The recent round of international fixtures was a bit of a horror show for England.

If anything, that's being kind to the Three Lions. Gareth Southgate's side were woeful in their four UEFA Nations League games, failing to record a single victory or a goal from open play.

England were beaten 1-0 by Hungary away from home in their first match, before dull draws with Germany and Italy.

To finish things off, Southgate's men were thrashed 4-0 by Hungary on home soil, a result which had fans inside Molineux calling for the manager to be sacked.

All in all, it's been two weeks to forget for England and they now only have two more games before the start of their 2022 World Cup campaign on November 21st.

Not exactly the best preparation, is it?

As a result of England's dismal showings over the past fortnight or so, the folks over at The Guardian have placed them 10th on a list ranking all 32 World Cup teams by their chances of lifting the Jules Rimet trophy in December.

England before their 4-0 defeat to Hungary
WOLVERHAMPTON, ENGLAND - JUNE 14: Harry Kane of England waits for his team mates before a team photograph before the UEFA Nations League League A Group 3 match between England and Hungary at Molineux on June 14, 2022 in Wolverhampton, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

Let's take at look at how they've ordered the qualified nations...

32-25

32. Saudi Arabia

31. Australia

30. Qatar

29. Costa Rica

28. South Korea

27. Ghana

26. Ecuador

25. Japan

Japan before their friendly vs Brazil
TOKYO, JAPAN - JUNE 06: Japan players observe moments of silence for late Japan national team head coach Ivica Osim prior to the international friendly match between Japan and Brazil at National Stadium on June 6, 2022 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Kenta Harada/Getty Images)

If any of these teams win the World Cup later this year, it'll be the greatest footballing story ever told. Had Japan not been drawn in the same group as Germany and Spain, we'd tip them to reach the last-16, as there is quality in their team. Sadly, they face an early exit like the rest of the countries behind them. Will any of them be able to prove us all wrong?

24-17

24. Tunisia

23. Iran

22. Cameroon

21. Morocco

20. USA

19. Mexico

18. Poland

17. Wales

Wales celebrate reaching the 2022 World Cup
CARDIFF, WALES - JUNE 05: Gareth Bale of Wales celebrates with team mates victory in the FIFA World Cup Qualifier between Wales and Ukraine at Cardiff City Stadium on June 05, 2022 in Cardiff, Wales. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

Like the first eight, none of these nations are going to actually lift the trophy, barring a miracle. However, we can see a number of them reaching the knockout stage. Wales, Poland and Morocco possess some world-class players in the form of Gareth Bale, Robert Lewandowski and Achraf Hakimi, so they may spring a few surprises out in Qatar.

16-9

16. Canada

15. Serbia

14. Switzerland

13. Croatia

12. Uruguay

11. Senegal

10. England

9. Portugal

Cristiano Ronaldo celebrating yet another goal for Portugal
LISBON, PORTUGAL - JUNE 05: Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal celebrates after scoring their sides third goal during the UEFA Nations League League A Group 2 match between Portugal and Switzerland at Estadio Jose Alvalade on June 05, 2022 in Lisbon, Portugal. (Photo by Carlos Rodrigues/Getty Images)

It'll be a huge shock if at least 75% of these teams don't reach the knockout rounds. Canada's place in 16th is rather interesting, especially given the prize money dispute currently engulfing the unquestionably talented North American outfit. Senegal are comfortably the highest ranked African nation after their recent AFCON success, while Portugal are the first country to be listed ahead of England.

8-1

8. Belgium

7. Denmark

6. France

5. Germany

4. Netherlands

3. Spain

2. Brazil

  1. Argentina
Lionel Messi and his Argentina teammates
LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 01: Lionel Messi of Argentina and team pose with the winners trophy after beating Italy to win the 2022 Finalissima match between Italy and Argentina at Wembley Stadium on June 01, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)

So, it's South American dominance at the top, which is to be expected given the recent form of both Brazil and Argentina, who each possess a plethora of world-class players. Imagine the scenes if Lionel Messi's final World Cup ends with him lifting the trophy, eh?

The team that really stands out in the final block of eight is Denmark, but they have only gone from strength to strength since reaching the semi-finals of Euro 2020, so we can't really argue with them being seventh to be honest.

France were almost as bad as England in their four recent UEFA Nations League games, hence why the current holders are sixth, behind European rivals Germany, Netherlands and Spain - which is certainly the correct call at this point in time.

Will the winner of the 2022 World Cup come from the final eight teams listed above? It looks very likely, but when it comes to sport's biggest event, crazy things can happen.