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It all started more than two and a half years ago and after 872 games, we finally have the list of 32 nations who will be fighting it out in Russia for the most coveted trophy in world football.
There will be debuts for Iceland and Panama, while some of the biggest names in world football like Italy, Netherlands, Chile, United States, and Cameroon failed to qualify.
Teams like Spain, Germany, Brazil, Belgium, France, and England have a very strong squad while some of the other teams such as Australia, Mexico, Costa Rica, and Uruguay depend a lot on few of their star players.
On that note, let's see who really are the one-man teams in the World Cup:
#5 Poland - Robert Lewandowski
Poland returned to the World Cup after a gap of 12 years as they finished above Denmark to top their group in the qualifying campaign.
Adam Nawalka’s seventh-ranked side looked good throughout the qualifying campaign, courtesy of record-breaking 16 goals from their talismanic captain Robert Lewandowski.
With a leaky defence, Poland depends a lot on their frontmen to deliver the goods, and the Bayern Munich star will have to continue his goal scoring run if Poland wish to progress further.
They have some good players like Wojciech Szczesny, Kamil Glik, and Grzegorz Krychowiak but the onus will be on their skipper, Lewandowski to lead them from the front.
#4 Denmark - Christian Eriksen
After finishing second in European Group E behind Poland, Denmark beat the Republic of Ireland in the playoff game to secure a spot in the World Cup. Age Hareide's side played some great football throughout the qualifying campaign, beating Poland 4-0 and the Republic of Ireland 5-1 on their way.
Star of the qualifying campaign for Denmark was Christian Eriksen. With 11 goals and 3 assists in 12 matches, the Tottenham Hotspur man played a pivotal role in his side's fortunes.
Playing out wide in a 3-man midfield, the 25-year old showed he can be one of the best playmakers in the world with some stunning goals and assists. They have some good players like Thomas Delaney, Simon Kjær, and Andreas Christensen but Christian Eriksen is undoubtedly the go-to man for Age Hareide.
#3 Egypt - Mohamed Salah
Egypt reached the World Cup for the first time in 28 years after a relatively quiet qualifying campaign. The Pharaohs finished on top of their qualifying group, thanks to Mo Salah's brilliance.
The 25-year-old forward has been in sensational form over the last 12 months for his club and country as he finished as the top scorer in the CAF World Cup Qualification campaign with 5 goals. He has transformed into a completely different player as compared to the one we saw in Chelsea a few years ago.
They are scheduled to play Russia, Uruguay, and Saudi Arabia in the group stage and their success rests a lot on the shoulders of Mohamed Salah. With 17 goals already this season for Liverpool, he will be the key player for Hector Cuper.
#2 Australia - Tim Cahill
After finishing third in Asian Group B behind Japan and Saudi Arabia, the Socceroos defeated Syria and Honduras in the play-offs to secure their World Cup spot. They will play France, Peru, and Denmark in the group stages.
The ex-Everton and ex-New York Red Bulls forward, Tim Cahill is an important member of the Australian squad. The Socceroos' all-time leading scorer has hit the target 11 times in the qualifying campaign, helping Australia to their fifth World Cup.
Though they have some good players like Aaron Mooy, Mile Jedinak, and Tom Rogic, the 38-year-old veteran forward has the big game experience and is expected to lead Australia's charge, come summer 2018.
#1 Argentina - Lionel Messi
After going 1-0 down in a must-win qualification game against Ecuador, Lionel Messi's brilliance saved Jorge Sampaoli's side from embarrassment and secured a spot in the World Cup.
WIth 7 goals, Lionel Messi finished only behind Edinson Cavani in the CONMEBOL World Cup Qualification campaign. Argentina has some of the biggest names in world football like Sergio Aguero, Gonzalo Higuain, Mauro Icardi, Angel di Maria and Paulo Dybala, but none of them were able to save Argentina from going down.
All of them were poor in the qualifying campaign, leaving it to Messi to rescue them in the end.
Again in Russia, Argentina will rely a lot on their talismanic captain to deliver the goods. Messi is yet to win a major tournament with Argentina and this may very well be his last chance. Argentina has a strong squad but when it comes to making it work on the field, Messi is undoubtedly the man for Jorge Sampaoli.
