Interestingly, while the stage is set for the biggest players in the world representing their teams, some big names will be missing from the train to Russia. They include Manchester City wonder kid Leroy Sane of Germany, Radja Naingollan of Belgium who has gone on to announce his retirement from international football, Chelsea’s trio of Cesc Fabregas, Alvaro Morata and Marcus Alonso for Spain and also the French trio of Alexander Lacazette, Anthony Martial and Kingsley Coman.
Despite the missing stars, all countries represented have put out their best legs and everyone remains optimistic of a fruitful outing at the Mundial.
Hosts Russia, who enter the tournament on a poor run of form, have named their squad with no major omission. It Includes CSKA MOSKOW duo of Aleksandr Golovin, the star of the team and veteran midfielder Alan Dzagoev, goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev, Mario Fernandes, as well as Denis Cheryshev now of Villareal since leaving Real Madrid after the infamous ban he caused the team from the Copa Del Rey two season ago.
Also in Group A, Egypt have named Mohammed Sallah in their final 23-man list to the World cup despite his injury. He will be joined in the team by West Brom defender, Ahmed Hegazi, Stoke City’s Ramadan Sobhi, Aston Villa’s Ahmed Elmohamady, Arsenal’s Mohammed Elneny as well as 44-year-old goalkeeper, Essam El-Hadary, the oldest player at this tournament.
For 2010 semi-finalists, Uruguay, it was a case of the usual suspects as the only major miss is Gaston Ramirez. Captain Diego Godin, Luis Suarez and Edison Cavani will lead Coach Oscar Tabarez charge in Russia.
In Group B, Spain will hope to give veteran midfielder Andres Iniesta a good send-off in Russia, with Coach Vincent Lopetegui naming a formidable squad boasting the likes of David Silva, Diego Costa and Marco Asensio.
European Champions Portugal also have mostly the team that won in 2016, with Barcelona’s Andre Gomes and Bayern Munich’s Renato Sanches the only omissions.
France remain favourites in Group C and after leaving some big names, they still boast of stars such as Paul Pogba, Ousmane Dembele and Kylian Mbappe.
Tottenham’s Christian Eriksen will lead the charge for Denmark, with young strikers Yussuf Poulsen, Viktor Fischer and Kasper Dolberg. Peru, on the other hand, will have talismanic striker Paolo Guererro back in the fold after his drug ban; he will be joined by Locomotiv Moscow’s Jefferson Farfan and Watford’s Andre Carillo.
Group D, Lionel Messi will have another attempt at a major international laurel after the disappointment from Brazil. The only major miss is goalkeeper Sergio Romero and Inter Milan’s Mauro Icardi. Croatia, on the hand, have the full complement of their squad, with Real Madrid duo Luka Modric and Mateo Kovacic, Barcelona’s Ivan Rakitic and the Inter Milan duo of Ivan Perisic and Marcelo Brozovic.
Nigeria have Mikel Obi, Ahmed Musa, Victor Moses and Arsenal starlet Alex Iwobi leading their line; debutants Iceland have star player, Gyifi Sigurdson, as they set to make a statement in Russia.
In Group E, favourites Brazil welcome back Neymar after the agony of the last World Cup. The star-studded team have been touted to make a huge impression at the World Cup under Coach Tite. Costa Rica still kept fate with major players from their quarter-final run in Brazil 2014; Real Madrid shot stopper Keylor Navas, skipper Bryan Ruiz and former Arsenal winger Joel Campbell remain their star attraction. Also in the group, Switzerland will bank on Xherdan Shaqiri, Granit Xhaka and youngster Breel Embolo for a good showing. Serbia, on the other hand, have Aleksandr Kolarov, Branislav Ivavonic, midfield starlet Sergei Milinkovic-Savic and striker Alaksandr Mitrovic in their squad.
Germany stunned the football world with the omission
of PFA Young player of the year Leroy Sane but remain a star-studded side nonetheless. Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer returned to action with the remaining usual suspects. Timo Werner is making his debut and he is set to fill in the big shoes left by World Cup record scorer Miroslav Klose. Also in Group F, Mexico named ageless captain Rafael Marquez in the squad, with Carlos Vela also returning after missing the last tournament. Javier Hernandez, Andres Guardado and the dos Santos brothers are the other major attractions. Son Heung Min of Tottenham leads a largely home-based Korean side, while Sweden are set to show up at a major tournament without Zlatan Ibrahimovic for the first time in ages. Emil Forsberg, John Guidetti and Victor Lindelof are however expected to champion the team’s cause.
In Group G, Belgium, who are group favourites, are blessed with an array of stars, which includes Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bryne and Romelu Lukaku. Injured captain Vincent Kompany has also been included in the squad. England, on the other hand, will depend on Captain Harry Kane as they try to end an unimpressive run of form in recent World Cups. The squad is a good blend of experience and youth, as it boasts of explosive striker Jamie Vardy, Marcus Rashford, Dele Alli and Ashley Young. Also in the group are Tunisia, who make a return to the World, stage as well as debutants Panama.
Colombia seek to make a bold statement in Group H with an array of stars most of whom are from their quarter-final performance in Brazil. James Rodriguez, Rademal Falcao, Carlos Bacca, Lucas Muriel, Tottenham’s young defender Davinson Sanchez also make the list. Japan also list a star-studded squad, which includes Shinji Kagawa, Shinji Okazaki, Takashi Inui, Maya Yoshida and Keisuke Honda. Also in this group, Robert Lewandowski will lead the Polish squad with Arkadiusz Milik, Jakub Błaszczykowski and Łukasz Piszczek. Meanwhile, Senegal who have not been to the World cup after their quarter-final exit in 2002, will have Sadio Mane, Mbaye Niang, Kalidou Koulibaly, Cheikhou Kouyate and Idrissa Gana Gueye.
Group A
RUSSIA
Akinfeev, Vladimir Gabulov, Andrey Lunev; Sergei Ignashevich, Mario Fernandes, Vladimir Granat, Fyodor Kudryashov, Andrei Semyonov, Igor Smolnikov, Ilya Kutepov, Aleksandr Yerokhin, Yuri Zhirkov, Daler Kuzyaev, Aleksandr Golovin, Alan Dzagoev, Roman Zobnin, Aleksandr Samedov, Yuri Gazinsky, Anton Miranchuk, Denis Cheryshev, Artyom Dzyuba, Aleksei Miranchuk, Fyodor Smolov.
EGYPT
Essam El Hadary, Mohamed El-Shennawy, Sherif Ekramy; Ahmed Fathi, Abdallah Said, Saad Samir, Ayman Ashraf, Mohamed Abdel-Shafy, Ahmed Hegazi, Ali Gabr, Ahmed Elmohamady, Omar Gaber; Tarek Hamed, Mahmoud Shikabala, Sam Morsy, Mohamed Elneny, Mahmoud Kahraba, Ramadan Sobhi, Trezeguet, Amr Warda; Marwan Mohsen, Mohamed Salah, Mahmoud Elwensh.
URUGUAY
Fernando Muslera, Martin Silva, Martin Campana, Diego Godin, Sebastian Coates, Jose Maria Gimenez, Maximiliano Pereira, Gaston Silva, Martin Caceres, Guillermo Varela, Nahitan Nandez, Lucas Torreira, Matias Vecino, Rodrigo Bentancur, Carlos Sanchez, Giorgian De Arrascaeta, Diego Laxalt, Cristian Rodriguez, Jonathan Urretaviscaya, Cristhian Stuani, Maximiliano Gomez, Edinson Cavani, Luis Suarez
SAUDI ARABIA
Mohammed Al-Owais, Yasser Al-Musailem, Abdullah Al-Mayuf; Mansoor Al-Harbi, Yasser Al-Shahrani, Mohammed Al-Burayk, Motaz Hawsawi, Osama Hawsawi, Ali Al-Bulaihi, Omar Othman; Abdullah Alkhaibari, Abdulmalek Alkhaibri, Abdullah Otayf, Taiseer Al-Jassam, Hussain Al-Moqahwi, Salman Al-Faraj, Mohamed Kanno, Hatan Bahbir, Salem Al-Dawsari, Yahia Al-Shehri; Fahad Al-Muwallad, Mohammad Al-Sahlawi, Muhannad Assiri
Group B
PORTUGAL
Anthony Lopes, Beto, Rui Patricio, Bruno Alves, Cedric Soares, Jose Fonte, Mario Rui, Pepe, Raphael Guerreiro, Ricardo Pereira, Ruben Dias, Adrien Silva, Bruno Fernandes, Joao Mario, Joao Moutinho, Manuel Fernandes, William Carvalho, Andre Silva, Bernardo Silva, Cristiano Ronaldo, Gelson Martins, Goncalo Guedes, Ricardo Quaresma.
SPAIN
David de Gea, Pepe Reina, Kepa Arrizabalaga; Dani Carvajal, Alvaro Odriozola, Gerard Pique, Sergio Ramos, Nacho, Cesar Azpilicueta, Jordi Alba, Nacho Monreal; Sergio Busquets, Saul Niquez, Koke, Thiago Alcantara, Andres Iniesta, David Silva; Isco, Marcio Asensio, Lucas Vazquez, Iago Aspas, Rodrigo, Diego Costa.
MOROCCO
Mounir El Kajoui, Yassine Bounou, Ahmad Reda Tagnaouti, Mehdi Benatia, Romain Saiss, Manuel Da Costa, Badr Benoun, Nabil Dirar, Achraf Hakimi, Hamza Mendyl; M’bark Boussoufa, Karim El Ahmadi, Youssef Ait Bennasser, Sofyan Amrabat, Younes Belhanda, Faycal Fajr, Amine Harit; Khalid Boutaib, Aziz Bouhaddouz, Ayoub El Kaabi, Nordin Amrabat, Mehdi Carcela, Hakim Ziyech
IRAN
Alireza Beiranvand, Rashid Mazaheri, Amir Abedzadeh; Ramin Rezaeian, Mohammad Reza Khanzadeh, Morteza Pouraliganji, Pejman Montazeri, Seyed Majid Hosseini, Milad Mohammadi, Roozbeh Cheshmi; Saeid Ezatolahi, Masoud Shojaei, Saman Ghoddos, Mehdi Torabi, Ashkan Dejagah, Omid Ebrahimi, Ehsan Hajsafi, Vahid Amiri; Alireza Jahanbakhsh, Karim Ansarifard, Mahdi Taremi, Sardar Azmoun, Reza Ghoochannejhad.
Group C
FRANCE
Alphonse Areola, Hugo Lloris, Steve Mandanda; Lucas Hernandez, Presnel Kimpembe, Benjamin Mendy, Benjamin Pavard, Adil Rami, Djibril Sidibe, Samuel Umtiti, Raphael Varane; N’Golo Kante, Blaise Matuidi, Steven N’Zonzi, Paul Pogba, Corentin Tolisso, Ousmane Dembele, Nabil Fekir; Olivier Giroud, Antoine Griezmann, Thomas Lemar, Kylian Mbappe, Florian Thauvin
DENMARK
Kasper Schmeichel, Jonas Lossl, Frederik Ronow; Simon Kjaer, Andreas Christensen, Mathias Jorgensen, Jannik Vestergaard, Henrik Dalsgaard, Jens Stryger, Jonas Knudsen; William Kvist, Thomas Delaney, Lukas Lerager, Lasse Schone, Christian Eriksen, Michael Krohn-Dehli; Pione Sisto, Martin Braithwaite, Andreas Cornelius, Viktor Fischer, Yussuf Poulsen, Nicolai Jorgensen, Kasper Dolberg.
AUSTRALIA
Brad Jones, Mat Ryan, Danny Vukovic; Aziz Behich, Milos Degenek, Matthew Jurman, James Meredith, Josh Risdon, Trent Sainsbury; Jackson Irvine, Mile Jedinak, Robbie Kruse, Massimo Luongo, Mark Milligan, Aaron Mooy, Tom Rogic; Daniel Arzani, Tim Cahill, Tomi Juric, Mathew Leckie, Andrew Nabbout, Dimitri Petratos, Jamie Maclaren.
PERU
Carlos Caceda, Jose Carvallo, Pedro Gallese, Luis Advincula, Pedro Aquino, Miguel Araujo, Andre Carrillo, Wilder Cartagena, Aldo Corzo, Christian Cueva, Jefferson Farfan, Edison Flores, Paolo Hurtado, Nilson Loyola, Andy Polo, Christian Ramos, Alberto Rodriguez, Raul Ruidiaz, Anderson Santamaria, Renato Tapia, Miguel Trauco, Yoshimar Yotun, Paolo Guerrero
Group D
ARGENTINA
Nahuel Guzmán, Willy Caballero, Franco Armani; Gabriel Mercado, Nicolas Otamendi, Federico Fazio, Nicolas Tagliafico, Marcos Rojo, Marcos Acuna, Cristian Ansaldi, Eduardo Salvio; Javier Mascherano, Angel Di Maria, Ever Banega, Lucas Biglia, Manuel Lanzini, Gio Lo Celso, Maximiliano Meza; Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero, Gonzalo Higuain, Paulo Dybala, Cristian Pavon.
CROATIA
Danijel Subasic, Lovre Kalinic, Dominik Livakovic; Vedran Corluka, Domagoj Vida, Ivan Strinic, Dejan Lovren, Sime Vrsaljko, Josip Pivaric, Tin Jedvaj, Duje Caleta-Car; Luka Modric, Ivan Rakitic, Mateo Kovacic, Milan Badelj, Marcelo Brozovic, Filip Bradaric; Mario Mandzukic, Ivan Perisic, Nikola Kalinic, Andrej Kramaric, Marko Pjaca, Ante Rebic.
NIGERIA
Ikechukwu Ezenwa, Daniel Akpeyi, Francis Uzoho; William Troost-Ekong, Leon Balogun, Kenneth Omeruo, Bryan Idowu, Chidozie Awaziem, Abdullahi Shehu, Elderson Echiejile, Tyronne Ebuehi; John Obi Mikel, Ogenyi Onazi, John Ogu, Wilfred Ndidi, Oghenekaro Etebo, Joel Obi; Odion Ighalo, Ahmed Musa, Victor Moses, Alex Iwobi, Kelechi Iheanacho, Simeon Nwankwo.
ICELAND
Hannes Thor Halldorsson, Runar Alex Runarsson, Frederik Schram; Kari Arnason, Ari Freyr Skulason, Birkir Mar Saevarsson, Sverrir Ingi Ingason, Hordur Magnusson, Holmar Orn Eyjolfsson, Ragnar Sigurdsson; Johann Berg Gudmundsson, Birkir Bjarnason, Arnor Ingvi Traustason, Emil Hallfredsson, Gylfi Sigurdsson, Olafur Ingi Skulason, Rurik Gislason, Samuel Fridjonsson, Aron Gunnarsson; Alfred Finnbogason, Bjorn Bergmann Sigurdarson, Jon Dadi Bodvarsson, Albert Gudmundsson
Group E
BRAZIL
Alisson, Ederson, Cassio; Danilo, Fagner, Marcelo, Filipe Luis, Thiago Silva, Marquinhos, Miranda, Pedro Geromel; Casemiro, Fernandinho, Paulinho, Fred, Renato Augusto, Philippe Coutinho, Willian, Douglas Costa; Neymar, Taison, Gabriel Jesus, Roberto Firmino
COSTA RICA
Keylor Navas, Patrick Pemberton, Leonel Moreira, Cristian Gamboa, Ian Smith, Ronald Matarrita, Bryan Oviedo, Oscar Duarte, Giancarlo Gonzalez, Francisco Calvo, Kendall Waston, Johnny Acosta, David Guzman, Yeltsin Tejeda, Celso Borges, Randall Azofeifa, Rodney Wallace, Bryan Ruiz, Daniel Colindres, Christian Bolanos, Johan Venegas, Joel Campbell, Marco Urena
SWITZERLAND
Roman Buerki, Yvon Mvogo, Yann Sommer; Manuel Akanji, Johan Djourou, Nico Elvedi, Michael Lang, Stephan Lichtsteiner, Jacques-Francois Moubandje, Ricardo Rodriguez, Fabian Schaer; Valon Behrami, Blerim Dzemaili, Gelson Fernandes, Remo Freuler, Xherdan Shaqiri, Granit Xhaka, Steven Zuber, Denis Zakaria; Josip Drmic, Breel Embolo, Mario Gavranovic, Haris Seferovic
SERBIA
Vladimir Stojkovic, Predrag Rajkovic, Marko Dmitrovic, Aleksandar Kolarov, Antonio Rukavina, Milan Rodic, Branislav Ivanovic, Uros Spajic, Milos Veljkovic, Dusko Tosic, Nikola Milenkovic; Nemanja Matic, Luka Milivojevic, Marko Grujic, Dusan Tadic, Andrija Zivkovic, Filip Kostic, Nemanja Radonjic, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Adem Ljajic; Aleksandar Mitrovic, Aleksandar Prijovic, Luka Jovic
Group F
GERMANY
Manuel Neuer, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Kevin Trapp; Jerome Boateng, Matthias Ginter, Jonas Hector, Mats Hummels, Joshua Kimmich, Marvin Plattenhardt, Antonio Rudiger, Niklas Sule; Julian Brandt, Julian Draxler, Mario Gomez, Leon Goretzka, Ilkay Gundogan, Sami Khedira, Toni Kroos, Thomas Muller, Mesut Ozil, Marco Reus, Sebastian Rudy, Timo Werner.
MEXICO
Jesus Corona, Alfredo Talavera, Guillermo Ochoa; Hugo Ayala, Carlos Salcedo, Diego Reyes, Miguel Layun, Hector Moreno, Edson Alvarez; Rafael Marquez, Jonathan dos Santos, Marco Fabian, Giovani dos Santos, Hector Herrera, Andres Guardado; Raul Jimenez, Carlos Vela, Javier Hernandez, Jesus Corona, Oribe Peralta, Javier Aquino, Hirving Lozano.
SOUTH KOREA
Kim Seunggyu, Kim Jinhyeon, Cho Hyeonwoo, Kim Younggwon, Jang Hyunsoo, Jeong Seunghyeon, Yun Yeongseon, Oh Bansuk, Kim Minwoo, Park Jooho, Hong Chul, Go Yohan, Lee Yong, Ki Sungyueng, Jeong Wooyoung, Ju Sejong, Koo Jacheol, Lee Jaesung, Lee Seungwoo, Moon Sunmin, Kim Shinwook, Son Heungmin, Hwang Heechan
SWEDEN
Robin Olsen, Karl-Johan Johnsson, Kristoffer Nordfeldt, Mikael Lustig, Victor Lindelof, Andreas Granqvist, Martin Olsson, Ludwig Augustinsson, Filip Helander, Emil Krafth, Pontus Jansson, Sebastian Larsson, Albin Ekdal, Emil Forsberg, Gustav Svensson, Oscar Hiljemark, Viktor Claesson, Marcus Rohden, Jimmy Durmaz, Marcus Berg, John Guidetti, Ola Toivonen, Isaac Kiese Thelin
Group G
BELGIUM
Koen Casteels, Thibaut Courtois, Simon Mignolet; Toby Alderweireld, Dedryck Boyata, Vincent Kompany, Thomas Meunier, Thomas Vermaelen, Jan Vertonghen; Nacer Chadli, Kevin De Bruyne, Mousa Dembele, Leander Dendoncker, Marouane Fellaini, Youri Tielemans, Axel Witsel; Michy Batshuayi, Yannick Carrasco, Eden Hazard, Thorgan Hazard, Adnan Januzaj, Romelu Lukaku, Dries Mertens.
ENGLAND
Jack Butland, Nick Pope, Jordan Pickford; Fabian Delph, Danny Rose, Eric Dier, Kyle Walker, Kieran Trippier, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Harry Maguire, John Stones, Phil Jones, Gary Cahill; Jordan Henderson, Jesse Lingard, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Ashley Young, Dele Alli, Raheem Sterling; Harry Kane, Jamie Vardy, Marcus Rashford, Danny Welbeck.
PANAMA
Jose Calderon, Jaime Penedo, Alex Rodríguez; Felipe Baloy, Harold Cummings, Eric Davis, Fidel Escobar, Adolfo Machado, Michael Murillo, Luis Ovalle, Roman Torres; Edgar Barcenas, Armando Cooper, Anibal Godoy, Gabriel Gomez, Valentin Pimentel, Alberto Quintero, Jose Luis Rodriguez; Abdiel Arroyo, Ismael Diaz, Blas Perez, Luis Tejada, Gabriel Torres
TUNISIA
Farouk Ben Mustapha, Moez Hassen, Aymen Mathlouthi, Rami Bedoui, Yohan Benalouane, Syam Ben Youssef, Dylan Bronn, Oussama Haddadi, Ali Maaloul, Yassine Meriah, Hamdi Nagguez, Anice Badri, Mohamed Amine Ben Amor, Ghaylene Chaalali, Ahmed Khalil, Saifeddine Khaoui, Ferjani Sassi, Ellyes Skhiri, Naim Sliti, Bassem Srarfi, Fakhreddine Ben Youssef, Saber Khalifa, Wahbi Khazri.
Group H
COLUMBIA
David Ospina, Camilo Vargas, Jose Fernando Cuadrado; Cristian Zapata, Davinson Sanchez, Santiago Arias, Oscar Murillo, Frank Fabra, Johan Mojica, Yerry Mina; Wilmar Barrios, Carlos Sanchez, Jefferson Lerma, Jose Izquierdo, James Rodriguez, Abel Aguilar, Juan Fernando Quintero, Mateus Uribe, Juan Guillermo Cuadrado; Radamel Falcao Garcia, Miguel Borja, Carlos Bacca, Luis Fernando Muriel.
POLAND
Bartosz Bialkowski, Lukasz Fabianski, Wojciech Szczesny; Jan Bednarek, Bartosz Bereszynski, Thiago Cionek, Kamil Glik, Artur Jedrzejczyk, Michal Pazdan, Lukasz Piszczek; Jakub Blaszczykowski, Jacek Goralski, Kamil Goricki, Grzegorz Krychowiak, Slawomir Peszko, Maciej Rybus, Piotr Zielinski, Rafal Kurzawa, Karol Linetty; Dawid Kownacki, Robert Lewandowski, Arkadiusz Milik, Lukasz Teodorczyk.
JAPAN
Eiji Kawashima, Masaaki Higashiguchi, Kosuke Nakamura, Yuto Nagatomo, Tomoaki Makino, Maya Yoshida, Hiroki Sakai, Gotoku Sakai, Gen Shoji, Wataru Endo, Naomichi Ueda, Makoto Hasebe, Keisuke Honda, Takashi Inui, Shinji Kagawa, Hotaru Yamaguchi, Genki Haraguchi, Takashi Usami, Gaku Shibasaki, Ryota Oshima, Shinji Okazaki, Yuya Osako, Yoshinori Muto
SENEGAL
Abdoulaye Diallo, Khadim Ndiaye, Alfred Gomis, Lamine Gassama, Moussa Wague, Saliou Ciss, Youssouf Sabaly, Kalidou Kalidou, Salif Sane, Cheikhou Kouyate, Kara Mbodji, Idrisa Gana Gueye, Cheikh Ndoye, Alfred Ndiaye, Pape Alioune Ndiaye, Moussa Sow, Moussa Konate, Diafra Sakho, Sadio Mane, Ismaila Sarr, Mame Biram Diouf, Mbaye Niang, Diao Keita Balde
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