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The sensation that is the FIFA World Cup 2018 kicks off in under a week. All the 32 participating teams are quickly wrapping up the preparation phase while some have already landed in Russia to continue training in their respective base camps.
FIFA recently released the final world rankings before the showpiece, and there weren’t many changes at the top. Germany, Brazil, Belgium, Portugal and Argentina all remain unchanged in the top 5, while Chile is the only side from top 10 that will not feature in Russia.
Now, let’s climb down the table and dwell on the World Cup teams languishing well below the charts. According to the latest rankings, only 5 of the 32 qualified teams don’t fall within the top 50. And there are some real shockers here.
So who are these five teams? Let’s rank them in descending order and also identify the key player in each of these sides:
#5 Panama
Rank: 55
Key Player: Blas Perez
Los Canaleros are set to participate in their first ever World Cup, and having been drawn in a tough group alongside Belgium and England, would be handed a baptism of fire. But for a team of their ilk, with all due respect, mustering even a single point or scoring a goal would be a success.
The road to Russia was nothing short of a fairytale, defeating Costa Rica on the final matchday with a winner 8 minutes from time that knocked USA out.
Not much is expected from Panama in Russia, but after Costa Rica’s heroics in 2014, there’s optimism in this CONCACAF outfit.
At 37, an outfield player normally retires from national duty. In some rare cases, he’ll be active but used mostly from the bench. But in Blas Perez’s case, he’ll lead the line at the World Cup! You read it right.
The Panama veteran is set to spearhead the vanguard in Russia for the minnows at the ripe old age of 37 and would try to open their account in the World Cups with a goal or two.
Perez is the joint-most prolific in the history with 43 goals, and also the senior-most member of the current squad. Now here’s another interesting point to know - in his career that has spanned 2 decades, Perez has plied his trade with as many as 19 different clubs! Beat that, Zlatan.
Perez is a revered figure in the Panama side, representing the team since 2001, and becoming the first-ever player from the side to score at the World Cups would be a fairytale end to his illustrious career.
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#4 South Korea
Rank: 57
Key Player: Son Heung-Min
Seeing a team like South Korea languish so low in the rankings may come as a bit of a surprise to many. But in actuality, they’ve never been an elite side even in Asia, let alone globally. Their last Asia Cup victory came way back in 1960, although they did finish as runners-up in the 2015 edition to Australia.
The Taegeuk Warriors comfortably sailed through the first round of their qualifiers, winning all 8 games. But found the going to be relatively difficult in the second, which saw them book an automatic qualification behind Iran, and only narrowly edging ahead of the surprise package Syria.
Now in the tournament, it’s going to be a real test of nerves against Germany, Mexico and Sweden. Whilst the defending champions are favourites to win the group, the fight for the second place could between the other two. South Korea would be hoping to spoil the party.
In the group of misfits and obscure names, Son Heung-Min stands out as a world-class talent. We’ve all been witness to that whenever he pulled on the white of Tottenham Hotspur.
Last season, he scored 18 times in all competitions and also laid another 6 assists, despite starting only 37 games. While Harry Kane has been hogging all the limelight with his imperious scoring spree, Son has gone about his duties with just as much elan and he also struck 7 times in the qualifiers, the highest among the Koreans.
His play-making skills and a keen eye for goal will crucial for his side to upset the applecart.
#3 Japan
Rank: 61
Key Player: Keisuke Honda
The Asian champions of 2011 have been a big disappointment in the recent times. Even if their status within the continent is totemic, Japan haven’t beaten a non-Asian side since March 2015 when they defeated Tunisia 2-0 in a friendly.
Their qualifications process for the FIFA World Cup 2018 was nigh-perfect, finishing atop the group in both the rounds, even though there were a few glitches in the second one.
The Samurai Blue have never gone beyond the round of 16 at the World Cups, but their last campaign was a disaster, finishing at the bottom of the group without a win and scoring just twice.
In Russia too, things aren’t going to be any easier. They’ve drawn Senegal, Poland and once again, Colombia, in their group. The latter two are expected to advance to the next round, while Senegal would be a tough prospect on their way to avoid finishing at the bottom again.
Japan do have quite a few big names in Shinji Okazaki, Maya Yoshida, Yugo Nagatomo and Shinji Kagawa. But if there’s someone who’s in real form at the moment, then it's Keisuke Honda. People know him from his Milan days, and even though he’s now out of the picture, he’s making waves far away in Mexico’s Liga MX.
He joined Pachuca last summer and capped off his debut campaign with 12 goals and 5 assists, even finishing within the top 10 goalscorers of the league. The Pachuca team may have finished in the lower half of the table, but Honda was one of the few bright lights.
The 31-year old was also the most prolific Japanese in the qualifiers with 7 goals, and his rich vein of form holds him in a good stead ahead of the tournament proper.
#2 Saudi Arabia
Rank: 67
Key Player: Mohammed Al-Sahlawi
The Green Falcons are back in the World Cup reckoning for the first time since 2006, but their chances remain as grim as ever. Saudi Arabia are one of Asia’s top guns, though the gulf in quality between them and the very best in the competition seems astronomic on paper at least.
Having cantered through the first round of the qualifiers, Saudi ensured a direct qualification in the second only by the virtue of a better goal difference, while their recent results in the warm-up have all ended in defeats.
Uruguay, Egypt and Russia are their group opponents, and anything other than a bottom-place finish in Group A would be a surprise.
Al-Sahlawi has witnessed a renaissance in his international career since the turn of 2015. Having played only thrice for the Gulf outfit before that, he has amassed 27 caps since 14 January 2015, also scoring 24 of his 28 international goals in that period itself.
The Al-Nassr striker was also the joint most prolific in the qualifiers with 16 goals, but most of them were against admittedly weak sides. His scoring prowess though, suggests he thrives on services and some good ones in the World Cup can help him bag a goal or two.
#1 Russia
Rank: 70
Key Player: Igor Akinfeev
Ironically, host nation Russia are also the lowest ranked side in the tournament. The Saudis held the unwanted distinction until the start of this month, but have bequeathed the same to Russia following the new rankings.
Never a glamorous side nor an elite one, there are premonitions about Russia’s early exit from the competition. Uruguay and Egypt are touted to progress from Group A, while their showings in the Confederations Cup last year on home soil was an underwhelming affair too.
The only aspect where Russia have the odds stacked in their favour, is joining South Africa as the only other host nation to go out in the first round.
Had the World Cup been played elsewhere, the expectations would’ve been as low as they’ve always been. But being hosts to a tournament like this comes with its own peril. Russia are experiencing it. They’re at the fans’ and media’s cynosure, much like the top shouts in the tournament.
Igor Akinfeev will be captaining the Russian side and also brings tremendous experience in a relatively young side. The 32-year has been a part of the national set-up since 2004, but this would be only his second World Cup.
The CSKA Moscow shotstopper played every minute of the 2017/18 season, and in 28 appearances in the league, he kept 18 cleansheets - highest in the division. Akinfeev has made some excellent reflexes while his long range passing means he can instigate an attack too. What’s more, he also maintains almost 30% success while stopping penalties.
Russia do not boast a great defensive line, but Akinfeev’s presence brings a sense of assurance and his experience would count while going against the likes of Suarez, Cavani, Salah etc.
