ENGLAND manager Roy Hodgson does not fear being thrown into a group of death at Friday’s World Cup draw.

FIFA changed the draw format on Tuesday, potentially increasing England’s chances of being placed into a nightmare group including hosts Brazil or old foes Argentina.

Under the new format, one of the nine teams in Pot Four, which contains the unseeded European sides including England, would be picked at random to move up to Pot Two.

That team would then be drawn against one of the South American seeds – such as Brazil or Argentina – and another big European nation like Holland, Italy or France.

Hodgson has no problem with FIFA’s decision and he will not be peering through his fingers in fear when the names are pulled out of the hat in Salvador on Friday.

‘‘We respect everybody, we don’t fear anybody,’’ Hodgson said.

‘‘Being here really brings it all home, all the hard work has led to this and we can’t wait now to see who we get.’’ The worst-case scenario for England would be that they were drawn against Brazil, the United States and Italy, who knocked the Three Lions out of Euro 2012.

The complexities of the FIFA ranking system mean that Switzerland have somehow managed to squeeze into Pot One, so a date with the nation Hodgson used to coach, along with Honduras and Algeria, would probably be a dream group for Hodgson’s men.

‘‘You don’t know whether being in Pot Two could turn out to be an advantage or a disadvantage,’’ he told Sky Sports News.

‘‘People can speculate as much as they like, but if it happens to you, you just get on with it.

‘‘These are things that are going to happen. FIFA has decided that this is the fairest thing to do and I’ve got no qualms with that.

‘‘I’m more than happy that wherever we find ourselves, whatever pot we find ourselves in, whoever we’re asked to play.

‘‘I’m just so happy that we’re here and I think we’ll give a good account of ourselves when we get here.’’ Hodgson was in a relaxed mood as he addressed the media in the luxurious surroundings of the Costa Do Suipe resort that FIFA has chosen to host the draw.

There is little expectation on his shoulders and after this season’s roller-coaster of a qualification campaign, he is just happy to have qualified for the tournament.

Being in the spiritual home of football has also whetted his appetite for the task that lies ahead in South America next summer.

‘‘I think it will be an incredible moment when we step out for our first game,’’ he said.

‘‘It will send a shiver down all of our spines. We will have to seize the moment.’’ Hodgson landed in Salvador on Wednesday having flown in from Rio, where he was busy checking out the Royal Tulip Hotel that the FA has picked out as a probable base for England during the tournament.

The Tulip is located on the Sao Conrado beach, which offers more privacy than the Copacabana, which is a few minutes’ drive away.

The FA has invested a lot of time and money into preparations for the World Cup.

The team flew out to Rio in June to take part in a friendly.

As a result, they were able to jump ahead of their rivals and book the Urca military base, which has a training pitch in the shadow of Sugar Loaf Mountain, for the tournament.

Their plans may have to be altered, though, if England are placed in a group that forces them to play in the north of Brazil, however.

Manaus, deep in the heart of the Amazon rainforest, is a four-hour flight away from Rio and there is concern that such extensive travelling could take its toll on the players, who will have already had a long hard season before they pack their bags for Brazil.

Hodgson would not confirm that plans are afoot for England to change their base if they end up playing in the north, but he would not rule it out either.

‘‘We’re open to all things,’’ he said.

‘‘I hope we don’t have to change the Rio base because the Rio base is a very good one,’’ he said.

‘‘We have spent a lot of time on that, both on the choice of hotel and in particular the choice of training ground. So it would be a pity if we’ve got to move, but we’ve got an open mind at the moment.’’