Japan and England are expected to meet in a pre-World Cup friendly unless the sides are drawn in the same group on Dec. 4, the Daily Mail reported Friday.

"The match would most likely take place in Austria on May 29, with England expected to use Salzburg as their pre-tournament training base," the British newspaper said.

In June, Japan coach Takeshi Okada asked his England counterpart Fabio Capello for a possible friendly when they met during the Confederations Cup in South Africa.

The World Cup finals will kick off in South Africa on June 11, 2010.