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In just over a week's time, 32 nations will descend on Russia for the biggest celebration of football in the world.
The World Cup is the most exciting event in football,and the 2018 edition in Russia has all the potential to be one of the best of all time.
Several footballing giants will battle it out for the big prize, and there is sure to be a surprise or two along the way, but ultimately, 31 teams will fly home empty-handed, while one team will bask in the glory of being the World Champions for the next four years.
Predicting the outcome of a World Cup is a fools game, but it's something that every football fan likes to have a go at, and this year's tournament may be one of the most difficult to predict in recent memory.
Teams like Brazil, Germany, Spain and France are among the pre-tournament favourites while dark horses like Belgium, England and Portugal will secretly fancy their chances. Everyone's tournament has to end somewhere though, whether that is in the group stages, or with the trophy held high above their heads, so let's take a look through at each of the 32 teams and predict how far each of them will go in the World Cup.
Group A
Russia - Group Stage
Despite the tournament taking place in their home, hosts Russia would do a good job to get out of the group phase of the tournament.
The Russian team have never managed to recapture the glory of their Euro 2008 run, where they reached the semi-finals with stars like Andrey Arshavin and Roman Pavlyuchenko in their side.
Russia will have enough in their tank to beat Saudi Arabia in the tournament's opening game, but it seems unlikely that they will be able to battle their way out of a group that features the much more fancied Uruguay and Egypt.
Saudi Arabia - Group Stage
Russia's opponent on the opening day, Saudi Arabia are likely to be the whipping boys of Group A.
The Saudis are the lowest ranked side in the tournament, and this will be their first appearance at the World Cup finals since 2006, where they only picked up one point. They did only just lose 1-0 to Spain however, in one of the tournaments more surprising results.
Their most promising player is Fayad Al-Muwallad, who scored the goal that secured their place in the finals. Sadly for him, he is sharing a group with Mo Salah and Luis Suarez, who are very likely to outshine him here.
Russia are likely to take the third spot in this group, which means Saudi could well finish the tournament with zero points.
Egypt - Round of 16
Like Uruguay, Egypt has the misfortune of facing either the winner or the runner-up of Group B, which features both Spain and Portugal.
If the groups play out as most are predicting, Egypt will be facing Spain in the round of 16, and while Mohamed Salah is one of the most in-form players in the world right now, it seems unlikely that one man alone will be unable to stop Spain.
Egypt should progress comfortably from the group, and if Mo Salah can perform on the big stage as well as he done all season, then there is a chance that the African side could cause an upset, but it seems likely that they will be leaving Russia after the first knock-out stages here.
Uruguay - Round of 16
With Salah set to miss Egypt's opening game of the tournament against Uruguay, the South American side will be hoping to take full advantage and seal top spot in Group A.
If this is the case, then they will face the runners-up of Group B, which will likely be Portugal. A clash between the two sides will no doubt be an interesting one, and there are certainly parallels to be drawn between both teams.
Luis Suarez and Edison Cavani will be key to Uruguay's success in Russia, but if Cristiano Ronaldo is firing on all cylinders, then the European Champions are most likely to come out as victors and progress to the quarter-finals.
A lot of Uruguay's failures in the past have been down to Luis Suarez's inability to behave himself on the big stage, and that could prove costly for them again in Russia.
Group B
Portugal - Quarter Finals
As we've always discussed, Portugal's path out of the groups should be fairly straightforward, and their progress in the tournament will depend largely on whether or not they win group B.
If Spain are to take the top spot, which seems likely, then Portugal will likely come up against Uruguay in the round of 16. A tough game, no doubt, but one they should probably win.
If everything else goes as most people are predicting, then this will lead to a rematch of the Euro 2016 final, with Portugal coming up against France.
The Portuguese got the best of France that night, but Les Bleus seem more motivated this tournament, and Portugal are solely relying on the 33-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ronaldo has never shone in the World Cup in the way he should, and the Portuguese fans will be hoping that they can rely on him to pull out the stops in Russia. It will be his last chance at World Cup glory, and the Portuguese team are largely dependent on him.
Spain - Semi Finals
Spain are one of the four favourites to win the tournament in Russia, along with Germany, France, and Brazil.
The Spaniards should have a fairly easy path to the quarter-finals of the tournament, with only Portugal being viable threats to them in a group which also features Iran and Morocco.
Spain will probably face the runner-up or the winner of Group A in the round of 16, and while Uruguay or Egypt could cause some problems, it seems fairly reasonable to presume Spain will get past them.
That brings us to the quarters, where Spain's most likely opponents are going to be Argentina. Spain destroyed Argentina in Madrid a few months, racking up an impressive six goals to Argentina's one.
That being said, Argentina were without Messi that day, and the Barcelona star is going to be desperate to finally get his hands on the World Cup in Russia. Spain will likely prove too strong for them though, and a semi-final encounter with Germany looks likely.
Germany are the reigning champions, and with one of the most impressive squads in the tournament, they will likely have too much for Spain on the day. Of course, at that stage of the tournament, it really is anyone's game, but I'm hedging my bets here and predicting Spain leave the tournament in the penultimate stage.
Morocco - Group Stage
Like Iran, Morocco have little to no hope of getting out of Group B, though, they have to be considered favourites to take the third spot.
The Moroccans have a slightly better World Cup record than Iran, having won two games in their history in the tournament, and they even managed to progress to the knock-out stages back in 1986.
Juventus defender, Medhi Benatia, the team's captain, could be key for them in Russia, but the experienced centre-back will have his hands full dealing with Portugal and Spain.
A victory over Iran and a humiliating defeat for one of Spain or Portugal in the opening games could see them try to mount some sort of upset here, but it seems highly improbable.
Iran - Group Stage
Poor Iran. Their World Cup journey is not likely to last very long, with the top 2 spots in Group B almost guaranteed to be occupied by Spain and Portugal.
The Iranians will battle it out for the third spot with Morocco, and their game against the African nation will likely determine who takes it. A draw means it will likely come down to whichever team concedes the least goals in the games against Portugal and Spain.
The Iranians have only won one World Cup game in their history, so a second victory over Morocco would be considered a good World Cup for them.
Group C
France - Runners Up
France enters Russia as one of the pre-tournament favourites and looking at their squad, it's easy to see why.
Les Bleus will be hoping to go one step further than they did in Euro 2016, where they were defeated in the final by Portugal in extra-time, and there is every chance that they could achieve that.
The French should have a fairly straightforward route through to at least the quarter-finals, with a round of 16 clash against Croatia being a very winnable game.
In the quarters, they could meet their conquerors from the Euros, Portugal, and they are likely to have learned from their previous mistakes in that game.
A semi-final game, most likely against Brazil, should be interesting but the French should have more composure against a younger Brazil side, which leaves them in the final against my picks for the tournament, Germany.
France and Germany are many peoples picks to reach the final in Moscow, but Germany's experience in finals, up against France's 'bottler' reputation, means that France is my pick for the runners-up spot in Russia 2018.
Australia - Group Stage
The Socceroos will be hoping to stage an upset in the World Cup and pip both Denmark and Peru to second place in Group C, with France heavy favourites to take the top spot.
Australia would need a little bit of luck for that to happen, but an impressive friendly victory over The Czech Republic last week means that you can't count the Aussies out just yet.
Australia had a lengthy qualifying campaign for the tournament and the players have shown that they have plenty of fight in them to get out of the group.
The fact that they have to come up against France and Denmark in their first two games is what likely rules them out though, as a heavy defeat to France could see them demoralised going forward. Expect Australia to give a good account of themselves, but to ultimately crash out in the group stages.
Peru - Group Stage
Peru will start their World Cup campaign against Denmark, and this game could prove telling as to who is going to qualify out of Group C behind France.
With all-time leading goal-scorer Paolo Guerrero now cleared to play for the South American side, they will be coming into the tournament with a lot of confidence and will be hoping to turn a lot of heads in what will be a very difficult group.
Unfortunately for them, a younger and hungrier Denmark side look like they could have more in the tank to see them through the group, though, don't be surprised at whoever finishes second place in Group C.
Denmark - Round of 16
Denmark will face tough competition getting out of the group stages in Russia, but they are arriving in the tournament with an 11 game unbeaten streak under their belt, which should help see them past Peru and Australia.
Things get tricky for Denmark there, as they are likely to come up against a Lionel Messi led Argentian side. The Danes have not made it to the round of 16 since the 2002 World Cup in Korea, and they have failed to qualify for two of the tournaments since then. A strong performance, but ultimate defeat at the hands of Argentina in the round of 16 will seem them leave Russia with their heads held high.
Group D
Argentina - Quarter Finals
Argentina are not the force that they once were. Sure, they have an embarrassment of riches going forward, but their qualification campaign left a lot to be desired and they were demolished 6-1 by Spain in a recent friendly.
Lionel Messi will be out to prove himself in what could very well be his last World Cup given his knack of flirting with International retirement in the past, and they should comfortably finish top of their group. Equally, their round of 16 opponent is likely to be Denmark, who they should brush aside, so it will be the quarters where they are likely to meet their first real test.
If the tournament plays out as many expect, Argentina will likely meet a confident Spain side in the quarters, and that will be all she wrote for them. Messi will most likely leave the World Cup empty-handed.
Iceland - Group Stage
Iceland were the surprise package of Euro 2016, finishing second in the group and then defeating England on the way to a quarter-final exit to France.
They will be hoping to replicate those kinds of performances in Russia, and while they might put up a fight, a third-place finish behind Croatia and Argentina seems more viable.
They have a great team spirit and work well as a unit, and they will be looking to Premier League star Gylfi Siggurdson to fire them to glory here, but they will probably have to settle for finishing third in a close run race.
Croatia - Round of 16
Croatia have a strong and experienced side that should comfortably get out of Group D behind Argentina.
The likes of Luka Modric, Ivan Rakitic and Mario Mandzukic should all help Croatia get through the group stages, while Hoffenheim striker Andrej Kramaric could have a break-out tournament.
The runners-up spot in Group D means an encounter with France in the round of 16. A victory for Croatia is not completely out of the realms of possibility, but smart money would be on France progressing further.
Nigeria - Group Stage
The star of Nigeria's World Cup campaign will no doubt be their kit. The eye-catching homage to their 1990 team sold out in record numbers on its release, and it is likely to continue to grab attention for them on the big stage.
That being said, that is the only thing that is likely to grab people's attention about the team as they look likely to finish bottom of what is a very difficult group.
Former Chelsea star John Obi Mikel will play an important role for the Nigerians, and they will be hoping that Alex Iwobi can perform better for them than he has for Arsenal this season, but it seems highly unlikely that they will be getting past the group stage.
Group E
Brazil - Semi Finals
Brazil will be desperate to prove themselves in Russia. The five-time champions have not lifted the World Cup since 2002, and their squad is one of the best in the tournament.
While Brazil reached the semi-finals in 2014, they failed to impress throughout the tournament and were utterly humiliated by Germany in the semi-finals.
Brazil should cruise through their group, before coming against a Mexico side in the round of 16. Mexico are good, but it seems unlikely they will have what it takes to beat Brazil, which means that the Brazilians are likely to encounter either Belgium or England in the quarter-finals.
These two teams could supply a potential banana skin, but if the Brazilians have any realistic ambitions of winning the tournament then they should manage to get past them.
Which means that they will most likely come up against France in the semis. If that is the case, it will be one of the most difficult games in the tournament to predict, but I'm going to give the game to France.
The French team simply feel like more of a unit than the Brazilians, who feel as though they are more a collection of individual talents, as opposed to a well-led side.
Switzerland - Round of 16
Group E is one of the tournament's most difficult to predict. Switzerland, Serbia and Costa Rica all have a realistic chance of getting out of the group stage and it will largely depend on how well they perform against each other.
Brazil are likely to win the group, which means that the other teams will be left scrapping it out among themselves, though, if one of them can snatch a point against Brazil, then that will go a long way in securing their spot in the knock-out stages.
Switzerland are currently ranked sixth in the world though, and this has buoyed the team with confidence in recent months.
They have never been a nation renowned for playing thrilling football, but their current squad is one of the best that they have ever had, and they could just prove to be one of the surprise packages in Russia this year.
Costa Rica - Group Stage
Costa Rica surprised the world in their last World Cup outing, topping a group which featured England, Italy and Uruguay before going on to lose third place Holland on penalties in the quarterfinals.
The South American side, who have become one of the continent's best in recent years, will be hoping to repeat that success again in Russia, and despite sharing a group with one of the tournament's favourites, Brazil, there is still a fair chance that they could repeat the feat again.
They will have difficult opponents in the shape of Switzerland and Serbia though, and the Swiss side looks slightly more appealing to me. Realistically though, there is a very reasonable chance that Costa Rica will book their place in the round of 16 and likely come up against reigning champions, Germany.
Serbia - Group Stage
Serbia will be making their first World Cup appearance since 2010, but despite their talented squad, it is difficult to see them getting out of a difficult group.
Serbia's squad boats some serious talents, with Dusan Tadic, Branislav Ivanovic, Matija Nastasic, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, and Nemanja Matic all set to feature for them during the tournament.
There have been questioned raised over their manager, Mladen Krstajic in the build-up to the tournament though, and whether he will stick around after the tournament remains to be seen.
The Serbs will no doubt put on some impressive displays, but an exit at the group stage seems very likely.
Group F
Germany - Winners
Predicting the reigning champions as eventual winners of the upcoming tournament is undoubtedly a lazy option but frankly, it is difficult to look past the Germans in Russia.
They have one of the deepest squads in the tournament, a ridiculously strong starting 11, and are arriving in the tournament in excellent form barring that blip of a loss to Austria.
Germany will have no problem getting through the group and aren't likely to struggle against the runners-up of Group E. Their first real test will come against either Belgium or England in the quarters, but they should get through those as well.
Germany should be locked on to make the final four, and it is only fine margins and personal preference separating the top four sides. Personally, I think Germany will have enough to take the trophy back home again.
Mexico - Round of 16
Mexico have become specialists at getting out of the group stage in the World Cup, but they have come unstuck in the round of 16 in each of the last 6 tournaments, and you can expect them to make that seven in Russia.
Mexico are a capable side, but it seems likely that they will come up against their South American rivals, Brazil, in the round of 16. Mexico are always an enjoyable side to watch in the tournament but it seems unlikely that they will overcome their round of 16 curse in Russia.
Sweden - Group Stage
Sweden will be making their first World Cup finals appearance since 2006 in Russia but the European side will find things very difficult in what is going to be a very challenging group for them.
Without the experienced, and talented Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the side, Sweden will struggle for goals and this will be their downfall in the tournament.
Games against Germany and Mexico will prove difficult for them, and their best bet of success is against South Korea. It's great to see Sweden back in the tournament, but their appearance will be limited to the group stage.
South Korea - Group Stage
South Korea stand a much better chance than their Group F rivals Sweden of sneaking out of the group stages but they would have to have a little bit of luck to help them along the way.
The 2002 semi-finalists will be hoping that Tottenham striker, Son Heung-Min, can help fire them to victory in the group stages but defeats to Mexico and Germany seem likely.
They should be able to get past Sweden in their opening game though, which should at least secure third place for them.
Group G
Belgium - Quarter Finals
Belgium's 'golden generation' have never been able to manage to live up to their expectations, largely in part due to poor management decisions.
This tournament they will be led by former Everton and Wigan manager, Roberto Martinez, in what many pundits are sighting as their last chance at glory.
Belgium would have to overcome several major obstacles if they were to get to the final in Russia, and their biggest challenge will be a potential showdown with Brazil or Germany in the quarterfinals.
While Belgium has an undeniably talented squad, one of the best in the tournament probably, it seems unlikely that they will be able to overcome one of the tournament's favourites in the quarterfinals.
Panama - Group Stage
Panama's quest for a spot in Russia was one of the best stories of the qualifiers. Having failed to qualify for Brazil last time out, they left it late this time around, securing a 1-0 win in the 88th minute against Costa Rica to send the whole country into wild fits of celebration.
The scorer that day was team captain Roman Torres, and the Seattle Sounders centre-back will no doubt be a big player for the South Americans in Russia.
Given that they are sharing a group with both England and Belgium though, Panama's chances of getting through to the knock-out stages are very slim.
The country has defied the odds at every turn over the last few years, and a victory against Tunisia would be enough to send the country into rapturous celebrations.
Tunisia - Group Stage
Like Panama, Tunisia will not be fancying their chances too much in Group G. The African side had an impressive qualification campaign, but the level of competition will be much more difficult in Russia.
The side will be making their fifth World Cup appearance in Russia, but they have never once gotten out of the group stages, registering only one win back in the 1978 World Cup.
They will be hoping to at least double their win count in Russia, and will likely be battling it out for third place with Panama.
England - Quarter Finals
England have not had the best of times in International tournaments over the last decade or so, with the Three Lions only making the quarterfinals of one tournament since Germany 2006.
Gareth Southgate's young squad should do considerably better than the side that failed to get out of the group stages in Brazil in 2014, though, it seems fairly likely that they may finish runners-up in Group G.
If other groups go as predicted, it wouldn't really make too much difference for England, as they would likely come up against Germany or Brazil in the quarter-finals, two teams that have great records against England in International tournaments.
It would be a major disaster if England failed to get out of the groups once again, and they should be strong enough to get past Colombia or Poland in the round of 16. A victory over Brazil or Germany feels like a leap though, and England will likely be boarding the plane back to Gatwick after the quarter-final stage.
Group H
Poland - Round of 16
Poland were one of the most impressive sides in the Euros in 2016, with the Eastern European side losing out on penalties in the quarter-finals to eventual champions, Portugal.
The Poland squad that will travel to Russia is largely unchanged from the one that went to France two years ago but that may be what is the teams undoing.
Poland has one of the oldest squads in the tournament, with several of the team's starting 11 being over 30.
Of course, you can never count out a team who have a player like Robert Lewandowski in the side though, and they will probably find their way through the group stages alongside Colombia.
A round of 16 game against England or Belgium is what will await them though, and while an upset is possible, the demand of so many fixtures in such a small space of time is likely to take its toll on one of the World Cup's oldest squads.
Senegal - Group Stage
Senegal have only appeared in one World Cup before, making the quarterfinals of the contest in 2002.
They were one of the biggest surprises of the tournament in South Korea, and while they have an impressive side, and a young, exciting manager, it seems unlikely they will be able to replicate that success again in Russia.
Liverpool star, Sadio Mane, will be their key player in the tournament but they are likely going to have to settle for third place behind Poland and Colombia in Group H.
Colombia - Round of 16
Group H is one of the tournament's more interesting group, with there not being a really 'big' side among the four teams.
Colombia and Poland are clear favourites for the group though, and the South American side should have no issues getting a place in the knock-out stages.
The South American side had an impressive campaign in Brazil four years ago and were narrowly beaten by the host nation 2-1 in the quarterfinals.
A round of 16 tie against either Belgium or England will likely be their exit point here though. James Rodriguez and an ageing Radamel Falcao will be the team's two biggest stars but they will probably not be enough to see them replicate their 2014 success again in Russia.
Japan - Group Stage
Japan's manager for the tournament, Akira Nishino, only took charge of the team in April, and this will likely prove costly for the Asain side. His sudden appointment came after a string of bad results saw their former manager sacked, and this is likely to have an effect, one way or another, on the side in Russia.
A new manager can always go one of two ways, but the pressure will be on Nishino to show some signs of improvement in Russia.
Sadly for him, his side face a difficult test, and if he can't get them working as a cohesive unit, then their bad run of form is likely to continue and they could end up finishing bottom of their group.
Who do you think will win the World Cup? Tell us in the comments below!
