World Cup 2014: England drawn against Italy, Uruguay and Costa Rica

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England have been drawn against Italy, Uruguay and Costa Rica in Group D for next summer's World Cup.

Roy Hodgson's men will open their campaign in Manaus when they face Italy on Saturday, 14 June. It is just the start the England manager did not want having spoken about his concerns at playing in the Amazon where conditions will severely test his players.

England must then head to Sao Paulo and Belo Horizonte for their meetings with Uruguay and Costa Rica on 19 June and 24 respectively.

England avoided becoming the European team placed in a special pot, who had to be drawn against a South American top seed. However they ended up in the same group as Italy, who came out of the special pot, which meant the draw could hardly have been more difficult.

It means Hodgson's team must face the side that knocked England out of Euro 2012 in Kiev, before coming face to face with a Uruguay team containing Luis Suárez and the Paris Saint-Germain star forward Edinson Cavani.

Even the group minnows, Costa Rica, will not be beaten easily given the central American country have shock potential, as they proved by beating Scotland at the 1990 tournament.

If the opponents themselves were not tough enough, the travelling involved and the tropical conditions at one of the venues makes it even harder. Hodgson has already confirmed England will base themselves in Rio de Janeiro for the tournament.

Unless he decides to relocate – as he previously suggested was an outside possibility should circumstances dictate – England face a lot of travelling. Manaus is a five-and-a-half hour flight from Rio and is located in the Amazonian rain forest, with 99% humidity.

And it is even bad news for England fans back home – the opening match against Italy will kick off at 0200 (BST) on Sunday, 15 June.

São Paulo and Belo Horizonte are much more accessible from Rio. It is just over 200 miles to São Paulo and less than 300 to Belo Horizonte.

However, that place has unhappy memories for England as the venue where they lost to the United States in one of the biggest World Cup shocks of all time in 1950.

Elsewhere, the world champions Spain will face Holland, the side they beat in the 2010 final, in the group stage. Spain's first game will be against the Dutch in a tough-looking Group B along with Chile and Australia – though perhaps not as difficult as Group G where Germany are up against Portugal, Ghana and the United States.

The hosts Brazil will play Croatia in the opening match of the World Cup in São Paulo while Mexico and Cameroon are the other sides in Group A.

The draw for the 2014 World Cup Group Stage is as follows:

Group A

Brazil

Croatia

Mexico

Cameroon

Group B

Spain

Holland

Chile

Australia

Group C

Colombia

Greece

Ivory Coast

Japan

Group D

Uruguay

Costa Rica

England

Italy

Group E

Switzerland

Ecuador

France

Honduras

Group F

Argentina

Bosnia-Herzegovina

Iran

Nigeria

Group G

Germany

Portugal

Ghana

USA

Group H

Belgium

Algeria

Russia

South Korea

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