England kick off World Cup campaign in Dallas before facing lengthy group stage trek.. while Scotland face nightmare trip to Miami for Brazil clash
England will face a lengthy cross-country trip after FIFA confirmed Thomas Tuchel's side will play in three different cities in the group stages next summer.
The Three Lions will begin their campaign against Croatia in Dallas, before heading to Boston and New York.
England fans in the UK will, however, benefit from kinder kick-off times with the Three Lions' group matches kicking off at 9pm, 9pm and 10pm respectively.
England were drawn in a challenging group of Croatia, Panama and Ghana on Friday in Washington, but were among the teams awaiting the match schedule for next summer's tournament.
Only groups containing co-hosts United States, Canada and Mexico had their locations pre-determined on Friday.
FIFA has confirmed England's opening match of the tournament against Croatia will take place at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, in Dallas, Texas. The match will kick off at 9pm GMT on June 17.
England's World Cup campaign will begin against Croatia in Arlington, Texas, on June 17
England boss Thomas Tuchel discovered the Three Lions group stage opponents on Friday
England's scheduled and venues for the group stage has been officially confirmed by FIFA
Thomas Tuchel's side will then face Ghana at the Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Boston, with the tie starting at 9pm.
The final group stage match against Panama will be held at the MetLife Stadium in New York on June 27 at 10pm.
The stadium is not air conditioned and is likely to take place in temperatures north of 30C.
Chelsea won the FIFA Club World Cup last summer at the venue, which will also stage the World Cup final.
A Club World Cup match was delayed at the venue last summer owning to 'extreme weather' due to lightning in the nearby area, which led to fans being told to stay inside.
While the venue itself is impressive, transport links have been highlighted as an issue for fans.
England's schedule will remarkably see the Three Lions play one match in the opening 12 days of the tournament, before a potential four games in thirteen days - if they win the group.
England could face a quick turnaround to a likely last-32 tie on July 1.
England's opening group stage match against Croatia will kick off at 9pm in Dallas
The Three Lions are favourites to top Group L but will face challenging opposition
Should England justify their status as top seeds and win their group, their last-32 match will take place in Atlanta at 5pm GMT.
Their potential path, if Tuchel's side top Group L, could see the Three Lions face co-hosts Mexico at the Azteca Stadium in the last-16, the scene of the Diego Maradona's 'Hand of God' goal in 1986. The match would kick off at 1am GMT.
Record five-time winners Brazil could await in Miami in the quarter-finals if the bracket plays out according to seedings. The tie would be at 10pm GMT.
Tuchel admitted on Friday that England had been handed a tough assignment, but finishing top of Group L was the clear aim.
'We have Croatia and Ghana – two regulars in World Cups – and we have Panama,' Tuchel said.
'I don't know much about Panama but we will know everything about them when the tournament starts.
'For me personally, even in Champions League, you have to focus on the group – the group is always the most difficult and we want to escape and we want to win the group. It's a tough one.
'No one should be underestimated. Of course, Croatia is the standout name [and] the highest-ranked team from Pot 2 that we got into our group. It’s a difficult opener against Croatia. We take it from here.
'Ghana is always full of talent and can always surprise and has a big history in World Cup football. Also, Panama will try to make the most in the underdog role. No one can be underestimated – everyone deserves the fullest respect and we will show that.'
Steve Clarke's Scotland side face the daunting prospect of facing Brazil in Miami
Scotland fans in the UK face late nights to watch their team, with their opening match against Haiti at the scheduled to kick off at 2am GMT.
Their final two group matches against Morocco and Brazil will kick off at 11pm.
Scotland’s opening matches will be held in Massachusetts, with Steve Clarke’s side then facing a daunting task of facing Brazil in Miami.
FIFA have also confirmed the match schedule for the World Cup semi-finals and final.
Dallas will host the first semi-final on July 14 at 7pm GMT, with the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta staging the second on July 15 at 8pm GMT.
The World Cup final at the MetLife Stadium will be held on July 19 at 8pm GMT.
