England completed a flawless World Cup qualifying campaign with victory in Albania, leaving manager Thomas Tuchel with a record of eight wins from eight with 22 goals scored and none conceded.
United States, Canada and Mexico will host 104 matches in 16 cities across five weeks. The Three Lions will find out their opponents this month as they await the draw set for Friday 5th December.
However, despite their qualifying success,Winterburn spoke to GOAL, in association with BetBrain about how Tuchel’s side may struggle, considering they have not faced a top side.
“I don’t think you could look at it like that. Our history of winning major tournaments, as a nation, is not great. I agree that we have a talented squad, we have some great depth, but we still need to prove ourselves against the real top opposition. The qualifiers that we have just been through - let’s not beat around the bush, we haven’t played anybody. We haven’t been under any pressure.
“I’d like to see us when we’re against teams like Spain - technically brilliant, keeping the ball, high quality players. How are we going to cope defensively with their movement? How are we then going to break down their structure with our movement of the ball? Will it be quick? Is it too slow?
“It won’t be a failure. A lot of people will be saying there are a lot of teams in tournaments that we should beat and when you get to the knockout stages, that’s when it’s going to be crucial. I think a lot of people will think that if we don’t get to the semi-finals, it would be a huge disappointment.”
England will avoid the likes of Argentina and France in the group stage as top sides have been placed in the same pot for the draw. This means Tuchel’s side will once again skip facing one of the favourites, therefore potentially hindering their chances of success.