England is set to face African champions Senegal in the last 16 of the World Cup with last Tuesday’s 3-0 win over Wales.
Here is what you need to know about their opponents – and what route Gareth Southgate’s side could potentially need to navigate to lift the World Cup for the first time since 1966.
Senegal
England will face Senegal after qualifying for the knockout rounds as Group B winners. This will be the first time the two sides have played each other.
Senegal progressed from the group stage for only the second time after a 2-1 win over Ecuador earlier on Tuesday, to finish second behind Netherlands in Group A.
How good is the Senegal football team?
Senegal is ranked 18th in the world – the highest of any African nation – and won their first Africa Cup of Nations in 2021 after being beaten finalists in 2019 and 2002.
They reached the quarterfinals of the World Cup in 2002 but did not qualify again until 2018, when they were knocked out in the group stage with one win in three matches.
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They will be without several key players against England on Sunday, though, as Everton midfielder Idrissa Gueye serves a one-match suspension and Bayern Munich forward Sadio Mane was ruled out of the tournament because of injury.
Who will England face if wins round of 16?
England faces a potentially tough route to the final as a quarter-final tie with the winners of Group D – France – or the runners-up of Group C – Poland – lies in store.
That match will take place on Saturday, 10 December and a semi-final would be played four days later, on Wednesday, 14 December.
Croatia, runners-up in 2018, is among those who England could face, as well as Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal.
The final will take place at the Lusail Stadium in Qatar on 18 December. Potential opponents could be the Netherlands, Poland, Spain or Brazil, who are all on the opposite side of the draw.
Schedule
That match will take place on Sunday, 4 December at the Al Bayt Stadium in Qatar. The tie kicks off at 19:00 GMT – 22:00 local time in Doha.
