The 2022 FIFA World Cup has finally started and now attention turns to England as the heavyweight footballing nation kick-off day two's action of the tournament against Iraq in Doha. The Khalifa International Stadium is the venue for the European Championship finalists as Gareth Southgate looks to secure the perfect start in what will be his second World Cup as Three Lions head coach.
The bookies, Betfred, have placed the 1966 winners as the favourites at 1/3 while opponents Iran are 11/1 and a draw is 4/1. This will be the first encounter between the two national sides with Iran failing to beat European opposition on the World Cup stage in eight attempts.
Many England fans will recognise Iran's head coach Carlos Quieroz, the former assistant manager to Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United over two stints. The Mozambique-born football coach is currently in his second stint with Team Melli having previously left them in 2019 before rejoining two years later after unsuccessful spells in Colombia and Egypt.
