The 2018 FIFA World Cup's Biggest Contenders

It is the moment the world’s been waiting for, the kaleidoscopic month-long festival of football is finally upon us. Nearly four years since Mario Gotze sent Germany into thunderous raptures with a sensational volley in the 23rd minute of extra time of the 2014 World Cup final, the tournament will welcome the thirty-two best nations on the planet to compete for eternal glory. Like its previous instalments the 2018 World Cup promises to captivate the globe with scintillating football, fiery encounters and heart-stopping finishes between the sides all competing for the opportunity to lift the World’s most coveted trophy. Without further-adieu let’s look at how the ten most competitive nations in the tournament got there.

10. England

Key player: Harry Kane

Manager: Gareth Southgate

England come into Russia looking to make amends following their underwhelming 2014 World Cup campaign which saw them finish bottom of their group accumulating just one point. England bowed out of the tournament following successive 2-1 losses at the hands of Italy and Uruguay before ending their campaign with a dissatisfying 0-0 draw with Costa Rica. Since their dismal display in 2014 England’s line-up has changed dramatically with new youthful inclusions with players such as Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Trent Alexander-Arnold whom hadn’t made their mark at senior level football last time around.

England kicked off their qualifiers with a dramatic 1-0 victory over Slovakia thanks to a 95th minute goal to steal the three points form Liverpool’s Adam Lallana. In their second encounter they played out a comfortable 2-0 Victory over minnows Malta whose population of 934,947 is less than 1% of the English 53.01 million thanks to goals from Daniel Sturridge and Dele Alli. Their following result was a disappointing 0-0 draw at the hands of Slovenia, although England enjoyed 68% of possession they were unable to find a way past Atletico Madrid’s marvel shot-stopper Jan Oblak. Although frustrations showed in their draw with Slovenia England bounced back in the best possible way hammering rivals Scotland 3-0 in front of an attendance of 87,258 at Wembley Stadium. England showing their dominance in the air through headers from Daniel Sturridge, Adam Lallana and finally Gary Cahill with a glancing header off a Wayne Rooney corner. England kept the momentum going with a dominant display over Lithuania which finished 2-0 through goals from Jermaine Defoe and Leicester City’s very own Jamie Vardy.

Although rampant in their 3-0 victory over Scotland at Wembley, their away trek wouldn’t follow the same course. With scores locked at 0-0 in the 70th minute Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s marauding run gave him enough space to fire past the hapless Craig Gordon. England’s joy was short lived when Leigh Griffiths struck back not once, but twice in the 87th and 90th minute with two tremendously struck free-kicks which left Joe Hart hopelessly grasping at thin air. Scotland’s joy was fleeting as with 93 minutes on the clock Harry Kane ghosted into the back post and buried a Raheem Sterling cross to salvage an important point for the English. From that moment the English didn’t look back, winning their final four qualifying matches against Malta, Slovakia, Slovenia and Lithuania 4-0, 2-1, 1-0 and 1-0 respectively. The qualification capturing moment came in their 1-0 victory at home against Slovenia when a particularly passive match saw an unsuspecting Jan Oblak error gift Harry Kane the three points and confirm that they would be going to Russia.

The results left England undefeated and sitting comfortably on top of group F with 26 points out of a possible 30 and licking their lips at a shot at proving their relentless critics wrong.

9. Colombia

Key player: James Rodriguez

Manager: Jose Pekerman

Colombia come into the 2018 world cup high on the radar of their opposition following their efforts in the 2014 World Cup which saw them exceed all expectations by making it all the way to the quarter-final before falling 2-1 against the hosts, Brazil. The tournament highlighted the camaraderie and determination of a side that was out to prove a point and managed to do exactly that, as well as their talismanic number 10 James Rodriguez stamping his name on the world stage of professional football. Four years later Colombia will be coming to Russia with no intentions of slowing down from their previous campaign.

Colombia kick-started their qualifying campaign with a steady 2-0 victory over Peru thanks to a 36th minute goal from Teofilo Gutierrez before Edwin Cardona drowned out any hopes of a Peruvian equaliser with his 94th minute strike. Their following result, an embarrassing 3-0 loss at the hands of Uruguay, first conceding a header from captain Diego Godin before Diego Rolan and Abel Hernandez kept the misery coming for Colombia. Their following result, a hard fought 1-1 draw to Copa America champions Chile which saw midfield enforcer Arturo Vidal give Chile the lead before James Rodriguez equalised in the 68th minute to share the spoils. Whilst sitting neutrally after their first three games Argentina heaped the pressure on Colombia with Lucas Biglia finishing off a well worked Argentine counter attack to secure a 1-0 victory leaving Colombia with a solitary victory as well as one draw and two losses. Colombia then leapt into their best form of the qualifiers amassing three successive victories, starting with an exhilarating 3-2 victory away against Bolivia. An acute strike from James Rodriquez and a composed left foot volley from Carlos Bacca had the Colombians sailing into the half time break. Bolivia came out firing in the second half levelling the score by the 62-minute mark, but Colombia wouldn’t be laid to rest. Edwin Cardona grabbing his second goal of the World Cup qualifiers in the 92nd minute to silence the Estadio Hernando Siles. Colombia’s following victories came with a dominant 3-1 victory over Ecuador who’s only goal was a mere consolation in the 90th minute. Carlos Bacca’s brace on either side of half-time as well as Sebastian Perez’s tidy finish off a Juan Cuadrado cut-back was enough to secure the points. Colombia marked their third successive victory with a complacent 2-0 victory over Venezuela resulting from goals by James Rodriguez and Macnelly Torres.

In their next encounter Colombia crashed 2-1 to footballing giants Brazil after conceding an early glancing header from Miranda before Neymar put the game to bed in the 74th minute. In their ninth fixture Colombia stole a much needed three points right at the death when once again Edwin Cardona popped up and scored a sumptuous chip to send the travelling Colombian fans into raptures and securing a 1-0 victory over Paraguay. In their 10th and 11th fixtures Colombia played out two draws at home, beginning with a 2-2 draw withUruguay before a 0-0 draw with Chile 29 days later. On match-day 12 of the qualifiers came Colombia’s lowest point, a 3-0 thrashing away to Argentina spear-headed by Lionel Messi and Angel Di Maria whom grabbed a goal each. Colombia bounced back in their following fixture with a 1-0 victory over Bolivia courtesy of James Rodriguez following up his own penalty which was initially saved by Carlo Lampe. Colombia’s final five fixtures saw them play out three draws against Venezuela, Brazil and Paraguay. Accompanying the draws were a 2-1 loss away to Paraguay and also a 2-0 victory over Ecuador due to creative duo James Rodriguez and Juan Cuadrado both scoring before half-time in a game that would prove to be vital for Colombia. Following their qualifying campaign Colombia found themselves sitting 4th in the South American pool with which they were rewarded with automatic qualification with a tally of 27 points.

Following their success in qualifiers, fans can be assured that Colombia will be looking to better their phenomenal 2014 tournament.

8. Uruguay

Key player: Luis Suarez

Manager: Oscar Tabarez

Uruguay will be looking for retribution in 2018 after being knocked out of the 2014 World Cup in the round of 16 by South American counterparts Colombia. With marksman Luis Suarez and sniper Edinson Cavani having found their mojo working simultaneously, anything is possible for the Uruguayans.

Uruguay kick-started their qualifying campaign in October 2015 with a 2-0 victory over Bolivia thanks to goals from centre-backs Martin Caceres and Diego Godin. Five days later it was back to business for the Uruguayans keeping the high-flying Colombians subdued in a 3-0 victory through goals from captain Diego Godin once again as well as Diego Rolan and Abel Hernandez. On the 12/11/15 Uruguay dropped their first points in qualifiers in a stunning 2-1 loss at the hands of Ecuador. In a result that caught observers off guard Felipe Caicedo gave Ecuador a first half lead scoring a clinical finish inside the penalty area. Edinson Cavani headed Uruguay level on 49 minutes, only for Ecuadorian number 9 Fidel Martinez to bury a rebound to secure the result. Uruguay’s next three results displayed their ability to bounce back with victories over Chile and Peru alongside a 2-2 draw with high-flying Brazil. Their first encounter of the three games had Uruguay testing the Chileans early with Diego Godin capitalising off some lacklustre defending to put Uruguay ahead on 23 minutes. Just after the hour mark Uruguay had tripled their lead with Alvaro Pereira and Martin Caceres heading past Claudio Bravo on 61 and 65 minutes. On the 25/3/2016 at 10:05PM Uruguay found themselves 2-0 down and scratching their heads as Renato Augusto had just doubled Brazil’s lead following Douglas Costa’s opening goal within the first minute. With the fixture getting away from them and Brazil looking to finish off the game, Uruguay needed something special to salvage a point so Cavani and Suarez took it upon themselves to pull the rabbit out of the hat. On 30 minutes Edinson Cavani fired one back volleying the ball past Alisson off a cushioning header from Carlos Sanchez before Luis Suarez clinically put the Uruguayans level sliding the ball through Brazil’s number 1. In Uruguay’s 1-0 win over Peru the only goal came as a result of some near telepathic link up between dynamic duo Cavani and Suarez. Luis Suarez deftly lofted a pass with the outside of his boot to find Edinson Cavani in behind the Peruvian defence who made no mistake blasting the ball into the roof of the net and securing another 3 points for the Uruguayans.

Uruguay’s seventh fixture saw them slump to a 1-0 defeat to Argentina with Lionel Messi striking the dagger through Uruguayan hearts after he created space for himself only for his shot to deflect of Jose Maria Gimenez leaving Fernando Muslera bamboozled as the ball trickled past him. Uruguay bounced back confidently hammering Paraguay 4-0 at home with Cristian Rodriguez and Luis Suarez getting their name on the scoresheet with Cavani bagging himself a brace. Their following match proved to be more of the same as Uruguay beat Venezuela 3-0 as Nicolas Lodeiro opened the scoring in the 29th minute as Edinson Cavani followed it up with his second successive brace scoring in the 46th and 78th minute marks. On match-day ten Uruguay looked to make it three wins on the trot but the Colombians wouldn’t prove to be any easy feat. After conceding early on Uruguay eventually battled their way back into the lead through goals from Cristian Rodriguez and Luis Suarez only for Yerra Mina to bring Colombia level with five minutes to play finishing the game at 2-2. Matchday 11 brought Uruguay a fortunate 2-1 victory over Ecuador as Sebastian Coates and Diego Rolan both scored on either side of Felipe Caicedo’s low-driven equaliser to ensure the three points for the Uruguayans. The 15/11/2016 begun a string of poor results for Uruguay falling first to Chile 3-1, then a 4-1 loss to Brazil and finally an unexpected 2-1 loss to Peru leaving their chances at qualification in doubt with four games remaining. With World Cup qualification in doubt, Uruguay produced the results needed to ensure they would be going to Russia drawing 0-0 with Argentina and Venezuela as well as a 2-1 victory over Paraguay and a thrilling 4-2 victory against Bolivia which once again was spear-headed by Suarez and Cavani.

Finishing second in the South American qualifying pool and producing some breath taking football at times has Uruguay looking to compete for their first World Cup title in 68 years.

7. Belgium

Key player: Eden Hazard

Manager: Roberto Martinez

Belgium will be out to prove a point in Russia 2018 with one of the most highly anticipated and youthful international squads that football has to offer. In 2014 they were eliminated by eventual runners-up Argentina in the quarter final stage as Gonzalo Higuain’s volley ensured a 1-0 defeat for the Belgians. Belgium’s youthful squad with four more years of football up their sleeve will be a force to be reckoned with in 2018.

Belgium begun their qualifying campaign for 2018 in prolific fashion, dominating Cyprus and Bosnia 3-0 and 4-0 before absolutely annihilating Gibraltar and Estonia 6-0 and 8-1. The opening four games saw Belgium turn up some tremendous attacking football and highlighted just how dangerous the Belgian players are capable of being. In the opening four matches Romelu Lukaku had scored five goals, Eden Hazard had scored three times as well as Yannick Carrasco hitting the back of the net on three separate occasions. Belgium encountered their first and only hiccup of the tournament on the 25/3/17 in their 5th qualifying match at home against Greece. In the 46th minute Konstantinos Mitroglou caught the Belgian defence napping and pounced on a loose ball to put the Greeks ahead. With less than 60 seconds of regular time left to play Romelu Lukaku majestically brought down a pin-point cross from Dries Mertens before swivelling and volleying the Belgians level.

The Belgians continued their run of form with a hard fought 2-0 victory away to Estonia which saw both Dries Mertens and Nacer Chadli both making their mark on the World Cup qualifiers. If the victory over Estonia proved to be a tough contest then their following fixture would be nothing of the sort, the Belgians decimating a hapless Gibraltar side 9-0. Romelu Lukaku and Thomas Meunier took it upon themselves to run riot for the Belgians as they both grabbed their hat-tricks. Dries Mertens, Axel Witsel and Eden Hazard also got in on the act by grabbing goals of their own. In Belgium’s 6th bout in qualifying Greece once again proved to be a formidable opponent with the game ending 2-1 to Belgium following a four-minute flurry of goals. In the 70th minute centre back Jan Vertonghen found himself in space 25 yards out and made no mistake in firing the ball past the Greek goalkeeper Karnezis. Less than 180 seconds later Greece were back in the game as Zeca drifted into the penalty area and volleyed Greece back onto level terms. As Greece looked as though they might fight for another goal Romelu Lukaku took no time heading in Thomas Meunier’s cross to make it 2-1 to Belgium and ensure instant qualification to the 2018 World Cup. Belgium’s second last qualifier saw them play out a thrilling 4-3 victory away to Bosnia, a game in which both sides led before Yannick Carrasco put the final nail in the Bosnian coffin by finishing a delightfully lofted through ball from Thomas Meunier. Belgium’s final qualifier saw them pinned up against Cyprus, a game in which neither side had anything to play for, nonetheless the Belgians dispatched the Cypriots as they had done time and time again. The score finished 4-0 with brothers Eden and Thorgan Hazard sharing three goals between them. As well as Romelu Lukaku scoring his 11th goal of the qualifying campaign.

10 games, 9 wins, 1 draw, 43 goals scored, 6 goals conceded, people say that stats don’t lie, and if that’s the case then the Belgium side of 2018 are not one to be reconciled with leading into the FIFA world cup in Russia.

6. Portugal

Key player: Cristiano Ronaldo

Manager: Fernando Santos

European champions and captained by five-time Ballon D’or winner Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal are on the hunt to win their first ever World Cup, just like they did in France, 2016 they will be itching to prove the doubters wrong.

The World Cup qualifiers got off to the worst possible start for reigning European champions Portugal, going down 2-0 to Switzerland following first-half goals from Breel-Donald Embolo and Admir Mehmedi which sent the Portuguese crashing back down to Earth. With qualification not appearing as easy as may have first been anticipated, Portugal needed something or someone special to get the ball rolling, step forth Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese captain put in a trademark display which highlighted the goal-scoring prowess possessed by the highest scoring player in Portugal’s history. Portugal swept aside European minnows Andorra 6-0 with Ronaldo putting away four goals of his own in clinical fashion while Joao Cancelo and Andre Silva also got in on the scoring act. Portugal proved on match-day 3 that their hammering of Andorra was no fluke with a near identical performance to bury the Faroe Islands 6-0. This time around Andre Silva was leading the charge by scoring a hat-trick within 37 minutes to kill the game off before half-time. The second half saw Cristiano Ronaldo, Joao Moutinho and Joao Cancelo also add their names to the score-sheet to double Portugal’s half-time lead before the final whistle. The following four fixtures would turn into the Cristiano Ronaldo show for Portugal, which saw their leader hit the back of the net nine times and dispatching of which ever opponents were sent their way. The first of which was a 4-1 victory over Latvia in which Ronaldo scored a penalty following a foul on Nani, before putting away an acrobatic volley from a precise cross by Ricardo Quaresma. To put the score-line beyond any doubt William Carvalho and Bruno Alves both nodded past Andres Vanins settling the score at 4-1. Their following match saw Andre Silva open the scoring, burying a well-driven Raphael Guerreiro cross to put Hungary on the back foot. Cristiano Ronaldo stepped up to make it 2-0 and then 3-0, first hitting a tremendously struck low driven finish to beat Peter Gulacsi at his near-post, followed by a driven free-kick to seal the score at 3-0. Portugal’s 6th match continued on in the same fashion, with Ronaldo scoring two rebounded headers to put Portugal comfortably ahead, before he turned creator and slid Andre Silva in behind to secure another 3-0 victory and put Portugal on 15 points. Portugal went into their second encounter with Faroe Islands brimming with confidence and it showed in yet another relentless display. Cristiano Ronaldo scored his second hat-trick of the qualifiers with an incredible bicycle kick, an unstoppable penalty as well as composed finish to wrong foot the Faroe Islands defence. The other two goals came courtesy of William Carvalho and Nelson Olveira, created by none other than Cristiano Ronaldo.

Coming into the final three games Portugal found themselves still sitting in second place as a result of their first round lost to Switzerland whom although had an inferior goal difference were still yet to drop any points. Each of Portugal’s remaining games would prove to be vital in securing immediate qualification for Russia. Their next opponents Hungary were sitting 3rd in group B and proved to a frustrating side for Portugal to break down. In the 48th minute Portugal got their reward as Andre Silva headed Portugal into the lead from a Cristiano Ronaldo cross which found him unmarked at the back post. Portugal’s next opponents were out to prove a point following Portugal’s 6-0 decimation of them first time around, and the game was more contested than most would have predicted with Portugal only managing a 2-0 score-line against Andorra. Cristiano Ronaldo and Andre Silva both tapped in from close range in the second-half to ensure Portugal kept the pressure on group leaders Switzerland, who had just beaten Hungary 5-2. Coming in to their final fixture the scenario for Portugal was simple, win the game and you will qualify for the World Cup. Up against group leaders Switzerland who had beaten Portugal in the first qualifying match Portugal made no such mistake this time around. 41 minutes in Yohan Djourou fumbled the ball into his own net to make it 1-0 to the Portuguese. Twelve minutes into the second half and Andre Silva found himself with space at the back post to finish the game and leave Portugal leaders of group B thanks to their immaculate goal difference.

Following their ten qualifiers Portugal dug deep to keep the pressure on Switzerland before stealing automatic qualification in their final match, the Portuguese never say die attitude, paired with one of the greatest players the world has ever seen means that they can never be ruled out of going all the way.

5. Spain

Key player: Isco

Manager: Fernando Hierro

2008, 2010 and 2012 saw Spain enter the most successful period in the nation’s history winning the European Championships twice along-side a FIFA World Cup title, the first in their history. In 2018 Spain’s objective will be simple, accomplish one last glorious major international title before they wave goodbye to the final members of their golden generation.

Spain kicked off their qualifying campaign in emphatic fashion destroying lowly Lichtenstein 8-0. Diego Costa, David Silva and Alvaro Morata got in on the goals not once, but twice with Sergi Roberto and Vitolo joining in on the act as well. Round two promised to be one of the ties of the campaign with Spain taking on Italy in a repeat of the Euro 2012 final, a game which the Spanish calmly and comfortably laid the Italians to rest, 4-0. This time around Italy proved no such push over, the scores were locked at 0-0 at the half-time break, which left it all to play for in the second half. 55 minutes in Italian keeper Gianluigi Buffon found himself caught in no-man’s land before fumbling an attempted clearance into the path of Vitolo who made it two goals in as many games. The match wouldn’t be without further drama as Sergio Ramos’ late challenge saw German referee Felix Brych pointing straight to the penalty spot and Daniele De Rossi made no mistake, levelling the scores and securing a hard-fought point. A simple late error costing the Spanish a valuable 3 points and subsequently thrusting them into top gear as from that day on they brushed aside every opponent that came their way. Next up was Albania, who were sitting top of the group after their successive victories over Macedonia and Lichtenstein. The opening goal came in the 55th minute when Isco who found himself through on goal, slid the ball through to Diego Costa to bury into an empty net. Eight minutes later like a hot knife through butter Nolito forced his way in from the left by-line charging through a weak Albanian challenge which gave him the space to drive the ball into the side netting and make it 2-0 to Spain. In their next two fixtures Spain hit Macedonia and Israel for 4, defeating the underperforming sides 4-0 and 4-1 respectively and keeping themselves top of group G on goal difference over Italy who were also yet to be defeated. The following game saw Spain dominate the early stages against Macedonia as David Silva and Diego Costa had put them ahead 2-0 within 27 minutes thanks to some delightful build-up. Macedonia hit back through Ristovski on 66 minutes, but it was a consolation as Spain held on for the three points.

Spain’s seventh qualifier pinned them up against Italy with whom they were currently level on points. The Spanish knew the task at hand would be tough, but few would have predicted tenacity of the Spanish side to make light work of the Italians. Real Madrid playmaker Isco set the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu alight once again first scoring a precisely lofted free-kick to put the Spaniards 1-0 ahead. In the 40th minute Isco wriggled himself free of Daniele De Rossi’s incoming press before sliding the ball into the far corner of the net, leaving a despairing Gianluigi Buffon lying helpless on the Bernabeu turf. In the 77th minute Alvaro Morata showed fantastic awareness driving to the back post unmarked and smashing home a square ball from captain Sergio Ramos to finish the game off. Following Spain’s convincing win over the Italians all they had left to do was get the three points against their final three opponents. Lichtenstein, Albania and Israel. The Spanish did the job in remarkable fashion putting eight goals past Lichtenstein before a comfortable 3-0 victory over Albania ensured immediate qualification following Italy’s 1-1 draw with Macedonia. The vital win came courtesy of three goals within the first 30 minutes thanks to a clinical display from scorers Rodrigo, Isco and Thiago Alcantara. Spain’s final match which was nothing more than a formality which saw the Spaniards hold on for a 1-0 win after Asier Illaramendi’s thunderous 76th minute volley shattered Israeli hearts and ensured Spain’s qualification finished on a high.

28 points out of a possibly thirty and only 3 goals conceded highlights the Spanish’ discipline and tenacity as they appear as though they might be awakening another glorious era in their footballing history.

4. Argentina

Key player: Lionel Messi

Manager: Jorge Sampaoli

For Argentina it’s been a tale of frustration, disappointment and heartbreak following defeats in the final of their last three major international tournaments. The first of which was a gut-wrenching 1-0 defeat to deserved World Cup winners Germany in 2014 after Mario Gotze snatched the Germans the title with his 116th minute volley. In 2015 and then 2016. Argentina went all the way to the final of the Copa America only to be defeated by Chile on penalties not once, but twice. The Argentina side of 2018 has laid down the foundations and now they will be looking for vengeance on the world’s greatest stage.

Argentina got off to an underwhelming start to their qualifiers beginning their endeavour with a 2-0 loss at home to Ecuador with two late goals from Frickson Erazo and Felipe Caicedo downing the Argentines. Argentina followed up their opening match-day loss with successive draws, firstly 0-0 away to Paraguay and then a 1-1 draw at home against Brazil. A game in which chances were few and far between until Gonzalo Higuain squared a ball to an elusive Ezequiel Lavezzi who punished Brazil’s lack of awareness. The lead lasted until the 58th minute when Lucas Lima’s ricocheted volley levelled the scores. With two points, out of a possible nine in their opening three games Argentina bounced back to produce four successive wins and getting their qualifying campaign back on track. The first win came 1-0 over Colombia, courtesy of Lucas Biglia’s 20th minute tap-in before the Argentines held on for all three points. Argentina’s second victory of the qualifiers was an early fought 2-1 win over Copa America champions Chile. Felipe Gutierrez put the Chileans ahead with a thumping header on ten minutes, but only nine minutes later Angel Di Maria’s beautifully finessed shot put Argentina level, leaving Claudio Bravo with no chance. In the 25th minute Gabriel Mercado capitalised off some sloppy defending from the Chileans to give Argentina the lead, a lead which they held onto until the final whistle. Argentina made it three wins on the trot as Mercado and Messi put them two goals ahead of Bolivia, who wouldn’t be able to bridge the gap over the ninety minutes. Over five months later Argentina kicked off their seventh qualifying match, a game in which Argentine talisman Lionel Messi made the difference, retaining possession in a tight area before creating space to score with a deflected effort and win Argentina the match 1-0 against the disappointed Uruguayans. Argentina’s performances continued to be fragmented when regarding their consistency as they slumped in their following four fixtures to two draws against Venezuela and Peru and then a 1-0 loss to Paraguay followed by a 3-0 loss to Brazil who were well on track to securing qualification.

With seven games remaining Argentina’s capability to qualify for the world cup remained in doubt, leaving the players with an enormous task at hand. Their next game pinned them up against other World Cup hopefuls Colombia, who they took no time is dispatching, with Lionel Messi opening the scoring in the 10th minute with an incredibly struck free-kick which flew in off the cross bar. Messi then turned creator to beat an opponent, before curling in a brilliantly directed cross which Lucas Pratto headed past Arsenal’s David Ospina. Argentina rounded off proceedings with Angel Di Maria capitalising off some lack-lustre defending from Colombia to turn in Lionel Messi’s cut-back to make it 3-0. Argentina followed up their dominant display over Colombia with a 1-0 victory against Chile, courtesy of a thumping Lionel Messi penalty to secure the points. With qualification looking like a real possibility for Argentina, the players heaped the pressure on themselves by failing to win any of their next four games. The Argentines went down 2-0 against lowly Bolivia before three discouraging draws against Uruguay, Venezuela and Peru had their qualification up in their air. With everything to play for leading into their final and most vital qualifying match, Argentina needed a lifeline and Lionel Messi provided exactly that with a performance that signified exactly why he is considered by many to be the greatest that ever lived. The Argentines got off to the worst possible start going down 1-0 less than 40 seconds into the match when some brilliant aerial work from the Ecuadorians found Romario Ibarra in behind to finish and put the Ecuadorians ahead. With the weight of a nation on their shoulders and the pressure slowly stacking onto the Argentines, they had no other alternative but to dig deep and fight for a result. In the 12th minute Angel Di Maria found space out wide to cut the ball back to an ice cool Lionel Messi who slid the ball through Maximo Banguera’s legs to level the scores. Lionel Messi didn’t take time to celebrate as he picked the ball out of the net, sprinted it back to half-way so they could get the game restarted and fight for another goal. Seven minutes later Messi pounced on some undisciplined defending to find himself just inside the area with enough space to get a shot off as he drove the ball with his left foot sending it flying into the roof of the net to put the Argentines ahead 2-1. The game steadied out but in the 61st minute Lionel Messi once again displayed how fundamental he is to his nation. Messi received the ball 25 yards away from goal and drove the ball on his left foot towards the penalty area after weaving past two opponents he delicately lofted the ball over Maximo Banguera into the back of the next sending the Argentine players, coaches and fans into pandemonium. A world class goal to secure World Cup qualification for the ambitious South American nation.

Securing qualification in the most show-stopping way possible, with Messi in form and every player wearing their colours with pride, Argentina have the capabilities to go right to the very top in the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

3. Germany

Key Player: Thomas Muller

Manager: Joachim Low

Germany are the reigning World Cup champions following their emphatic campaign in Brazil, 2014 which saw them gallop to victory including the astonishing 7-1 humiliation of the tournament hosts. Following the strongest qualifying campaign of any European side it looks like history may be about to repeat itself.

Germany opened their qualifying campaign on unparalleled fashion by winning their first four games without even conceding a single goal. Their first two results were 3-0 victories over Norway and Czech Republic, fixtures in both of which Thomas Muller got his name on the scoresheet twice, with Joshua Kimmich and Toni Kroos scoring the accompanying goals for the Germans. On match-day three Germany hosted Northern Ireland who had picked up four points in their first two games. 13 minutes in Julian Draxler found himself with enough space to lash home from the edge of the box, shortly after Sami Khedira doubled the German’s lead with a well met glancing header. Exactly one month later Germany travelled to San Marino to play in front of an attendance of 3,851 spectators at the San Marino stadium. The game went on to be one of the most one-sided matches produced in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers as Germany prevailed 8-0. Serge Gnabry lead the German onslaught as he scored a hat-trick, whilst Jonas Hector scored a brace, the remaining goals were put away by Sami Khedira, Kevin Volland and an own goal from San Marino’s Stefanelli. Germany’s fifth match of the qualifiers finished 4-1 to the they sailed past Azerbaijan thanks to goals from Thomas Muller, Mario Gomez and an Andre Schurrle brace. The 4-1 result left Germany comfortably on top of group C at the halfway mark with 15 points out of a possible 15 with 21 goals scored and only 1 conceded.

Germany kicked-off the second half of their qualifiers on the 10/06/2017 with another decimation of San Marino, this time coming at the Stadion Nurnberg in front of 32,467 eagerly awaiting spectators. The 7-0 result once again had the Germans bathing in the goals with the scorers Julian Draxler, Amin Younes, Shkodran Mustafi, Julian Brandt and Sandro Wagner whom took charge by scoring his hat-trick. Match-day six offered Germany their only scare of the tournament as Czech Republic held firm defensively to stack the pressure on the Germans leading into the final stages of the match. Within the first 4 minutes Timo Werner got in behind before steadily dinking the ball past Czech goalkeeper Tomas Vaclik to put the Germans 1-0 ahead. The game held its course until on the 78th minute Czech midfielder Vladimir Darida put a thunderous shot in off the underside of the crossbar to level the scores. As Czech Repulic looked as though they would hold the Germans to a valuable draw German centre back Mats Hummels rose up to head the Germans ahead and sink Czech hearts after such a resilient performance. To seal their already imminent qualification Germany finished the final three games confidently. The first was the humbling 6-0 demolition of Norway in which Ozil, Draxler, Goretzka and Gomez all hit the target along with inform Leigpzig forward Timo Werner who grabbed two of his own. Up next was an away fixture against the fiercely competitive Northern Ireland, which would be played in Belfast. Within the first 90 seconds Sebastian Rudy had smashed Germany ahead when a loose ball fell perfectly to him 30 yards out with which he made no mistake in scoring one of the best goals of the qualifiers. Germany showed no signs of slowing down when Sandro Wagner used his first touch on the edge of the penalty area to open his body up and his second touch to rifle the ball past Northern Ireland goalkeeper Michael McGovern. In the 86th minute Joshua Kimmich volleyed in a deflected cross to make it 3-0 to the Germans. Northern Ireland found salvation through a 93rd minute Magennis goal but it was nothing more than a consolation. Germany rounded off a flawless qualifying campaign with a 5-1 victory over Azerbaijan in which once again the goals were well spread out as Wagner, Rudiger, Can all hit the back of the net and Goretzka was at the double.

Germany are the current holders of the world cup and the only nation who qualified in perfect fashion with an unmatchable 10 wins, 0 draw and 0 losses to see them through to the World Cup in comfortable fashion. If the Germans can keep the momentum going, anything is possible.

2. Brazil

Key player: Neymar

Manager: Tite

The first side to join Russia by securing a spot in the FIFA World Cup, Brazil will endeavour to reach the previous heights of the most successful country on the international stage by aiming to win a record 6th World Cup title for the Selecao.

Brazil’s opening qualifier was a game the Brazilians would quickly wish to forget with Chile getting the better of them 2-0 through an Eduardo Vargas volley and an Alexis Sanchez rebound. Following the loss against Chile, Brazilian manager Dunga’s reign consisted of wins over Venezuela and Peru 3-1 and 3-0 as well as draws against Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay 1-1, 2-2 and 2-2. In a decision that split many stakeholders in the Brazilian National Team, the Brazilian FA announced that they would be replacing manager Dunga with Corinthians manager Tite effective immediately. Tite’s sole objective from that point forwards would be to recuperate the Brazilian qualifying campaign and get them into the World Cup.

If Tite’s objective was to qualify for the World Cup then he eclipsed all possible expectations from the doubters. His first encounter as manager saw the Brazilians get up comfortably against Ecuador, orchestrated by a tremendous performance by Gabriel Jesus who was nineteen at the time. Jesus won a penalty in the 72nd minute which was dispatched confidently by Neymar before Jesus produced two goals of his own. The first, an 87th minute back heel which caught Ecuadorian keeper Alexander Dominguez completely off-guard, followed by a sublime right footed shot from the edge of the area to make it 3-0 Brazil. After their emphatic win to get Tite off to the perfect start Brazil won their next eight matches to make it nine wins in succession. The eighth of Brazil’s nine successive victories was a 3-0 win at home to Paraguay, the match in which Brazil sealed their fate as the first side to join Russia in the 2018 World Cup. In the 34th minute at the Corinthians Arena in Sao Paulo on the 28/03/2017 Philippe Coutinho started a mesmerising run which he bounced of midfielder Paulinho enabling him to unleash a left footed shot to put Brazil ahead. The celebrations showed just how much it meant to them as the entire team gathered around Coutinho in a show of celebration and solidarity. As the clock ticked over into the 64th minute Neymar utilised an opening out wide by flying into the Ecuadorian penalty area and then somehow managing to wriggle off a deflected effort which sent Ecudorian keeper Antony Silva diving in the wrong direction as the ball crossed the goal line. Neymar wheeled away in celebration, punching the air in a manner that was symbolic of both joy and relief. In the 85th minute as Brazil patiently kept hold of possession Marcelo instigated a darting run forward. Philippe Coutinho laid the ball off to Paulinho who displayed incredible awareness again to back-heel the ball into the path of Marcelo who took it in his stride and lobbed the ball immaculately over Antony Silva as his team-mates watched on and soon joined him to celebrate what was now certainly World Cup qualification for Brazil. In Brazil’s last three games which left nothing to play for they played out a 1-1 draw with Colombia and shortly after a 0-0 draw with Bolivia. Their final game although with nothing of to play for other than pride saw Brazil destroy the Chilean’s dreams as the reigning South American champions were beaten 3-0 and condemned to watching the tournament from home. The victory came courtesy of three second half goals from Paulinho and Gabriel Jesus who grabbed a deserved brace once again.

The most successful country in the history of the World Cup proved that they were the most efficient country in 2018 World Cup qualifying having their name as the first to join the hosts. Four years since they went crashing out of their own World Cup spectators, fans, pundits and players can be guaranteed that Brazil will not settle for anything less than the title of world champions.

1. France

Key player: Antoine Griezmann

Manager: Didier Deschamps

On the twentieth anniversary since France’s golden generation lifted the World Cup in 1998, it appears the Les Bleus may be on the verge of another glorious footballing era with a line-up full of youthful, tworld class players whom can guide them to football’s greatest honour.

France’s qualifying campaign got off to a dismal start, suffering a frustrating 0-0 draw away to Belarus at the Borisov Arena on the 6/9/16. Didier Deschamps side came back stronger following the stale draw winning their following four fixtures starting with a 4-1 win over Bulgaria with the goals coming twice from Kevin Gameiro as well as Dimitri Payet and Atletico Madrid’s playmaker Antoine Griezmann. In their following tie the French proved too good for mutual contenders Netherlands, as Paul Pogba’s brilliantly struck effort from 25 yards out proved too powerful for Martin Stekelenburg. In their 4th encounter France went behind in the 55th minute when Tim Forsberg’s knuckeball free-kick completely dumbfounded Hugo Lloris. The lead wasn’t to last long though when three minutes later Paul Pogba outleaped a pack of players to head the French level. In the 65th minute Swedish goalkeeper Robin Olsen made a blunder which left Dimitri Payet the all too easy task of sliding the ball into the back of an empty net to cap off a 2-1 victory for the French. To achieve their fourth successive win France took the lead through Olivier Giroud who tapped in a low-driven cross from Djibril Sidibe on 28 minutes. six minutes later Luxembourg levelled the scores through an Aurelien Joachim penalty, but it wasn’t to be as Antoine Griezmann put the French ahead with a penalty of his own in the 37th minute. On 77 minutes Olivier Giroud put the game out of Luxembourg’s reach when he climbed up to score a towering header which kept the French on top of group A. In the sixth match for the French they came up against a Sweden side who were still well in contention for qualification to the World Cup. In the 37th minute it looked as though the French might just get the better of them once again as Olivier Giroud scored an incredible left foot volley which sailed into the top right corner of the net. The Swedes would not be silenced though as Jimmy Durmaz struck back for Sweden with a thunderous left footed volley of his own in the 43rd minute. There would be more late drama as in the 3rd minute of stoppage time Hugo Lloris all to comfortably tried to dribble out of the back before misplacing a pass which fell all too perfectly to Swedish midfielder Ola Toivonen who fired the ball from within his own half into the empty French net. The scores finished Sweden 2-1 France and put Sweden top of group A on goal difference with four games left to play.

The final four fixtures played perfectly into the French’s hands as their opposing numbers Sweden and Netherlands managed one win, three losses and three wins and one loss respectively. The French managed three wins and a draw in their final four games which was them finish top of the group securing immediate qualification. France’s first of the four encounters was a stunning 4-0 victory over Netherlands at the Stade De France. Antoine Griezmann put France ahead in the 14th minute as the game was beginning to settle. What looked set up to be a tense finish turned out to be anything but as Thomas Lamar’s late double put France three goals ahead. Before the referee called time on the match young sensation Kylian Mbappe wrapped up proceedings by scoring in the 91st minute to make it 4-0. The following fixture for the French was a disappointing 0-0 draw with bottom dwellers Luxembourg, which fortunately wouldn’t unhinge their potential qualification. The final two matches proved to be testing for the French, the first of which a trip to Bulgaria. Within the first three minutes of the match France enjoyed some nice build up play, before a ball fizzed into Antoine Griezmann was perfectly caressed into the path of Blaise Matuidi who struck the ball into the top right corner of the net from the tightest of angles. The game proved promising for both sides but in the end neither could capitalise, with the score ending 1-0 to France. France now came into their final qualifier with one objective, win the match. If France could claim all three points against Belarus then they would make it through to the World Cup. In the 27th minute Matuidi slid Griezmann through on goal who finished covertly to put the French ahead. Six minutes later Griezmann was involved again as he found Olivier Giroud’s thriving run into the box as he slid the ball past Belarus goalkeeper Syarhey Chernik to make it 2-0. Belarus got themselves back into the game in the 44th minute when Saroka pulled a goal back, but France stood firm and held on for a 2-1 victory to send them to Russia.

After their Euro 2016 final loss this French side full of youthful and exciting prospects, with the weight of the world on their shoulders, promises to compete for the World’s most coveted title. After the qualifying campaign that they had, it’s hard to see anybody stopping the now tournament favourites from winning their nations second World Cup trophy.