Can Team USA beat England at the World Cup? Here’s what FIFA 23 has to say about that

The 2022 World Cup draw placed England and Team USA in the same group, giving the USMNT a rare chance to shine on the international scene by putting a dent in England’s tournament progress. The match between these rival nations takes place on Friday, Nov. 25, at 1pm CT. We all know who the favorite and who the underdog is, but we wanted to know just how big the gap in quality is.

Thankfully, the numbers are within arm’s reach. FIFA 23 and its dedicated World Cup mode have exactly what we need. Some may argue about FIFA player ratings not reflecting real life accurately, but after hearing how much research goes into the whole process, we tend to disagree. FIFA 23 player ratings also say Harry Maguire shouldn’t start for England, which most fans seem to agree with, so there’s that.

In this situation, we’re examining England and Team USA’s starting lineups from their opening group stage fixtures. England won 6-2 vs. Iran with this squad, while the U.S. team only managed a 1-1 draw with Wales, so we may see some changes to the USMNT’s starting 11 for the game against England.

England World Cup squad FIFA 23 player ratings

• GK: Jordan Pickford – 83 OVR
• RB: Kieran Trippier – 84 OVR
• CB: John Stones – 84 OVR
• CB: Harry Maguire – 82 OVR
• LB: Luke Shaw – 81 OVR
• CM: Jude Bellingham – 84 OVR
• CM: Declan Rice – 84 OVR
• CAM: Mason Mount – 84 OVR
• RW: Bukayo Saka – 83 OVR
• LW: Raheem Sterling – 86 OVR
• ST: Harry Kane – 89 OVR

USMNT World Cup squad FIFA 23 player ratings

• GK: Matthew Turner – 80 OVR
• RB: Sergiño Dest – 80 OVR
• CB: Walker Zimmerman – 79 OVR
• CB: Tim Ream – 78 OVR
• LB: Antonee Robinson – 78 OVR
• CM: Weston McKennie – 81 OVR
• CM: Tyler Adams – 79 OVR
• CM: Yunus Musah – 78 OVR
• RW: Timothy Weah – 78 OVR
• LW: Christian Pulisic – 82 OVR
• ST: Joshua Sargent – 77 OVR

FIFA 23 player ratings paint a desperate picture for Team USA. Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie are the only players to match the quality of any one English player. Harry Kane has +10 OVR over the two center-backs likely to defend him.

In short, FIFA 23 tells us that the England vs. USA match will be a monumental challenge for the latter, and even a draw should be viewed as a great success by U.S. fans.