FIFA World Cup Russia 2018 - England should sue FIFA for not allowing football to come home

World Cup is nearly here. For 1 month, most of the world’s attention is turned to Russia where 32 teams will face each other to determine who is football’s best country in the world.
It’s a time for fans to come together, for crazy goals, for wild celebrations, for dramatic moments and for controversial decisions.


RUSSIA
Playing at home, Russia will have an incredible amount of support and the whole country expects them to get through the group stage but they have a hard job ahead of them.
Since the breakup of the Soviet Union, Russia has never gone through the knockout stage of the World Cup.
Currently 66th in the FIFA Rankings and the 2nd lowest ranked team in the tournament, Russia are hopeful that the home advantage will make the difference from past World Cup performances.

Goalkeepers: Igor Akinfeev (CSKA Moscow), Vladimir Gabulov (Club Brugge), Andrey Lunyov (Zenit St Petersburg).
Defenders: Vladimir Granat, Fyodor Kudryashov (both Rubin Kazan), Ilya Kutepov (Spartak Moscow), Andrei Semyonov (Akhmat Grozny), Sergei Ignashevich, Mario Fernandes (both CSKA Moscow), Igor Smolnikov (Zenit St Petersburg).
Midfielders: Yury Gazinsky (Krasnodar), Aleksandr Golovin, Alan Dzagoev (both CSKA Moscow), Aleksandr Yerokhin, Yuri Zhirkov, Daler Kuzyaev (all Zenit St Petersburg), Roman Zobnin, Aleksandr Samedov (both Spartak Moscow), Anton Miranchuk (Lokomotiv Moscow), Denis Cheryshev (Villarreal).
Forwards: Artem Dzyuba (Arsenal Tula), Aleksei Miranchuk (Lokomotiv Moscow), Fyodor Smolov (Krasnodar).

Coach: Stanislav Cherchesov


SAUDI ARABIA
The lowest ranked team in the world cup at 67th place, not much is expected from Saudi Arabia. They haven’t won a game in the World Cup since 1994 and their winless streak probably won’t end this year.

Goalkeepers: Mohammed Alowais, Yasser Almosailem (both Al Ahli), Abdullah Almuaiouf (Al Hilal).
Defenders: Mansoor Alharbi (Al Ahli), Yasser Alshahrani, Mohammed Alburyak (both Al Hilal), Motaz Hawsawi (Al Ahli), Osama Hawsawi (Al Hilal), Omar Othman (Al Nassr), Ali Albulayhi (Al Hilal).
Midfielders: Abdullah Alkhaibari (Al Shabab), Abdulmalek Alkhaibri, Abdullah Otayf (both Al Hilal), Taiseer Aljassam, Hussain Almoqahwi (both Al Ahli), Salman Alfaraj, Mohamed Kanno (both Al Hilal), Hatan Bahbir (Al Shabab), Salem Aldawsari (Al Hilal), Yahia Alshehri (Al Nassr).
Forwards: Mohammed Alsahlawi (Al Nassr), Muhannad Asiri (Al Ahli), Fahad Almuwallad (Al Ittihad).

Coach: Juan Antonio Pizzi


EGYPT

Egypt has been in a roller-coaster of emotions on the past few weeks. The country has been looking forward to the World Cup, Mohamed Salah’s incredible season has raised the hope of a good tournament for the Egyptians but his injury on the Champions League final has cast doubt on his fitness for the World Cup.
Ranked 46, Egypt are strong candidate to reach the group stage but much of it depends on the recovery of Salah.

Goalkeepers: Essam El Hadary (Al Taawoun), Mohamed El-Shennawy, Sherif Ekramy (both Al Ahly).
Defenders: Ahmed Fathi, Saad Samir, Ayman Ashraf (all Al Ahly), Mahmoud Hamdy (Zamalek), Mohamed Abdel-Shafy (Al Fateh), Ahmed Hegazi (West Brom), Ali Gabr (Zamalek), Ahmed Elmohamady (Aston Villa), Omar Gaber (Los Angeles FC).
Midfielders: Tarek Hamed, (Zamalek), Abdallah Said (Al Ahli), Sam Morsy (Wigan Athletic), Mohamed Elneny (Arsenal), Ramadan Sobhi (Stoke City), Mahmoud Hassan (Kasimpasa).
Forwards: Mohamed Salah (Liverpool), Marwan Mohsen (Al Ahly), Shikabala (Zamalek), Amr Warda (Atromitos), Mahmoud Kahraba (Al Ittihad).

Coach: Héctor Cúper


URUGUAY
The likely winner of the group, Uruguay has a long and bright history in the World Cup. While not on the same level of the early World Cup teams, Uruguay has an incredibly strong and balanced team currently ranked at 17th. Luis Suarez and Edison Cavani are one of the deadliest partnerships in the World Cup while Godin is a brick wall at the back.

Goalkeepers: Fernando Muslera (Galatasaray), Martin Silva (Vasco da Gama), Martin Campana (Independiente).
Defenders: Diego Godin, Jose Maria Gimenez (both Atletico Madrid), Sebastian Coates (Sporting Lisbon), Maximiliano Pereira (Porto), Gaston Silva (Independiente), Martin Caceres (Lazio), Guillermo Varela (Penarol).
Midfielders: Nahitan Nandez (Boca Juniors), Lucas Torreira (Sampdoria), Matias Vecino (Inter Milan), Rodrigo Bentancur (Juventus), Carlos Sanchez (Monterrey), Giorgian De Arrascaeta (Cruzeiro), Diego Laxalt (Genoa), Cristian Rodriguez (Penarol), Jonathan Urretaviscaya (Monterrey).
Forwards: Cristhian Stuani (Girona), Maximiliano Gomez (Celta Vigo), Edinson Cavani (Paris St-Germain), Luis Suarez (Barcelona)

Coach: Óscar Tabárez



PORTUGAL
The current European Champions and the 4th ranked team, Portugal are no longer seen as underdogs. Cristiano Ronaldo will want to leave his mark on what could be his last World Cup but the aging backline could stop Portugal from going far in the competition. Pepe, José Fonte and Bruno Alves have a combined age of 105 while the other center back is Ruben Dias who only has 1 international cap.

Goalkeepers: Anthony Lopes (Lyon), Beto (Goztepe), Rui Patricio (Sporting Lisbon).
Defenders: Bruno Alves (Rangers), Cedric Soares (Southampton), Jose Fonte (Dalian Yifang), Mario Rui (Napoli), Pepe (Besiktas), Raphael Guerreiro (Borussia Dortmund), Ricardo Pereira (Porto), Ruben Dias (Benfica).
Midfielders: Adrien Silva (Leicester), Bruno Fernandes (Sporting Lisbon), João Mario (West Ham), João Moutinho (Monaco), Manuel Fernandes (Lokomotiv Moscow), William Carvalho (Sporting Lisbon).
Forwards: Andre Silva (AC Milan), Bernardo Silva (Manchester City), Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid), Gelson Martins (Sporting Lisbon), Gonçalo Guedes (Valencia), Ricardo Quaresma (Besiktas)

Coach: Fernando Santos


SPAIN
After a disastrous performance at the 2014 World Cup, Julen Lopetegui has given new life to the team.
Spain recently destoyed Argentina 6-1 in a friendly, sending a clear message that the 8th ranked team is going to the World Cup to win it and with a talented midfield with the likes of Sergio Busquets, Andrés Iniesta, David Silva and Isco, they are looking very impressive.

Goalkeepers: Pepe Reina (Napoli), David de Gea (Manchester United), Kepa Arrizabalaga (Athletic Bilbao).
Defenders: Nacho Fernandez, Sergio Ramos, Dani Carvajal (all Real Madrid), Gerard Pique, Jordi Alba (both Barcelona), Alvaro Odriozola (Real Sociedad), Nacho Monreal (Arsenal), Cesar Azpilicueta (Chelsea).
Midfielders: Andres Iniesta, Sergio Busquets (both Barcelona), Saul Niguez, Koke (both Atletico Madrid), Isco, Marco Asensio (both Real Madrid), Thiago Alcantara (Bayern Munich), David Silva (Manchester City).
Forwards: Iago Aspas (Celta Vigo), Rodrigo (Valencia), Diego Costa (Atletico Madrid), Lucas Vazquez (Real Madrid).

Coach: Julen Lopetegui


MOROCCO
Morocco is back to the World Cup after a 20 year absence. This will definitely be a joyous occasion to their fans but it will most likely be a short tournament for them. Placed in the same group as their Iberian neighbors and a strong Iran,
the team that’s currently 46 in the FIFA rankings will have a nearly impossible task to go through the group stage but they already showed they are capable of providing an upset after eliminating the powerful Ivory Coast in the qualification.

Goalkeepers: Mounir El Kajoui (Numancia), Yassine Bounou (Girona), Ahmad Reda Tagnaouti (Ittihad Tanger).
Defenders: Mehdi Benatia (Juventus), Romain Saiss (Wolves), Manuel Da Costa (Istanbul Basaksehir), Nabil Dirar (Fenerbahce), Achraf Hakimi (Real Madrid), Hamza Mendyl (Lille).
Midfielders: M'barek Boussoufa (Al Jazira), Karim El Ahmadi (Feyenoord), Youssef Ait Bennasser (Caen), Sofyan Amrabat (Feyenoord), Younes Belhanda (Galatasaray), Faycal Fajr (Getafe), Amine Harit (Schalke).
Forwards: Khalid Boutaib (Malatyaspor), Aziz Bouhaddouz (St Pauli), Ayoub El Kaabi (Renaissance Berkane), Nordin Amrabat (Leganes), Mehdi Carcela (Standard Liege), Hakim Ziyech (Ajax), Youssef En Nesyri (Malaga).

Coach: Hervé Renard


IRAN
Probably the best Asian team in the world right now and 36 in the rankings, Iran has gone through the qualification without a single loss.
They almost shocked the world in 2014 but a 91st min goal from Messi stole the draw away from them.
4 years later, Iran has a stronger team, Carlos Queiroz will face his home country and will want to show that Spain and Portugal won’t have a guaranteed ticket to the knockout stage.

Goalkeepers: Alireza Beiranvand (Persepolis), Rashid Mazaheri (Zob Ahan), Amir Abedzadeh (Maritimo).
Defenders: Majid Hosseini (Esteghlal), Ramin Rezaeian (Ostende), Mohammad Reza Khanzadeh (Padideh), Morteza Pouraliganji (Alsaad), Pejman Montazeri (Esteghlal), Milad Mohammadi (Akhmat Grozny), Roozbeh Cheshmi (Esteghlal).
Midfielders: Saeid Ezatolahi (Amkar Perm), Masoud Shojaei (AEK Athens), Mehdi Torabi (Saipa), Omid Ebrahimi (Esteghlal), Ehsan Haji Safi (Olympiacos), Karim Ansarifard (Olympiacos), Vahid Amiri (Persepolis).
Forwards: Alireza Jahanbakhsh (AZ Alkmaar), Mehdi Taremi (Al Gharafa), Sardar Azmoun (Rubin Kazan), Reza Ghoochannejhad (Heerenveen), Saman Ghoddos (Ostersunds), Ashkan Dejagah (Nottingham Forest).

Coach: Carlos Queiroz



FRANCE
Didier Deschamps has one of the most talented sides of the World Cup and the 7th team in the world has been seen as one of the favorites to win the trophy.
France has one of the youngest squads of the tournament with an average of 26 and have shown some lack of consistency during qualification with a loss to Sweden and draws to Belarus and Luxembourg but with players like Ousamane Dembelé, Klyian Mbappé and Griezmann on their attack, it’s not hard to see them going all the way.

Goalkeepers: Hugo Lloris (Tottenham), Steve Mandanda (Marseille), Alphonse Areola (Paris St-Germain).
Defenders: Lucas Hernandez (Atletico Madrid), Presnel Kimpembe (Paris St-Germain), Benjamin Mendy (Manchester City), Benjamin Pavard (Stuttgart), Adil Rami (Marseille), Djibril Sidibe (Monaco), Samuel Umtiti (Barcelona), Raphael Varane (Real Madrid).
Midfielders: N'Golo Kante (Chelsea), Blaise Matuidi (Juventus), Steven N'Zonzi (Sevilla), Paul Pogba (Manchester United), Corentin Tolisso (Bayern Munich).
Forwards: Ousmane Dembele (Barcelona), Nabil Fekir (Lyon), Olivier Giroud (Chelsea), Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid), Thomas Lemar (Monaco), Kylian Mbappe (Paris St-Germain), Florian Thauvin (Marseille).

Coach: Didier Deschamps


AUSTRALIA
The Socceroos are hoping to do a bit better than they did on 2014 where they left Brazil without a single point.
New manager Bert van Marwijk has only been in charge since November but their recent win against Czech Republic in a friendly 4-0 gave some good indications.
Still, the 40th in the world might feel a bit overwhelmed in a group that has France, Denmark and Peru.

Goalkeepers: Brad Jones (Feyenoord), Mat Ryan (Brighton), Danny Vukovic (Genk).
Defenders: Aziz Behich (Bursaspor), Milos Degenek (Yokohama F. Marinos), Matthew Jurman (Suwon Samsung Blue Wings), James Meredith (Millwall), Josh Risdon (Western Sydney), Trent Sainsbury (Grasshopper Zurich).
Midfielders: Jackson Irvine (Hull City), Mile Jedinak (Aston Villa), Robbie Kruse (VfL Bochum), Massimo Luongo (QPR), Mark Milligan (Al-Ahli), Aaron Mooy (Huddersfield), Tom Rogic (Celtic), Tim Cahill (Millwall).
Forwards: Daniel Arzani (Melbourne City), Tomi Juric (Luzern), Mathew Leckie (Hertha Berlin), Andrew Nabbout (Urawa Red Diamonds), Dimitri Petratos (Newcastle Jets), Jamie Maclaren (Hibernian).

Coach: Bert van Marwijk


PERU
Not a single player of the squad had been born the last time Peru was on a World Cup, back in 1982.
They kept Chile, a team that had won the Copa America twice and ended 2nd in the Confederations Cup, out of the World Cup thanks to a draw to Colombia in the final day that saw them end up on top of Chile due to goal difference.
With their star player Paolo Guerrero available after his doping suspension was lifted, the number 11 in the rankings is looking to shock the world and to go through to the next stage.

Goalkeepers: Pedro Gallese (Veracruz), Carlos Caceda (Deportivo Municipal), Jose Carvallo (UTC).
Defenders: Aldo Corzo (Universitario), Luis Advincula (Lobos Buap), Christian Ramos (Veracruz), Miguel Araujo (Alianza Lima), Alberto Rodriguez (Atletico Junior), Anderson Santamaria (Puebla), Miguel Trauco (Flamengo), Nilson Loyola (Melgar).
Midfielders: Renato Tapia (Feyenoord), Pedro Aquino (Leon), Yoshimar Yotun (Orlando City), Paolo Hurtado (Vitoria Guimaraes), Christian Cueva (Sao Paulo), Edison Flores (Aalborg), Andy Polo (Portland Timbers), Wilder Cartagena (Veracruz).
Forwards: Andre Carrillo (Benfica), Raul Ruidiaz (Morelia), Jefferson Farfan (Lokomotiv Moscow), Paolo Guerrero (Flamengo).

Coach: Ricardo Gareca


DENMARK
Denmark are back on the World Cup after missing Brazil in 2014. 12th in the world, they are hoping to make it to the next round.
Christian Eriksen is one of the best playmakers in the world and while France might be a bit too much for them, he can make the difference against Peru and Australia.

Goalkeepers: Kasper Schmeichel (Leicester), Frederik Ronnow (Brondby), Jonas Lossl (Huddersfield).
Defenders: Simon Kjaer (Sevilla), Mathias Jorgensen (Huddersfield), Andreas Christensen (Chelsea), Henrik Dalsgaard (Brentford), Jannik Vestergaard (Borussia Monchengladbach), Jens Stryger Larsen (Udinese), Jonas Knudsen (Ipswich).
Midfielders: Christian Eriksen (Tottenham), Lasse Schone (Ajax), Michael Krohn-Dehli (Deportivo La Coruna), Thomas Delaney (Werder Bremen), William Kvist (FC Copenhagen), Lukas Lerager (Bordeaux).
Forwards: Andreas Cornelius (Atalanta), Kasper Dolberg (Ajax), Martin Braithwaite (Middlesbrough), Nicolai Jorgensen (Feyenoord), Pione Sisto (Celta Vigo), Viktor Fischer (FC Copenhagen), Yussuf Poulsen (RB Leipzig).

Coach: Åge Hareide



ARGENTINA
Argentina has one of the most impressive attacks in the tournament and with a player like Messi on your side, you are always going to be one of the favorites to win it.
Number 5 on the FIFA rankings, could this be the year that Messi finally wins it on the biggest stage of the world or will Argentina’s questionable defense and Sampoli’s crazy tactics stop the little wizard from lifting the cup?

Goalkeepers: Willy Caballero (Chelsea), Franco Armani (River Plate), Nahuel Guzman (Tigres).
Defenders: Gabriel Mercado (Sevilla), Federico Fazio (Roma), Nicolas Otamendi (Manchester City), Marcos Rojo (Manchester United), Nicolas Taglafico (Ajax), Javier Mascherano (Hebei Fortune), Marcos Acuna (Sporting Lisbon), Cristian Ansaldi (Torino).
Midfielders: Ever Banega (Sevilla), Lucas Biglia (AC Milan), Angel Di María, Giovani Lo Celso (both Paris St-Germain), Manuel Lanzini (West Ham), Cristian Pavon (Boca Juniors), Maximiliano Meza (Independiente), Eduardo Salvio (Benfica).
Forwards: Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Gonzalo Higuain, Paulo Dybala (both Juventus), Sergio Aguero (Manchester City).

Coach: Jorge Sampoli


ICELAND
The world fell in love with the Icelanders in 2016 when they shockingly top their group, which included Portugal, and eliminated England in the Round of 16, only losing to the finalist France in the quarter finals.
The little country with a population of only 350.000 is hoping to keep that love affair going but Argentina, Croatia and Nigeria might be too much for them.
Still, a few years ago no one would expect them to qualify to the 2018 World Cup and be 22nd in the rankings so maybe they can surprise the world one more time.

Goalkeepers: Hannes Thor Halldorsson (Randers FC), Runar Runarsson (FC Nordsjælland), Frederik Schram (FC Roskilde).
Defenders: Kari Arnason (Vikingur), Ari Skulason (Lokeren), Birkir Saevarsson (Valur), Sverrir Ingason (FC Rostov), Hordur Magnusson (Bristol City), Holmar Eyjolfsson (Levski Sofia), Ragnar Sigurdsson (FC Rostov).
Midfielders: Johann Gudmundsson (Burnley), Birkir Bjarnason (Aston Villa), Arnor Traustason (Malmo FF), Emil Hallfredsson (Udinese), Gylfi Sigurdsson (Everton), Olafur Skulason (Kardemir Karabukspor), Rurik Gislason (SV Sandhausen), Samuel Fridjonsson (Valerenga), Aron Gunnarsson (Cardiff City).
Forwards: Alfred Finnbogason (Augsburg), Bjorn Sigurdarson (FC Rostov), Jon Dadi Bodvarsson (Reading), Albert Gudmundsson (PSV Eindhoven).

Coach: Heimir Hallgrimsson


CROATIA
The Croatians have a very talented squad, powered by the great midfield duo formed by Ivan Rakitic and Luka Modric.
18th in the world, they face a tough group and their defense is a bit questionable at times, with Dejan Lovren being a bit inconsistent and the veteran Corluka not being fully fit.
They are still the most likely to follow Argentina into the next stage.

Goalkeepers: Danijel Subasic (Monaco), Lovre Kalinic (Gent), Dominik Livakovic (Dinamo Zagreb).
Defenders: Vedran Corluka (Lokomotiv Moscow), Domagoj Vida (Besiktas), Ivan Strinic (Milan), Dejan Lovren (Liverpool), Sime Vrsaljko (Atletico Madrid), Josip Pivaric (Dynamo Kiev), Tin Jedvaj (Bayer Leverkusen), Duje Caleta-Car (Red Bull Salzburg).
Midfielders: Luka Modric (Real Madrid), Ivan Rakitic (Barcelona), Mateo Kovacic (Real Madrid), Milan Badelj (Fiorentina), Marcelo Brozovic (Inter Milan), Filip Bradaric (Rijeka).
Forwards: Mario Mandzukic (Juventus), Ivan Perisic (Inter Milan), Nikola Kalinic (AC Milan), Andrej Kramaric (Hoffenheim), Marko Pjaca (Juventus), Ante Rebic (Fiorentina).

Coach: Zlatko Dalic


NIGERIA
The Super Eagles meet Argentina once again, after being paired with them in the 2014 Group Stage.
Nigeria have the youngest squad in the World Cup with an average age below 26 so John Mikel Obi’s experience and discipline will be decisive.
Currently 47th in the world, a far cry from the 5th place they reached in 1994 and that is still the best African ranking ever, Nigeria are hoping to wear their marvelous kits for a long time in Russia.

Goalkeepers: Francis Uzoho (Deportivo La Coruna), Ikechukwu Ezenwa (Enyimba), Daniel Akpeyi (Chippa United).
Defenders: William Troost-Ekong, Abdullahi Shehu (both Bursaspor), Tyronne Ebuehi (Benfica), Elderson Echiejile (Cercle Brugge), Bryan Idowu (Amkar Perm), Chidozie Awaziem (Porto), Leon Balogun (Brighton), Kenneth Omeruo (Chelsea).
Midfielders: Mikel John Obi (Tianjin Teda), Ogenyi Onazi (Trabzonspor), Wilfred Ndidi (Leicester), Oghenekaro Etebo (CD Feirense), John Ogu (Hapoel Be'er Sheva), Joel Obi (Torino, Italy).
Forwards: Ahmed Musa, Kelechi Iheanacho (both Leicester), Victor Moses (Chelsea), Odion Ighalo (Changchun Yatai), Alex Iwobi (Arsenal), Simeon Nwankwo (Crotone).

Coach: Gernot Rohr



BRAZIL

Brazil is synonymous with football. They have enchanted the world with their passion for decades and they are ready to return to the biggest stage after their heartbreaking home defeat to Germany 7-1.
Under Tite, they have dominated the CONMEBOL qualification, ending 10 points ahead of Uruguay, and they have one of the most stacked squads of the tournament.
All eyes will be on the 2nd placed team in the world and on what Neymar, Firmino and Coutinho can do.

Goalkeepers: Alisson (Roma), Ederson (Manchester City), Cassio (Corinthians).
Defenders: Danilo (Manchester City), Fagner (Corinthians), Marcelo (Real Madrid), Filipe Luis (Atletico Madrid), Thiago Silva, Marquinhos (both Paris St-Germain), Miranda (Inter Milan) Pedro Geromel (Gremio).
Midfielders: Casemiro (Real Madrid), Fernandinho (Manchester City), Paulinho (Barcelona), Fred (Shakhtar Donetsk), Renato Augusto (Beijing Guoan), Philippe Coutinho (Barcelona), Willian (Chelsea), Douglas Costa (Juventus).
Forwards: Neymar Jr (Paris St-Germain), Taison (Shakhtar Donetsk), Gabriel Jesus (Manchester City), Roberto Firmino (Liverpool).

Coach: Tite


SWITZERLAND
Switzerland won 9 of their 10 qualification games but were still forced to go the playoffs after being behind Portugal on head to head.
A 1-0 win over Ireland was enough to send them to Russia where they will probably fight with Costa Rica and Serbia for the 2nd place in the group.
Ranked 6 in the world, Switzerland don’t have any world class player but coach Vladimir Petkovic has turned them into a strong collective side.

Goalkeepers: Roman Buerki (Borussia Dortmund), Yvon Mvogo (Leipzig), Yann Sommer (Borussia Monchengladbach).
Defenders: Manuel Akanji (Borussia Dortmund), Johan Djourou (Antalyaspor), Nico Elvedi (Borussia Monchengladbach), Michael Lang (Basel), Stephan Lichtsteiner (Juventus), Jacques-Francois Moubandje (Toulouse), Ricardo Rodriguez (Milan), Fabian Schaer (Deportivo La Coruna).
Midfielders: Valon Behrami (Udinese), Blerim Dzemaili (Bologna), Gelson Fernandes (Eintracht Frankfurt), Remo Freuler (Atalanta), Xherdan Shaqiri (Stoke City), Granit Xhaka (Arsenal), Steven Zuber (1899 Hoffenheim), Denis Zakaria (Borussia Monchengladbach).
Forwards: Josip Drmic (Borussia Monchengladbach), Breel Embolo (Schalke), Mario Gavranovic (Dinamo Zagreb), Haris Seferovic (Benfica).

Coach: Vladimir Petkovic


COSTA RICA
Costa Rica was one of the biggest surprises of the World Cup in Brazil, toping a group that had Uruguay, Italy and England and that saw the two European teams going home early, reaching the quarter finals and only losing to the Netherlands on penalties.
Bryan Ruiz leads the team on what will likely be his final World Cup and will try to take the 25th ranked team to the knockout stage once again, proving that this is Costa Rica’s golden generation.

Goalkeepers: Keylor Navas (Real Madrid), Patrick Pemberton (Liga Deportiva Alajuelense), Leonel Moreira (CS Herediano).
Defenders: Cristian Gamboa (Celtic), Ian Smith (Santos de Guapiles), Ronald Matarrita (New York City), Bryan Oviedo (Sunderland), Oscar Duarte (Espanyol), Giancarlo Gonzalez (Bologna), Francisco Calvo (Minnesota United), Kendall Waston (Vancouver Whitecaps), Johnny Acosta (Rionegro Aguilas).
Midfielders: David Guzman (Portland Timbers), Yeltsin Tejeda (Lausanne-Sport), Celso Borges (Deportivo La Coruna), Randall Azofeifa (CS Herediano), Rodney Wallace (New York City), Bryan Ruiz (Sporting Lisbon), Daniel Colindres, Christian Bolanos (both Deportivo Saprissa).
Forwards: Johan Venegas (Deportivo Saprissa), Joel Campbell (Real Betis), Marco Urena (Los Angeles FC).

Coach: Óscar Ramírez


SERBIA
Serbia are back to the World Cup after missing Brazil and a few players of the U20 team that won the U20 World Cup in 2015 have joined the squad that occupies the 35th rank.
With a midfield that has an in form Nemanja Matic and one of the most wanted players in the world in Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Serbia have a good chance to go through to the round of 16.

Goalkeepers: Vladimir Stojkovic (Partizan Belgrade), Predrag Rajkovic (Maccabi Tel Aviv), Marko Dmitrovic (Eibar).
Defenders: Aleksandar Kolarov (Roma), Branislav Ivanovic (Zenit St Petersburg), Dusko Tosic (Guangzhou R&F), Antonio Rukavina (Villarreal), Milos Veljkovic (Werder Bremen), Milan Rodic (Red Star Belgrade), Uros Spajic (Krasnodar), Nikola Milenkovic (Fiorentina).
Midfielders: Nemanja Matic (Manchester United), Luka Milivojevic (Crystal Palace), Sergej Milinkovic-Savic (Lazio), Marko Grujic (Liverpool), Adem Ljajic (Torino), Dusan Tadic (Southampton), Filip Kostic (Hamburg), Andrija Zivkovic (Benfica), Nemanja Radonjic (Red Star Belgrade).
Strikers: Aleksandar Mitrovic (Newcastle United), Aleksandar Prijovic (PAOK Salonika), Luka Jovic (Benfica).

Coach: Mladen Krstajic



GERMANY
The reigning World Champions and number 1 in the world are hoping to retain their title in European soil.
Past winners haven’t done well in their following tournament in recent years, with France, Italy and Spain crashing out in the group stages after their World Cup wins but Germany won’t be affected by that.
It’s a side that has been rejuvenated after the Brazil World Cup and they have on the youngest squads of tournament, only Khedira and Mario Gomez are over 30.

Goalkeepers: Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Marc-Andre ter Stegen (Barcelona), Kevin Trapp (Paris St-Germain).
Defenders: Jerome Boateng (Bayern Munich), Matthias Ginter (Borussia Monchengladbach), Jonas Hector (Cologne), Mats Hummels (Bayern Munich), Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich), Marvin Plattenhardt (Hertha Berlin), Antonio Rudiger (Chelsea), Niklas Sule (Bayern Munich).
Midfielders: Julian Brandt (Bayer Leverkusen), Julian Draxler (Paris St-Germain), Leon Goretska (Schalke), Ilkay Gundogan (Manchester City), Sami Khedira (Juventus), Toni Kroos (Real Madrid), Mesut Ozil (Arsenal), Sebastian Rudy (Bayern Munich).
Strikers: Mario Gomez (Stuttgart), Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich), Marco Reus (Borussia Dortmund), Timo Werner (RB Leipzig).

Coach: Joachim Löw


MEXICO
Mexico has to be one of the most consistent teams in the World Cup. Since the 1994 World Cup in the USA, Mexico have always reached the round of 16, never doing better or worse for 6 straight World Cups.
Ranked 15th in the world, El Tri will try to at least maintain that consistency but maybe Javier Hernandez and Hirving Lozano will push Mexico a step forward this time.

Goalkeepers: Guillermo Ochoa (Standard Liege), Alfredo Talavera (Toluca), Jesus Corona (Cruz Azul).
Defenders: Carlos Salcedo (Eintracht Frankfurt), Diego Reyes (Porto), Hector Moreno (Real Sociedad), Hugo Ayala (Tigres), Edson Alvarez (America), Jesus Gallardo (Monterrey), Miguel Layun (Sevilla).
Midfielders: Rafael Marquez (Atlas), Hector Herrera (Porto), Jonathan dos Santos, Giovani dos Santos (both LA Galaxy), Andres Guardado (Real Betis), Javier Aquino (Tigres), Jesus Corona (Porto).
Forwards: Javier Hernandez (West Ham), Raul Jimenez (Benfica), Oribe Peralta (America), Carlos Vela (Los Angeles FC), Hirving Lozano (PSV Eindhoven), Marco Fabian (Eintracht Frankfurt).

Coach: Juan Carlos Osorio


SWEDEN
For the first time in 18 years, Sweden will take part in a major tournament without Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
The collective have already shown that they can do the job without Zlatan, eliminating both the Netherlands and Italy in qualification.
Leipzig’s Emil Forsberg has become the team’s key player but the 23rd in the world is lacking a bit in terms of attacking options since the big man left.

Goalkeepers: Robin Olsen (Copenhagen), Karl-Johan Johnsson (Guingamp), Kristoffer Nordfeldt (Swansea).
Defenders: Mikael Lustig (Celtic), Victor Lindelof (Manchester United), Andreas Granqvist (Krasnador), Martin Olsson (Swansea), Ludwig Augustinsson (Werder Bremen), Filip Helander, Emil Krafth (both Bologna), Pontus Jansson (Leeds United).
Midfielders: Sebastian Larsson (Hull), Albin Ekdal (Hamburg), Emil Forsberg (RB Leipzig), Gustav Svensson (Seattle Sounders), Oscar Hiljemark (Genoa), Viktor Claesson (Krasnador), Marcus Rohden (Crotone), Jimmy Durmaz (Toulouse).
Forwards: Marcus Berg (Al Ain), John Guidetti (Alaves), Ola Toivonen (Toulouse), Isaac Kiese Thelin (Waasland-Beveren).

Coach: Janne Andersson


SOUTH KOREA
The hope of South Korea lies in Son Heung-min. The Tottenham man has had an amazing season and has showed he can play in various positions, even taking over the striker position with success when Harry Kane was injured.
61st in the world, South Korea might be the underdogs of the group but past World Cups are proof that their pacey counters could do a lot of damage and shock a few big candidates along the way.

Goalkeepers: Kim Seung-gyu (Vissel Kobe), Kim Jin-hyeon (Cerezo Osaka), Cho Hyun-woo (Daegu FC).
Defenders: Kim young-gwon (Guangzhou Evergrande), Jang Hyun-soo (FC Tokyo), Jung Seung-hyun (Sagan Tosu), Yun Yong-sun (Seongnam FC), Oh Ban-suk (Jeju United), Kim Min-woo (Sangju Sangmu), Park Joo-ho (Ulsan Hyundai), Hong Chul (Sangju Sangmu), Go Yo-han (FC Seoul), Lee Yong (Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors).
Midfielders: Ki Sung-yueng (Swansea), Jung Woo-young (Vissel Kobe), Ju Se-jong (Asan Mugunghwa), Koo Ja-cheol (Augsburg), Lee Jae-sung (Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors), Lee Seung-woo (Hellas Verona), Moon Seon-min (Incheon United).
Forwards: Kim Shin-wook (Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors), Son Heung-min (Tottenham), Hwang Hee-chan (Red Bull Salzburg).

Coach: Shin Tae-yong



BELGIUM
On paper, Belgium have one of the best teams in the World Cup, with an impressive attack formed by Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne, Dries Mertens and Romelu Lukaku.
The weakest part might be on the bench with Roberto Martinez being a questionable choice for manager of such a talented squad.
The omission of Radja Nainggolan from the 3rd best team in the world is one of the many strange decisions Martinez has made.

Goalkeepers: Koen Casteels (Wolfsburg), Thibaut Courtois (Chelsea), Simon Mignolet (Liverpool).
Defenders: Toby Alderweireld (Tottenham), Dedryck Boyata (Celtic), Vincent Kompany (Manchester City), Thomas Meunier (Paris St-Germain), Thomas Vermaelen (Barcelona), Jan Vertonghen (Tottenham).
Midfielders: Yannick Carrasco (Dalian Yifang), Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City), Mousa Dembele (Tottenham), Leander Dendoncker (Anderlecht), Marouane Fellaini (Manchester United), Eden Hazard (Chelsea), Thorgan Hazard (Borussia Monchengladbach), Adnan Januzaj (Real Sociedad), Youri Tielemans (Monaco), Axel Witsel (Tianjin Quanjian).
Forwards: Michy Batshuayi (Chelsea), Nacer Chadli (West Brom), Romelu Lukaku (Manchester United), Dries Mertens (Napoli).

Coach: Roberto Martinez


PANAMA
Panama make their debut on the World Cup after a controversial qualification where a phantom goal threw the USA out of the World Cup for the first time in 32 years and sent Panama to Russia.
The oldest team in the competition and ranked 55 in the World, not much is expected from this Panama squad but they’ve already showed they are ready to fight until the last minute.

Goalkeepers: Jose Calderon (Chorrillo), Jaime Penedo (Dinamo Bucharest), Alex Rodriguez (San Francisco).
Defenders: Felipe Baloy (Municipal CSD), Harold Cummings (San Jose Earthquakes), Erick Davis (Dunajska Streda), Fidel Escobar (San Miguelito), Michael Murillo (New York Red Bulls), Adolfo Machado (Houston Dynamo), Luis Ovalle (Olimpia), Roman Torres (Seattle Sounders).
Midfielders: Jose Luis Rodriguez (Gent), Yoel Barcenas (Cafetaleros de Tapachula), Armando Cooper (Universidad de Chile), Anibal Godoy (San Jose Earthquakes), Gabriel Gomez (Bucaramanga), Valentin Pimentel (Plaza Amador), Alberto Quintero (Universitario).
Forwards: Abdiel Arroyo (Alajuelense), Ismael Diaz (Deportivo La Coruna), Blas Perez (Municipal), Luis Tejada (Sports Boys), Gabriel Torres (CD Huachipato).

Coach: Hérnan Dário Gómez


TUNISIA
After missing the last two World Cups, Tunisia are back to the main stage of international football.
14th in the world, Tunisia has never gone past the group stage and they have a near impossible task with European powerhouses Belgium and England on their way.
Maybe they can get a second World Cup win if they beat Panama, their first win came against Mexico in Tunisia’s very first World Cup match back in 1978.

Goalkeepers: Farouk Ben Mustapha (Al Shabab), Mouez Hassen (Nice), Aymen Mathlouthi (Al Baten).
Defenders: Rami Bedoui (Etoile du Sahel), Yohan Benalouane (Leicester), Syam Ben Youssef (Kasimpasa), Dylan Bronn (Gent), Oussama Haddadi (Dijon), Ali Maaloul (Al Ahly), Yassine Meriah (CS Sfaxien), Hamdi Nagguez (Zamalek).
Midfielders: Wahbi Khazri (Rennes), Anice Badri (Esperance), Mohamed Amine Ben Amor (Etoile Sportive du Sahel), Ferjani Sassi (Al Nasr), Ellyes Skhiri (Montpellier).
Forwards: Saifeddine Khaoui (Marseille), Fakhreddine Ben Youssef (Al Ettifaq), Saber Khalifa (Club Africain), Bassem Srarfi (Nice), Naim Sliti (Lille), Ahmed Khalil (Club Africain), Ghaylen Chaaleli (Esperance).

Coach: Nabil Maâloul


ENGLAND
This is one of the youngest and more exciting England squads of recent years and the English are hoping this is the year they at least go past the quarter finals, something that happened only once since 1966.
With goal scoring machine Harry Kane leading the line, backed by the creativity of Dele Alli and Raheem Sterling, the 13th in the rankings is expected to go far in the competition.
Some questions will be asked about the 3 goalkeepers that have a total of 10 international caps between them but Gareth Southgate has shown complete confidence in them, leaving experienced Joe Hart at home.

Goalkeepers: Jack Butland (Stoke), Jordan Pickford (Everton), Nick Pope (Burnley).
Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Gary Cahill (Chelsea), Fabian Delph (Manchester City), Phil Jones (Manchester United), Harry Maguire (Leicester), Danny Rose (Tottenham), John Stones (Manchester City), Kieran Trippier (Tottenham), Kyle Walker (Manchester City), Ashley Young (Manchester United).
Midfielders: Dele Alli, Eric Dier (both Tottenham), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Jesse Lingard (Manchester United), Ruben Loftus-Cheek (Chelsea).
Forwards: Harry Kane (Tottenham), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), Raheem Sterling (Manchester City), Jamie Vardy (Leicester), Danny Welbeck (Arsenal).

Coach: Gareth Southgate



POLAND
Absent from the World Cup since 2006, Poland are back after a very successful qualification where Lewandowski broke the record for most goals in a single UEFA qualifying campaign with 16 goals.
While their attack is powerful, the 10th team in the rankings has conceded 14 goals in 10 games, something Adam Nawalka will have to correct if they want to have a chance to go through to the round of 16.

Goalkeepers: Bartosz Bialkowski (Ipswich), Lukasz Fabianski (Swansea City), Wojciech Szczesny (Juventus).
Defenders: Jan Bednarek (Southampton), Bartosz Bereszynski (Sampdoria), Thiago Cionek (SPAL), Kamil Glik (Monaco), Artur Jedrzejczyk (Legia Warsaw), Michal Pazdan (Legia Warsaw), Lukasz Piszczek (Borussia Dortmund).
Midfielders: Jakub Blaszczykowski (Wolfsburg), Jacek Goralski (Ludogorets Razgrad), Kamil Grosicki (Hull City), Grzegorz Krychowiak (Paris St-Germain), Rafal Kurzawa (Gornik Zabrze), Karol Linetty (Sampdoria), Slawomir Peszko (Lechnia Gdansk), Maciej Rybus (Lokomotiv Moscow), Piotr Zielinski (Napoli).
Forwards: Dawid Kownacki (Sampdoria), Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich), Arkadiusz Milik (Napoli), Lukasz Teodorczyk (Anderlecht).

Coach: Adam Nawalka


SENEGAL
Senegal shocked the world back in 2002 when they beat the then world champions France in their first ever World Cup.
16 years have passed since then and Senegal are finally back to big stage.
They hope they can repeat their incredible achievement of 2002 and reach the quarter finals again but they have a tough group ahead of them.
Koulibaly is one of the strongest defenders in the world and Sadio Mane is a threat to any defense so there’s a bit of hope for the 28th ranked in the world.

Goalkeepers: Khadim N'Diaye (Horoya AC), Abdoulaye Diallo (Rennes), Alfred Gomis (Torino).
Defenders: Kara Mbodji (Anderlecht), Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli), Moussa Wague (Eupen), Saliou Ciss (Angers), Youssouf Sabaly (Bordeaux), Lamine Gassama (Alanyaspor).
Midfielders: Badou Ndiaye (Stoke), Idrissa Gueye (Everton), Cheikhou Kouyate (West Ham), Cheikh N'Doye (Birmingham), Salif Sane (Hannover 96), Alfred N'Diaye (Villarreal).
Forwards: Moussa Sow (Bursaspor), Sadio Mane (Liverpool), Keita Balde Diao (Monaco), Moussa Konate (Amiens), Ismaila Sarr (Rennes), Diafra Sakho (Rennes), Mame Biram Diouf (Stoke), M'Baye Niang (AC Milan).

Coach: Aliou Cissé


COLOMBIA
Colombia had a great World Cup in 2014, reaching the quarter finals and with James Rodriguez scoring 6 to be the competition’s top goalscorer.
José Pékerman is hoping their team can rise to the occasion again, with a fit Falcão ready to help James Rodriguez on goal scoring duties but Ospina has proved to be a shaky in goal in the past.
16th in the world, Colombia looks like the favorite to top their group.

Goalkeepers: David Ospina (Arsenal), Camilo Vargas (Deportivo Cali), Jose Fernando Cuadrado (Once Caldas).
Defenders: Cristian Zapata (Milan), Davinson Sanchez (Tottenham), Santiago Arias (PSV Eindhoven), Oscar Murillo (Pachuca), Frank Fabra (Boca Juniors), Johan Mojica (Girona), Yerry Mina (Barcelona).
Midfielders: Wílmar Barrios (Boca Juniors), Carlos Sanchez (Espanyol), Jefferson Lerma (Levante), Jose Izquierdo (Brighton), James Rodriguez (Bayern Munich), Abel Aguilar (Deportivo Cali), Mateus Uribe (America), Juan Fernando Quintero (River Plate), Juan Cuadrado (Juventus).
Forwards: Radamel Falcao (Monaco), Miguel Borja (Palmeiras), Carlos Bacca (Villarreal), Luis Fernando Muriel (Sevilla).

Coach: José Pékerman


JAPAN
Japan’s recent World Cup form is a bit curious, they’ve altered between going out on the group stage and reaching the round of 16 since 1998.
If they continue that form, they should reach the round of 16 this year but for that to happen Keisuke Honda, Shinji Kagawa and Shinji Okazaki will have to put on some great performances and lift the 60th in the FIFA rankings to a higher level.

Goalkeepers: Eiji Kawashima (Metz), Masaaki Higashiguchi (Gamba Osaka), Kosuke Nakamura (Kashiwa Reysol).
Defenders: Yuto Nagatomo (Galatasaray), Tomoaki Makino, Wataru Endo (both Urawa Reds), Maya Yoshida (Southampton), Hiroki Sakai (Marseille), Gotoku Sakai (Hamburg), Gen Shoji, Naomichi Ueda (both Kashima Antlers).
Midfielders: Makoto Hasebe (Eintracht Frankfurt), Keisuke Honda (Pachuca), Takashi Inui (Eibar), Shinji Kagawa (Dortmund), Hotaru Yamaguchi (Cerezo Osaka), Genki Haraguchi (Hertha Berlin), Takashi Usami (Augsburg), Gaku Shibasaki (Getafe), Ryota Oshima (Kawasaki Frontale).
Forwards: Shinji Okazaki (Leicester), Yuya Osako (Werder Bremen), Yoshinori Muto (Mainz).



Best way to check what time is a match on your particular time zone is through FIFA's official site.
You can check who has the broadcasting rights for the World Cup in your country here.
Many stations will show matches in 4K HDR, BBC is doing this in the UK on the iPlayer and also will be showing it in VR. RTP is also showing it in 4K HDR in Portugal through partnerships with cable operators.




One thing is certain, there will be a lot of confusing regarding VAR in this World Cup. VAR stands for Video Assistant Referee and has been slowly implemented all over the world. The role is taken by a referee who will watch the match through multiple cameras and who is in constant communication with the main referee on the pitch.
There are 4 situations where the VAR can assist the main referee, checking if there was any irregularity from a goal since the start of the buildup play, penalties, straight red cards and when a card is given to the wrong player.
The VAR will communicate to the referee his interpretation of the play and the referee can decide to accept that interpretation, reject it or stop the play to go and watch the play in a monitor near the sideline.
So prepare to watch teams and fans celebrate a goal only for VAR to disallow it 1 minute later.
Referees will get better at using VAR and in the end it's worth it as it allows for fairer decisions.


The World Cup is all about celebrating football and the other cultures, music is a big part of that celebration. As usual, there's one official World Cup song and one by Coca-Cola but a few countries also like to release their own official songs. I'll be adding some of them here as they are released.




Want more out of the World Cup? Check The Guardian's incredible interactive guide for a more in depth look to the teams and the players.
You can also join SLAENT's FIFA 18 World Cup PS4 Tournament for a taste of virtual glory.
There is also the SLAENT League FIFA Challenge Bracket.

Get ready for the insanity that will be Russia's World Cup