BRAZIL (FIFA RANKING: 1ST)
Tite guided the Selecao to Copa America glory in 2019
COACH
Tite, 61, was appointed in 2016 and took over a struggling national team. He built a solid and well-balanced team around Neymar. Tite survived a quarter-final exit at the 2018 World Cup and led the team to victory at the 2019 Copa America before taking them unbeaten through qualifying.
Will Neymar give his country its sixth World Cup?
KEY PLAYER
Having reached the age of 30, Neymar knows this could be his last chance to win a World Cup after the agony of 2014 and the disappointment of 2018. He has not won the Champions League at PSG and he has still never won a Ballon d'Or. None of that will matter if he can lead Brazil to World Cup glory.
Best World Cup performance: Winners 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002
How they qualified: Unbeaten winners of the single South American qualifying group
GROUP FIXTURES
Nov 24: v Serbia
Nov 28: v Switzerland
Dec 2: v Cameroon
SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Alisson, Ederson, Weverton
Defenders: Dani Alves, Danilo, Alex Sandro, Alex Telles, Bremer, Eder Militao, Marquinhos, Thiago Silva
Midfielders: Bruno Guimaraes, Casemiro, Everton Ribeiro, Fabinho, Fred, Lucas Paqueta
Forwards: Antony, Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli, Neymar, Pedro, Raphinha, Richarlison, Rodrygo, Vinicius Junior
CAMEROON (FIFA RANKING: 43RD)
'Big chief' Rigobert Song will manage the Indomitable Lions after appearing in four World Cups
COACH
Rigobert Song, 46, is a Cameroon football legend having performed at four World Cups and helped the Indomitable Lions win the Africa Cup of Nations twice in eight tournament appearances. Called the “Big Chief”, he suffered a stroke in 2016 and was in a coma for several days.
Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting was born in Hamburg to a Cameroonian father and German mother
KEY PLAYER
Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, 33, goes to Qatar in outstanding form. Born in Hamburg to a Cameroonian father and German mother, he has a point to prove at the World Cup after being largely ignored during the Cup of Nations this year.
Best World Cup performance: Quarter-finalists in 1990
How they qualified: Cameroon defeated Algeria in a play-off
GROUP FIXTURES
Nov 24: v Switzerland
Nov 28: v Serbia
Dec 2: v Brazil
SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Andre Onana, Devis Epassy, Simon Ngapandouetnbu
Defenders: Fai Collins, Nicolas Nkoulou, Enzo Ebosse, Olivier Mbaizo, Nouhou Tolo, Jean-Charles Castelletto, Cristopher Wooh
Midfielders: Samuel Oum Gouet, Martin Hongla, Frank Zambo Anguissa, Pierre Kunde Malong, Olivier Ntcham, Gael Ondoua
Forwards: Vincent Aboubakar, Bryan Mbeumo, Jean-Pierre Nsame, Georges-Kévin N'Koudou, Moumi Ngamaleu, Karl Toko Ekambi, Christian Bassogog, Souaibou Marou, Jerome Ngom, Eric Maxim Choupo Moting
SERBIA (FIFA RANKING: 21ST)
Serbia went unbeaten in their entire qualifying campaign under Dragan Stojkovic COACH
Dragan Stojkovic, 57, was appointed in February last year. He led Serbia through an unbeaten qualifying campaign, with a last-gasp win in Portugal in their final game seeing them top their group. Stojkovic's Serbia also topped their Nations League group to win promotion to the top tier.
Serbia's Dusan Vlahovic will be one to watch out for in QatarKEY PLAYER
Serbia have formidable attacking options, none more so than Dusan Vlahovic. The 22-year old forward is a robust presence up front but does not lack for pace or skill. Given his age, his peak years still lie in the future, but Serbia will hope he thrives on the World Cup stage in Qatar.
Best World Cup performance: Group stage in 2010 and 2018 (Yugoslavia reached semi-finals in 1930 and 1962)
How they qualified: Winners of European qualifying Group A ahead of Portugal
GROUP FIXTURES
Nov 24: v Brazil
Nov 28: v Cameroon
Dec 2: v Switzerland
SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Marko Dmitrovic, Vanja Milinkovic-Savic, Predrag Rajković
Defenders: Nikola Milenkovic, Stefan Mitrovic, Strahinja Pavlovic, Milos Veljkovic, Filip Mladenovic, Srdan Babic, Strahinja Erakovic
Midfielders: Dusan Tadic, Nemanja Gudelj, Filip Kostic, Nemanja Maksimovic, Filip Duricic, Nemanja Radonjic, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Sasa Lukic, Andrija Zivkovic, Uros Racic, Ivan Ilic, Darko Lazovic
Forwards: Aleksandar Mitrovic, Luka Jovic (Fiorentina), Dusan Vlahovic
SWITZERLAND (FIFA RANKING: 15TH)
Murat Yakin, who has Turkish roots, played 49 times for SwitzerlandCOACH
Murat Yakin, 48, was appointed in August last year. Yakin, who has Turkish roots, was a defender who won 49 caps for Switzerland. Yakin has coached several Swiss clubs. His Swiss side topped their qualifying group ahead of Italy.
Swiss striker Breel Embolo will face the country of his birth, Cameroon, in the group stages KEY PLAYER
Breel Embolo, 25, has pace and power in abundance and is hoping to take his early-season form with him to Qatar. Born in Cameroon, he will get the chance to face the country of his birth in Switzerland's opening group game. As long as he stays fit, he could have a key role to play in Qatar.
Best World Cup performance: Quarter-finals in 1934, 1938 and 1954
How they qualified: Winners of European qualifying Group C
GROUP FIXTURES
Nov 24: v Cameroon
Nov 28: v Brazil
Dec 2: v Serbia
SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Gregor Kobel, Yann Sommer, Jonas Omlin, Philipp Kohn
Defenders: Manuel Akanji, Eray Comert, Nico Elvedi, Fabian Schar, Silvan Widmer, Ricardo Rodriguez, Edimilson Fernandes
Midfielders: Michel Aebischer, Xherdan Shaqiri, Renato Steffen, Granit Xhaka, Denis Zakaria, Fabian Frei, Remo Freuler, Noah Okafor, Fabian Rieder, Ardon Jashari
Forwards: Breel Embolo, Ruben Vargas, Djibril Sow, Haris Seferovic, Christian Fassnacht
