Important dates in the calendar as Gareth Southgate prepares for Russia 2018
24 January The draw is made for the inaugural European Nations League.
23 March England travel to Amsterdam for a friendly against the Netherlands.
27 March Then comes a fixture against Italy at Wembley as time begins to run out for players to impress the manager.
26 May Kiev hosts the final of the Champions League and the promising early signs from English teams in the competition could mean that some of Southgate’s squad are still involved in club matters before linking up with the national team.
18 June Tunisia are the opening opponents in Group G of the World Cup as the waiting finally ends for England supporters.
24 June Next up for the Three Lions is the city of Nizhny Novgorod and their second group game against Panama.
28 June Then it is the clash of the two favourites to win the group. Will England and Belgium both be qualified by the time they meet in Kaliningrad?
2/3 July The dates for a second round tie, if England haven't done the unthinkable and failed to get out of a favourable looking group.
15 July Can we dare to dream that England will still be in the competition as the eyes of the world are on the final of the 2018 World Cup?