The draw for the next UEFA Nations League tournament took place on Thursday with England drawn alongside Germany, Italy and Hungary in their League A group.
With matches scheduled for June and September it means some high-quality opponents will provide the bulk of England's preparation for the World Cup, which starts in November with little time for Gareth Southgate to work with his squad at that stage due to the short gap between the Premier League finishing for its winter break and the tournament beginning.
The Nations League starts for the Three Lions with a trip to Hungary on Saturday 4 June, an away date in Germany the following Tuesday and a home game with Italy on Saturday 11 June which will be played behind closed doors following the disorder that marred the Euro 2020 final.
Southgate will also be looking closely at the current disruption to Premier League fixtures caused by the pandemic and whether that will have a knock-on effect into the summer of an already congested schedule.