With the soccer world cup on the horizon, we profile all of the teams in Groups G and H.
GROUP G
England
To Win Group 12/10 | To Win Tournament 18/1 | FIFA Ranking 13th
How they qualified
Group F winners in European qualifying, winning eight games and drawing two to finish on 26 points, eight clear of Slovakia.
Pedigree
Have appeared at 14 soccer world cups, winning the tournament on home soil in 1966. The best the Three Lions have done since is a semi-final finish in 1990.
Coach
Gareth Southgate – Southgate succeeded Sam Allardyce as caretaker England coach in September 2016 before being formally handed the reins on 30 November 2016. A former Three Lions defender, who was part of England’s campaigns at France 1998 and Korea/Japan 2002, he led his country to a sixth consecutive world finals appearance by topping Group F.
Key player
Harry Kane – Lauded as a “complete player” by Zinedine Zidane, Kane is now firmly established as one of the world’s leading strikers. The prolific Tottenham Hotspur star scored five times in six appearances for England during Russia 2018 qualifying.
Group prediction: 2nd
Belgium
To Win Group 83/100 | To Win Tournament 11/1 | FIFA Ranking 3rd
How they qualified
Group H winners in European qualifying, winning nine games and drawing one, scoring a staggering 43 goals in the process.
Pedigree
12 World Cup appearances to date, with their best showing coming in 1986 when reaching the semi-finals, losing to eventual winners Argentina.
Coach
Roberto Martinez – Roberto Martinez was a surprise pick for Belgium when they ditched Marc Wilmots after a disappointing Euro 2016. The Spaniard easily adapted to life in international management. Russia 2018 will represent Martinez’s first appearance at a FIFA tournament as a player or coach.
Key player
Eden Hazard – Speedy, skilful and a master at both creating and scoring goals, Hazard is one of the most exciting forwards in world football. The Chelsea star served up six goals and five assists during Belgium’s impressive qualifying campaign.
Group prediction: 1st
Tunisia
To Win Group 14/1 | To Qualify From Group 4/1 | FIFA Ranking 14th
How they qualified
Group A winners in African qualifying, finishing one point above DR Congo.
Pedigree
First qualified in 1978 before appearing in three straight tournaments in 1998, 2002 and 2006. Failed to progress from any of their groups.
Coach
Nabil Maaloul – A former assistant under Roger Lemerre when Tunisia won the African Cup of Nations in 2002, Maaloul took over from Henri Kasperczak two matches into Tunisia’s World Cup qualifying campaign.
Key player
Wahbi Khazri – The pressure on him will be all the greater due to the loss of Tunisia’s stand-out playmaker Youssef Msakni due to injury.
Group prediction: 3rd
Panama
To Win Group 40/1 | To Qualify From Group 9/1 | FIFA Ranking 55th
How they qualified
Finished third in the North, Central America and Caribbean standings, pipping Honduras on goal difference.
Pedigree
This will be Panama’s first World Cup appearance, having previously attempted to reach the finals on 11 occasions.
Coach
Hernan Dario Gomez – The Colombian has worked his magic again. He got Colombia into the 1998 World Cup, and then did the same for Ecuador in 2002. Now it’s Panama’s turn.
Key player
Luis Tejada – The striker has scored 43 goals for Panama.
Group prediction: 4th
GROUP H
Poland
To Win Group 7/4 | To Win Tournament 50/1 | FIFA Ranking 10th
How they qualified
Group E winners in European qualifying, winning eight games (D1 L1) to finish five points clear of Denmark.
Pedigree
Seven appearances at the World Cup, securing third-place finishes in 1974 and 1982. Last qualified in 2006.
Coach
Adam Nawalka – A former Poland international who represented his country at the 1978 FIFA World Cup, Nawalka became coach of the national team in 2013. He has since led the side to their first UEFA European Championship quarter-final and their first FIFA World Cup since 2006.
Key player
Robert Lewandowski – With 16 goals in 10 appearances, the Poland captain was the top scorer in Europe’s 2018 World Cup qualifiers. Lewandowski, hailed as “the best striker in the world” by coach Adam Nawalka, also became his country’s all-time leading scorer during the preliminary campaign.
Group prediction: 1st
Colombia
To Win Group 5/4 | To Win Tournament 40/1 | FIFA Ranking 16th
How they qualified
Finished fourth in the South American standings, confirming their spot on the final matchday thanks to a 1-1 draw in Peru.
Pedigree
Five World Cup appearances, with their best showing coming in 2014, when they exited at the quarter-final stage to Brazil.
Coach
Jose Pekerman – The studious Argentinian has been at the helm since 2012 and has guided Los Cafeteros to consecutive World Cup appearances for the first time since the 1990s. He took charge of his own country at Germany 2006, before leading Colombia at Brazil 2014. Pekerman also has three FIFA U-20 World Cup titles with Argentina to his name.
Key player
James Rodriguez – The breakout star at the 2014 World Cup went on to score six goals in qualification for Los Cafeteros.
Group prediction: 2nd
Japan
To Win Group 7/1 | To Qualify From Group 19/10 | FIFA Ranking 60th
How they qualified
Group B winners in Asian qualifying, finishing on 20 points from 10 games, just one point ahead of Saudi Arabia and Australia.
Pedigree
Have featured at every World Cup since first reaching the finals in 1998. Made the last 16 in both 2002 and 2010.
Coach
Akira Nishino – The extent of Nishino’s soccer world cup experience extends to playing in four qualifiers for Japan in 1977. However, the veteran coach does have experience of managing at FIFA tournaments, taking charge of his country at the Men’s Olympic Football Tournament Atlanta 1996 and guiding Gamba Osaka to the FIFA Club World Cup semi-finals in 2008.
Key player
Keisuke Honda – The Pachuca forward is nearing the 100-cap mark for Japan, and averages more than one goal every three games for his country.
Group prediction: 4th
Senegal
To Win Group 5/1 | To Qualify From Group 14/10 | FIFA Ranking 28th
How they qualified
Group D winners in African qualifying, not losing a game en route to finishing five points clear of Burkina Faso.
Pedigree
Senegal’s one World Cup appearance to date came back in 2002, where they reached the quarter-finals, losing 1-0 to Turkey after extra-time.
Coach
Aliou Cisse – Cisse was captain of the Senegal side that made history at the 2002 FIFA World Cup, reaching the quarter-finals in their debut appearance. He has also impressed as coach since taking charge in 2015 and led his team unbeaten through Group D in the African qualifiers.
Key player
Sadio Mane – One of the leading players in the continent, Mane became the most expensive African player in history when he moved to Liverpool for £34 million in 2016. His strength, speed and skill make him a major asset to Senegal.
Group prediction: 3rd
