortable winners here, even if the margin appears thin. They simply have too much talent to end up sweating this match out, especially if Azmoun doesn't play and Iran are weakened further in the attack.
Once Gareth Southgate has his lead, he likely won't push the envelope too much, happy to sit on that advantage and knock the ball around to keep his squad healthy, fit, and free of danger.
You can be bold and take England to win & Under 2.5 goals at +165, but in the World Cup, allowing room for the unexpected is a very smart idea. That choice would require England to win via a clean sheet, and you never know what could be up Iran's sleeve. The smart choice is moving to the 3.5 goal total, as the hit to the odds is still palatable.
