England it seems dread the possibility of facing Nigeria in next summer’s World Cup in Russia after the Pots for the November 1 draw were revealed on Thursday.
Gareth Southgate’s men qualified for the tournament and were placed in Pot 2 alongside Spain, Peru, Switzerland, Colombia, Mexico, Uruguay and Croatia.
The 1966 world cup winners are ranked 12th in the world; 29 places above Nigeria, in the FIFA World Ranking in October.
As per Alex Richards [Mirror Sport], in several permuted group scenarios, the Three Lions will consider pairings that feature Nigeria; who are in Pot 4, along side certain teams from Pot 3 and 1 as potential worst case scenarios.
Among those permutations are:
Germany, England, Costa Rica, Nigeria
Brazil, England, Denmark, Nigeria
There’s been only one previous world cup meeting between the Three Lions and the Super Eagles.
In 2002, both played a final group E match at the Nagai Stadium in Osaka. The game ended goalless.