England have been backed to go far at the World Cup, although a ‘suffocating’ knockout match could await them.Thomas Tuchel’s men breezed through qualifying to booked their spot at next summer’s showpiece event with ease.Can this group of England players end 60 years of hurt?AFPEngland won all eight matches without conceding, scoring 22 times in the process.Their group matches across the pond sees them face face Croatia, Ghana and Panama in Group L.With stars including Harry Kane, Declan Rice, Jude Bellingham and Bukayo Saka to call upon, England are fancied by some to go the distance for the first time since 1966.And while former Premier League goalkeeper Brad Friedel fancies England’s chances on the other side of the Atlantic, the American has pinpointed one potential knockout game that could prove problematic for the Euro 2024 finalists.Friedel backing England“I rate England’s chances very highly,” Friedel said on White and Jordan on talkSPORT on Thursday.“I think they’re one of the one of the best teams going into the tournament.“The issue for the English team, the same issues for the Scottish team and some of the other European nations, is the climate and the conditions.“I mean, I think if you look at England’s brackets, they could possibly have to play in Mexico City against Mexico.”Friedel then issued his warning about the possibility of a ‘suffocating’ showdown with the tournament co-hosts.England could play a knockout game in Mexico CityGetty“Yeah stage five smog alerts, travel, another time zone change and ridiculous heat. You’re talking five elements and a home crowd from Mexico,” the iconic ex-goalkeeper told White and Jordan.“Those will be tough games. Are England better than Mexico? Yes, they absolutely are. Can Mexico get there? I don’t know.“They’ve had their own troubles, but those are the type of games that could be hard.”‘It’s suffocating’Friedel then leant on previous experience about playing in Mexico as he continued: “It’s suffocating. I played there in qualifying and they kicked us off at 1 o’clock in the afternoon.“It’s 40 degrees on the pitch, and you can’t breathe. You have players on oxygen tanks at half time, like Cobi Jones. He had asthma. He’s coughing up black soot out of his lungs at half time.“It’s hard in these elements, and it’s no joke. People will watch the game on TV and wonder, ‘Oh wow he looks knackered!'”Tuchel will hope to lead England to World Cup glory for the first time since 1966GettyEngland will play their first matches of 2026 next month when they face Uruguay and Japan at Wembley during the March international break.Tuchel, who recently signed a new deal through to Euro 2028, will then hope to mastermind victory over Costa Rica in a pre-World Cup friendly before they take on Croatia in their Group L opener on June 17.England then meet Ghana on June 23 before they round off their group stage campaign with a game against Panama on June 27.