England's run to winning the World Cup is HARDEST ever as scale of task made clear

England are facing the hardest ever run to win the World Cup - based off FIFA rankings. After topping Group L, England beat DR Congo 2-1 in the first knockout round in Atlanta on Wednesday, thanks to two Harry Kane goals.

It marks the next step on a journey that could see Thomas Tuchel's side finally end 60 years of hurt and become the first England men's team to win a trophy on foreign soil.

England have also managed to avoid being on the same side of the draw as European rivals Spain, France, Portugal, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. But the data suggests that there's nothing favourable about it compared to winners of the past.

Should each of highest-ranked teams progress on England's half of the draw, then the Three Lions would come up against co-hosts Mexico in the round of 16, five-time winners Brazil in the quarter-finals, holders Argentina in the semis and finally Spain, who beat England in the final of Euro 2024.

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After eliminating DR Congo, England's opponents on their projected run to the final would have an average FIFA ranking of 5.75 - the most difficult average ever recorded.

And that's without the context of facing Mexico at the iconic Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. BBC pundit Wayne Rooney claimed playing Mexico at an altitude of 2,000m above sea level, in front of their own crowd could be the "most difficult" game of the entire tournament for England, however far they go.

Currently, France's triumph at the 2006 edition is the toughest run based off FIFA's rankings. They faced opposition averaging 6.5 - Spain, Brazil, Portugal and Italy.

In second place, it's the Brazil side of 1994. The four teams which they faced - USA, the Netherlands, Sweden and Italy - had an average ranking of 9.75. And thirdly, Spain in 2010 faced opponents averaging 11 - Portugal, Paraguay, Germany and the Netherlands.

Of course, upsets are almost guaranteed in the knockout stages of a World Cup, so England may end up facing lower-ranked sides than projected.

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