England path to the 2022 World Cup final: Who the Three Lions could face during the tournament

England open their 2022 World Cup group stage campaign against Iran on Monday. But who could Gareth Southgate's side face in the knockout stages, if they manage to progress in the tournament?

The Three Lions are looking to better their performance in the 2018 World Cup, where they lost to Croatia in the semi-final.

And they will also be attempting to go one step further than last summer, when Italy defeated them in the Euro 2020 final.

England boss Gareth Southgate said in his pre-Iran press conference: "Look, our challenge is to give our supporters a tournament that is memorable.

"We've taken them on fantastic journeys in our last two tournaments, and we want to bring [them on another]."

Here are the teams England could potentially face in the World Cup knockout stages, should they make it through the group.

England path to the World Cup final: Last 16

Should England progress from Group B, they are guaranteed to play one of the four teams in Group A (Qatar, Ecuador, Senegal or Netherlands) in the last 16.

• England finish 1st in Group B - vs Runners-Up, Group A (Match 51)
• England finish 2nd in Group B - vs Winners, Group A (Match 49)

England path to the World Cup final: Quarter-final

Should England progress beyond the last 16, they will be presented with two different options, depending on their Group B position.

Southgate's side could take on any of France, Denmark or Argentina at the quarter-final stage.

• England 1st Group B/Winner of Match 51 - vs Winners of Match 52 (Winners Group D vs Runners-Up Group C)
• England 2nd Group B/Winner of Match 49 - vs Winners of Match 50 (Winners Group C vs Runners-Up Group D)

England path to the World Cup final: Semi-final

England will travel to either Lusail or Al Khor to contest the semi-final, should they reach that stage.

This is the point at which the Three Lions could face off against any of Brazil, Spain, Germany and Portugal, and others.

Winning the group, meanwhile, could lead to a clash against Belgium or Portugal.

• Winner of Match 51/Winner of Match 59 - Winners of Match 60 (Winners Group F/Runners-Up Group E vs Winners Group H/Runners-Up Group G)
• Winner of Match 49/Winner of Match 57 - Winners of Match 58 (Winners Group E/Runners-Up Group F vs Winners Group G/Runners-Up Group H)

England path to the World Cup final: Final

Should England reach the World Cup final, they could face one of Spain, Brazil, Germany, France, Belgium or Portugal in the final, depending on their progression throughout the remainder of the tournament.

The final takes place on December 18 at the Lusail Iconic Stadium.

Meanwhile, if England lose the semi-final, they will face the defeated team from the other semi-final in a third place play-off on December 17.

Topics: England, Football World Cup, Gareth Southgate, Qatar

Ryan Smart

Live in constant hope of the top flight as a Preston North End fan. Written in the past for SPORF, GiveMeSport and more.