The teams that went to the World Cup. Photos of agencies used in the project

Image copyright AFP Image caption Will Italian veteran Buffon go to Russia for the World Cup?

The selection for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia has reached the home stretch. By November 16, the last six of the 32 participants in the final part of the prestigious tournament arguably the most played game on the planet.

Six teams continue to fight in Europe, and all of them have to play in the return match.

After the victory over Greece 4: 1, Croatia with one foot is already in Russia, but four-time champion World Italy is on the verge of relegation after losing to Sweden 0: 1.

On Sunday Northern Ireland could not beat the Swiss in Basel and lost hope of a ticket to Russia. The Swiss made it to the final for the 11th time.

Another finalist will be determined on Tuesday in the second leg between Ireland and Denmark. Their first meeting on Sunday ended in a goalless draw. A day later, the winner will be determined by overseas pairs: Peru - New Zealand and Honduras - Australia.

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On the first day of the calendar winter, a draw in the Kremlin will distribute 32 teams into groups, and the football festival itself starts on 14 June.

Who has already left

Russia as the host country automatically received a place in the final and entered the first basket of the draw.

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The most titled national team is a five-time world champion and the only country that has never missed the final part, Brazil- was the first to receive a ticket to Russia after an impeccable qualifying campaign.

Reigning champion Germany, on account of which four World Cups, passed the qualifying cycle no less convincingly - 10 wins in 10 games.

European Champion Portugal led by Cristiano Ronaldo finished first in the group thanks to a home win over Switzerland, which now have to play play-offs against Northern Ireland, despite a brilliant performance in the group: before losing in Lisbon, the Swiss won nine out of nine games.

Image copyright AFP Image caption Messi paved the way for Argentina to Russia

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Belgium, reached the quarterfinals at the previous championship in Brazil, easily left the first place in the group, winning 9 out of 10 matches and one draw - as well as regaining its former shape Spain.

Poland, which has assembled the strongest squad in recent decades, led by the forward of Munich “Bavaria” Robert Lewandowski, confidently bypassed the favorites of the group Romania and Denmark, and France seven victories were enough to get around the Swedes and the Dutch who were eliminated as a result.

The national team also made it to the finals from the first places in the European groups England(which showed the worst result since 1958 at the last championship in Brazil - relegation after two matches), the team Serbia(played by Manchester United midfielder Nemanja Matic), as well as the main European surprise recent years- national team Iceland(reached the quarterfinals at Euro 2016).

Following the results of the qualifying campaign, the Icelanders left Turkey and Ukraine behind in the final part, and Croatia was forced to play play-offs.

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Brazilian David Luis and Uruguayan Luis Suarez have every chance to meet in Russia

From South America, in addition to the national teams of Brazil and Argentina, teams will fly to Russia Uruguay led by Barcelona striker Luis Suarez and Colombia... They will be joined by Peru if the New Zealanders pass.

Other America will be represented by national teams Mexico who did not experience any problems in the qualifying cycle, as well as Costa Rica, which made it to the finals only thanks to a penalty kick in stoppage time.

They will be accompanied by the debutant of the championship, Panama, and the United States took only fifth place in the group - and for the first time in 32 years will miss the World Cup.

Chances remain with Honduras if it defeats in play-offs Australia.

Otherwise the Australians will join the Asian qualifiers. Iran, Of Japan, South Korea and Saudi Arabia... The latter bypassed the Australians only thanks to better difference goals scored and conceded.

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Moscow Luzhniki will host the opening match and the 2018 World Cup final

This is the fifth time Iran is going to the World Cup, but so far it has managed to win only one match in the final - against the United States at the 1998 championship in France.

Since then, Japan has not missed a single world championship and has even left the group twice. Co-host of the 2002 championship, South Korea has the best track record of any Asian team, reaching the finals 10 times, including the last nine world championships.

The African continent will be presented at the Russian World Cup Morocco- for the first time in 20 years, Egypt and Tunisia who have missed the last two championships, Nigeria not missing the last three, and Senegal, for whom this is only the second such achievement in history after a sparkling debut in 2002, when the newcomers beat France in the opening match of the world champions and reached the quarterfinals.

23 out of 32 tournament participants have been determined

The qualifying tournament for the 2018 FIFA World Cup has ended on almost all continents. 23 teams have already received trips to Russia, taking into account the host country. The final list of teams will be formed in a month, when the last three participants from Africa are determined, play-offs in Europe will be held (eight teams apply for four tickets: Switzerland, Italy, Denmark, Croatia, Sweden, Northern Ireland, Greece and Ireland, the draw will take place on October 17) as well as intercontinental matches: Australia will play Honduras and Peru will play New Zealand.

TASS represents teams that can already prepare for the World Cup in Russia.

Germany squad

The German national team played in qualifying tournament, as befits world champions, winning all ten matches and setting a record for goals scored (43). The German national team never stumbled in the qualifying rounds of the World and European Championships, not having gone for economic reasons to the first World Cup in 1930 in Uruguay, as well as in 1950 to Brazil - due to suspension national federation after World War II.

Qualifying for Germany goals scored 21 football players distinguished themselves, and the most productive were Thomas Müller and Sandro Wagner. The leaders of the German national team are well known - they are defenders Joshua Kimmich, Mats Hummels and Antonio Rüdiger, midfielders Julian Draxler, Toni Kroos, Mesut Ozil, striker Thomas Müller.

The head coach of the German national team is 57-year-old Joachim Loew, who has led the team since 2006. Under his leadership, the Germans won the World Cup and the Confederations Cup, reached the finals of the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2008, being considered the main favorites of the upcoming tournament in Russia.

Achievements: in 1954, 1974, 1990 and 2014, the FRG / German national teams became world champions, eight more times the team was in the top three. In 1972, 1980 and 1996, the Bundesteam won the European Championship, being the most titled team on the continent. Last summer, the German national team won the Confederations Cup, defeating the Chileans in the final in St. Petersburg - 1: 0. At this tournament, the German national team was actually an experimental composition, however, these players did not give any doubt about the class of the team.

Brazil squad

The Brazilians did not start well in the qualifying cycle, but in the summer of 2016, the team was accepted by one of the most successful local specialists Tite - and the Pentacampeons won nine victories in a row, becoming the first team to qualify for the 2018 World Cup. Argentines in Belo Horizonte - 3: 0.

Tite, 58, won the Copa Libertadores and the Club World Cup with Corinthians in 2012, and won the South American Cup with Internacional in 2008. The main squad of the Brazilian national team is one of the best football players in the world, Neymar, as well as stars European clubs: goalkeeper Alison, defenders Marcelo, Marquinhos, Miranda, Daniel Alves, midfielders Casemiro, Philippe Coutinho and Paulinho, and forward Gabriel Jesus. Neymar, Gabriel Jesus and Paulinho with six goals became the highest scoring Brazilians in the qualifying tournament.

Achievements: The most titled team on the planet has won the World Cup five times: in 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994 and 2002. The Brazilians have won the America's Cup eight times and won an Olympic football tournament for the first time at home in 2016.

Portugal squad

The European champions with great difficulty became the winners of group B, only in the final match defeating the Swiss team with a score of 2: 0 and outstripping the rival due to the better goal difference between goals scored and conceded.

The current generation of Portuguese footballers is primarily associated with Cristiano Ronaldo, who updated all local records by scoring 15 goals in the qualifying tournament and losing only to Pole Robert Lewandowski. However, in the qualifying round important role played by another forward of the Portuguese national team - André Silva, who distinguished himself nine times, including in the decisive match with the Swiss. Fernando Santos' team again acted confidently in defense, conceding only four goals - the central defenders Pepe and Rui Fonte, despite their solid age by football standards (34 and 33 years, respectively), continue to perform very reliably. In general, the Portuguese national team has a fairly old composition, and from the younger generation, in addition to André Silva, midfielder João Mario and striker Bernardo Silva should be distinguished.

Experienced and Main coach Portuguese - 63-year-old Fernando Santos, who in 1999 won the national championship with Porto.

Achievements: the Portuguese national team has shown the ability to play for the umpteenth time the most important matches, which in many ways allowed her to win at Euro 2016 in France - for the first time in its history.

Argentina squad

The possible non-inclusion of the Argentines and Lionel Messi in the World Cup was the main topic of discussion in world football at the beginning of October. The Argentines had a nightmare qualifying tournament - largely due to serious problems in the national federation, which for a long time could not elect a president.

Due to confusion, Gerardo Martino left the national team in the summer of 2016, and under the leadership of Edgardo Bausa, she began to constantly lose points, eventually ending up outside the top four teams of the South American qualifying group. Jorge Sampaoli, who had previously successfully worked with the Chilean national team, was appointed to save the two-time world champions. However, under him, the national team was struck by a draw attack: at home, the Argentines were unable to beat rivals from Venezuela and Peru, and before the final match in Quito against the Uruguay team, the choice was simple - only a victory, otherwise for the first time since 1970 the Argentines would have been without the World Cup. And in the most important point the one to whom in last days the whole country prayed. Messi scored a hat-trick, and the Argentines finished third in the group, getting a ticket to the final tournament.

But in any case, the Argentine national team should add, first of all - in the attack. Possessing a whole scattering of stars in attack - Messi, Gonzalo Higuain, Sergio Aguero, Paolo Dybala, as well as Mauro Icardi, whom he began to attract to Sampaoli, the Argentines scored at 18 qualifying matches only 19 balls; only the outsider from Bolivia has less. Seven goals - on account of Messi. Sampaoli has seriously renewed the roster, with only defender Javier Mascherano and midfielder Angel Di Maria remaining from the usual stars. There are many strong Argentinean footballers in Europe, but there are no stars who can again lead the team to the World Cup final, as it happened in 2014.

Achievements: Argentines have played in the World Cup finals five times, winning two victories (1978, 1986) and losing twice (1930, 1990, 2014).

Belgium squad

The "Red Devils" were the first in Europe to get a ticket to the final tournament, confidently winning in Group H. The current generation Belgian footballers- one of the strongest in the history of the team.

The current Belgium national team leaders are goalkeeper Thibault Courtois, defenders Tom Meunier and Jan Vertongen, midfielders Eden Hazard, Axel Witsel, Kevin de Bruyne, forwards Dries Mertens and Romelu Lukaku. Lukaku, who plays for England's Manchester United, has become the team's top scorer in the qualifying round with 11 goals. Eden Hazard scored six goals, five - Mertens and Meunier. After the European Championship, in which the Belgians were eliminated in the quarterfinals, the Spaniard Roberto Martinez replaced Mark Wilmots as head coach.

Achievements: the best result of the Belgian national team is the fourth place at the 1986 World Championship. In 1980, the Belgians played in the final of the European Championship, and in 1972 they took third place.

Poland squad

The Polish national team made it to the final tournament of the World Cup for the first time since 2006. In the current generation of Polish footballers, there are many European stars, among them striker Robert Lewandowski, who scored a record 16 goals in the qualifying round - out of 28 goals scored by the Polish national team. Thanks to the effective game of their leader, the Poles managed to outstrip their competitors from Denmark by five points, although on September 1 they lost to them in Copenhagen with a score of 0: 4. In addition to Lewandowski, who has not yet played at the world championships, the Polish national team should highlight the experienced defenders Lukasz Pischek and Kamil Glik, midfielders Grzegorz Krychowiak, Piotr Zielinski, Jakub Blaszczykowski and Kamil Grosicki.

The head coach of the Polish national team is 59-year-old Adam Navalka, who has been leading the team since 2013. He previously worked with many local clubs and even helped Dutch Leo Benhakker on the national team in 2007-08.

Achievements: the main successes of the Poles are in the 70s and 80s of the last century - in 1974 and 1982 the team took third place in the world championships. At the same time, the Polish national team played for the first time at the European Championship only in 2008.

France squad

The finalists of last year's European Championship managed to break into the final tournament only at the last moment, ahead of the national teams of Sweden and the Netherlands. The team won several striking victories, but failed to beat the Luxembourg national team in their own field, complicating their task.

The main star of the current French national team is striker Antoine Griezmann, who, together with striker Olivier Giroud, became the team's top scorer in the qualifying cycle. Griezmann and Giroud scored a goal in the match with the team of Belarus on Tuesday, a victory in which guaranteed the "tricolor" first place in Group A. By tradition, the French team has a very powerful support zone, where Paul Pogba and Ngolo Kante play, and in attack, apart from Griezmann and Giroud should be noted the young talents - Kilian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembele, who made high-profile transitions to Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona, respectively, last summer.

The captain of the French national team is 30-year-old goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, coached by 48-year-old Didier Deschamps, a key midfielder of the 1998 World Champions, who has been with the team since 2012.

Achievements: in 1998, at the home tournament, the French national team became the world champion for the first time, and in 2006 the generation of Zinedine Zidane almost repeated this success, losing in the final to the Italians only in a penalty shootout. In 1984 and 2000, the French won the European Championship, and last year they almost scored a hat-trick, losing in the final to rivals from Portugal.

Colombia squad

The Colombians also risked being left without the World Cup, although in 2014 they made it to the quarterfinals. They finished the qualifying cycle with four matches without wins, but a 1-1 away draw with rivals from Peru allowed them to stay in fourth place. The latest failures are primarily due to the poor form of James Rodriguez, but it was he who scored the most important goal in Lima.

The Colombian national team retained the leaders who successfully performed at the World Cup in Brazil - goalkeeper David Ospina, midfielders Juan Cuadrado, Abel Aguilar, Carlos Sanchez, James Rodriguez are still in the ranks. Striker Radamel Falcao Garcia has fully recovered, although the team's top scorer with six goals in the qualifying tournament was James. Among the leaders of the new wave are defenders Oscar Murillo and Frank Fabro, as well as midfielder Edwin Cardona and striker Duvan Zapata. The team is headed by the Argentinean specialist Jose Pekerman, who has worked with the Argentine youth team for a long time.

Achievements: The Colombian national team only at the end of the 80s took the lead in South American football, when a generation led by Carlos Valderrama, Freddie Rincon and Faustino Asprilla was shining. In 2001 already new composition Colombians won the America's Cup for the first time in history. Best Performance at the world championships - quarterfinals in 2014.

Spain squad

After the unsuccessful 2014 World Cup and Euro 2016, the Spanish national team regained the taste of victories, and the traditional combinational style of the "red fury" began to give results again. In the qualifying tournament (Group G), the Spaniards overtook long-standing rivals from Italy, taking revenge for the defeat in the 1/8 finals of the European Championship - 2016. On September 2, at the Santiago Bernabeu Madrid, the Spanish national team played a brilliant match against the Italians, defeating the competitor with a score of 3: 0, - the conquest of a ticket to Russia has become a decided affair. In an away match against Italians in the fall of 2016, the Spaniards lost their only points in the qualifying tournament (1: 1), scoring 36 goals in ten matches with three conceded. Four Spanish footballers have distinguished themselves five times at once: Diego Costa, Isco, Alvaro Morata and David Silva.

Under the leadership of Julen Lopetegui, who has worked with the youth and youth teams for a long time, new leaders have emerged in the Spanish national team - first of all, Isco, who scored two goals in the home game with the Italians, as well as Morata and Marco Asensio. Although in the ranks and veterans - defenders Gerard Pique, Sergio Ramos and Jordi Alba, midfielders Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets. Goalkeeper David de Gea also performed brilliantly in the qualifying tournament.

Achievements: in 2008-12, the Spanish national team achieved a unique achievement, winning two consecutive European Championships and becoming the strongest team in the world for the first time - in 2010.

Mexico squad

The Mexicans became the first CONCACAF national team to make their way to the World Cup. It happened in early September, three rounds before the end of the qualifying tournament. The Mexicans passed the decisive round unbeaten, gaining four points each in key confrontations with the teams of the USA, Costa Rica and Panama.

Coach Juan Carlos Osorio took over the Mexican national team in October 2015, following the team's victory in the CONCACAF Gold Cup. He was hired from São Paulo Brazil, although he had a disastrous experience in Mexico: under the leadership of the Colombian, Puebla in 2012 lost seven of 11 matches.

The Mexican national team performed well in the Confederations Cup, not letting the Russian national team into the playoffs (2: 1 in the third match of the group stage), as well as giving a bright match with Portugal (1: 1). Next summer, about the same team will return to Russia with the same leaders: forwards Javier Hernandez, Irving Lozano, Jesus Corona, as well as midfielders Carlos Vela, Andres Guardado. It is also worth waiting for 38-year-old defender Rafael Marquez, who announced his intention to end his career in the national team after the World Cup in Russia. Marquez is the only footballer in history to have captained his national team in four World Cups.

Achievements: Mexico has taken part in 15 world championships - a record among teams that have never become world champions. At the same time, in the last six tournaments, the Mexican team left the group and lost in the 1/8 finals. In addition, the Mexicans more often than any other team had to participate in the opening matches of the world championships - seven times. Mexico has won the CONCACAF Gold Cup 11 times.

England squad

The England squad has traditionally been strong in qualifiers, but most often disappointing at decisive moments. In the qualifying round of the 2018 World Cup, the British won in Group F, eight points ahead of their closest competitors from Slovakia. The English “lions” conceded only three goals - this is the best result along with the Spanish team in all nine qualifying groups.

Striker Harry Kane became the leader of the current England national team, who scored five goals, including the victorious one in the meeting with the Slovenes on October 5 (1: 0), leading the British to the final tournament - for the sixth time in a row. Kane played at Euro 2016, which was a failure for himself and the team, where the British lost to the Icelanders in the 1/8 finals (1: 2). The main goalkeeper of England is Joe Hart, with Kyle Walker, Gary Cahill, Phil Jones and Ryan Bertrand in defense, Jordan Henderson, Dele Alli, Eric Dyer in midfield, Kane, Raheem Sterling and Marcus Rashford in attack. The head coach of the England national team is 47-year-old Gareth Southgate, who played in the defense of the national team in the 90s and then headed the national youth team.

Achievements: the founders of football only once in history were able to win the world championship - on home fields in 1966, and the British never became the best in Europe, having managed to break into the top four twice: in 1968 and 1996.

Uruguay national team

The Uruguay national team qualified for the third consecutive World Cup. The Uruguayans passed the qualifying round quite smoothly, although they got a ticket to Russia only on the last day, beating the Bolivian team with a score of 4: 2. The team played very well at home, where the Colombians and Chileans were defeated (with the same score 3: 0). Moreover, in these matches, held back in 2015, Luis Suarez, who was serving a suspension for a bite by Giorgio Chiellini at the 2014 World Cup, did not play.

The current Uruguay national team has almost the strongest pair of forwards - Edinson Cavani and Luis Suarez, who scored 15 goals for two in the qualifying cycle. The roster is very experienced, most of the leaders are 30 years old or more. Fernando Muslera has remained the main goalkeeper for many years, with Martin Caceres, Diego Godin and younger Jose Jimenez and Gaston Silva playing in defense. In the midfield, the leaders are Carlos Sanchez, Echidio Arevalo, Christian Rodriguez and Matias Vecino. However, in the last qualifying matches, the head coach of the Uruguayans, Oscar Tabares, began to trust the youth more. 70-year-old Tabares is a legendary personality in Uruguay, he headed the national team of the country at the 1990 World Cup, and has been working in it continuously since 2006, leading to victory in the 2011 America's Cup.

Achievements: national team of Uruguay - two-time champion world (1930 and 1950), in 2010 the team finished fourth at the tournament in South Africa.

Costa Rica squad

The Costa Rica national team is one of the main discoveries of the previous World Cup. Costa Ricans managed not only to get out of the "group of death" with England, Italy and Uruguay, but also to pass the Greeks in the 1/8 finals. The team stopped one step away from the semifinals, losing to the Dutch in a penalty shootout.

The Costa Ricans secured access to the World Cup in Russia, having played a draw with the Honduras national team, equalizing the score in stoppage time and finishing in second place. Attack leaders - Christian Bolaños and Marcos Urenya, who played for the Krasnodar “Kuban”. Experienced Brian Ruiz and Johnny Acosta, remembered from the last World Cup, are still in the squad. Head coach Oscar Ramirez joined the team's coaching staff after the World Cup. At first he was an assistant (in this position he already worked in 2006-08) to Paulo Vanchope, one of the most famous footballers in the history of Costa Rican football, and then Ramirez became the main one.

Achievements: Costa Ricans have played in the world championships four times. They left the group not only in Brazil, but also in Italy in 1990. Costa Rica is a three-time winner of the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Iceland National Team

After successful performance At Euro 2016, Icelanders were greeted at home as heroes, and what is most surprising, the Icelandic national team managed to go through copper pipes and get a ticket to the World Cup, also for the first time in its history. Iceland has become the smallest country represented in the World Cup with a population of only 330 thousand inhabitants.

Group I of the Icelanders was fairly even, and they managed to get ahead of competitors from Croatia, Ukraine and Turkey, scoring seven victories, although they scored only 16 goals in ten matches. Top scorer team in the qualifying cycle was midfielder Gilfi Sigurdsson, who plays for the English “Everton”. The Icelanders have retained last year's squad, where there is a place for defenders Ragnar Sigurdsson from “Rubin”, and Sverrir Ingason from “Rostov”. The head coach of the Icelandic national team is 50-year-old Heimir Hallgrimsson, who at Euro 2016 worked in conjunction with the Swede Lars Lagerbek, who took over the Norwegian team.

Achievements: The current generation of Icelandic footballers have made history with their first appearance in the World Cup final a year ago. In France, the islanders reached the quarter finals, where they lost only to the hosts, albeit with a crushing score of 2: 5.

Iran national team

Iranian team showed best result in the Asian zone of the qualifying round, in next year the team will come to their fifth world championship and the second in a row.

The leader of the attacks of the Iranian national team is 22-year-old striker of Kazan “Rubin” Serdar Azmun, who distinguished himself 11 times in the qualifying tournament. In Russia, two more players of the Iranian national team play - Amkar midfielder Said Ezatollahi and Akhmat defender Milad Mohammadi. The Iranian team is young enough but experienced.

The head coach of the Iranian national team, 64-year-old Carlos Queiroz, once headed the teams of Portugal, South Korea and South Africa, and in the 2003/04 season he was the head coach of Real Madrid. Queiroz has been working with the Iranian national team since 2011; in 2014, on the fields of Brazil, the team failed to leave the group, gaining only one point in three matches.

Achievements: The Iranian national team did not manage to overcome the preliminary stage at the World Championships even once, showing the best result in 1998, when the US national team won 2: 1 in a historic match for Iranian football in Lyon, France. In addition, the Iranian national team has won the Asian Cup three times.

Egypt squad

The Egyptian national team made it to the World Cup for the first time in 28 years. The registration of a ticket to Russia turned out to be extremely emotional: a decisive victory over the Congo team with a score of 2: 1 was brought by Mohamed Salah's double, and he scored the winning goal in time added to the second half. The country widely celebrated the success of the national team: people poured into the streets with flags and songs, and President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi ordered to allocate $ 83,000 to each player.

The historical success of the Egyptians was led by the Argentine coach Hector Cooper. He became a loser after losing two Champions League finals in a row with Spanish “Valencia” (2000, 2001). Nevertheless, Cooper went on promotion to Inter Milan, however, not having achieved success there, dropped out of sight of the general public for a decade and a half.

The Egypt squad is a classic one-star team. Last summer, Salah switched from Italian Roma to English Liverpool and gave a bright start to the season, adding speed to the already powerful attack of the Reds. Salah may well claim the title best player Africa 2017. Also noteworthy is the goalkeeper Essam Al-Hadari, who will turn 45 on January 15. If he plays next summer in Russia, he will become the oldest goalkeeper in the history of the World Championships.

Achievements: the national team of Egypt took part in the world championships twice (1934, 1990), both times completing their performances at group stage... In addition, he is a seven-time winner of the African Cup of Nations.

Serbia national team

The Serbian national team became the winner of the very even Group D, with six wins in ten matches and ahead of rivals from Ireland, Wales and Austria.

A new generation of Serbian footballers won in 2015 youth championship of the world, but so far their senior partners are on the national team. These are, first of all, the team captain Branislav Ivanovic from “Zenith”, another defender - Aleksandar Kolarov, the leaders of the center of the field - Nemanja Matic and Nemanja Gudel, as well as the team's top scorer (six goals in the qualifying cycle) Aleksandar Mitrovic. The Serbs held the qualifying cycle under the leadership of one of the most experienced and titled coaches in the country - Slavoljub Muslin, who only at the age of 63 got the opportunity to lead main team Serbia. Muslin previously worked in eight countries, including Russia, where he coached Lokomotiv, Khimki, Krasnodar and Amkar, and his assistant is former Belarusian defender Sergei Gurenko, who played for a long time for Lokomotiv.

Achievements: at the World Cup, Serbian footballers will play for the second time - in 2010 the team failed to leave the group. Previously, the experience of world championships had the teams of Yugoslavia, as well as Serbia and Montenegro. In 1930 and 1962, the Yugoslav national team finished fourth, and the last success of the team was reaching the quarter finals in 1990.

Japan squad

The Japanese national team has been a constant participant in the World Championships since 1998. The Japanese took first place in the group, where the key victories were at home over the teams of Saudi Arabia and Australia.

In March 2015, the Japanese national team was headed by Bosnian Vahid Halilhodjic, who worked for a long time with French clubs, and then with the national teams of Côte d'Ivoire and Algeria, the last of which at the 2014 World Cup withdrew from the group. Keisuke Honda, a longtime CSKA player The leading roles in the team are the German Bundesliga players Shinji Kagawa, Makoto Hasebe, Genke Haraguchi, as well as the top scorer of the current players - the English Leicester forward Shinji Okazaki.

Achievements: the Japanese have qualified twice at the World Championships, including the 2002 home tournament. The Japanese national team has won the Asian Cup four times.

Nigeria squad

The Nigeria national team is one of the most stable in Africa, having missed only one World Cup out of the last six. On the way to Russia "super-eagles" in the qualifying group bypassed reigning champions Africa - the Cameroon team, as well as the Algeria national team, which performed well at the World Cup in Brazil.

The head coach of the Nigeria national team is 64-year-old German Gernot Rohr. In the late 2000s, he moved to Africa, where he first coached the Tunisian club Etoile du Sahel, after which he worked with the national teams of Gabon, Niger and Burkina Faso. In August 2016 he became the head of the Nigeria team.

Key figures of the current Nigeria national team: defender Uva Echiecile (Sivasspor, Turkey), midfielders Victor Moses (Chelsea, England), Ojeni Onazi (Trabzonspor, Turkey), Moises Simon (Gent, Belgium), team captain John Obi Mikel (Tianjin Teda, China), as well as forwards Odion Ighalo (Changchun Yatai, China) and a pair of Leicester's Kelechi Iheanacho and well-known Russian fans from playing for CSKA Ahmed Musa.

Achievements: the national team of Nigeria reached the 1/8 finals three times at the world championships (1994, 1998 and 2014), in 2002 and 2010 they could not leave the group. Also, the national team of Nigeria is a three-time winner of the African Cup of Nations, the winner Olympic Games 1996 year.

South Korea national team

The South Korean national team took second place in Group A, seven points behind the Iranian team, however, four victories in ten matches were enough for the South Koreans to win a ticket to Russia. The team will play at the World Championship for the ninth time in a row next summer.

Although the task was successfully completed, the performance of the South Korean national team in the country caused dissatisfaction. 15 points scored, for example, would have allowed to take only fourth place in another group B, which would have left the team without a world championship. The South Korean national team is headed by a local specialist - 48-year-old Shin Tae Young, who took over the team only in June. Shin Tae Yong replaced the German Uli Stielike, who was fired after two defeats: from the national teams of China and Qatar.

The current South Korea national team is made up of legionnaires, most of whom play in China and Japan. The team leader is 25-year-old Tottenham striker Son Heung Min, while none of the South Korean footballers have scored more than two goals in ten matches of the qualifying tournament.

Achievements: on the home championship of the 2002 world, the South Koreans under the leadership of Guus Hiddink took fourth place, not without refereeing scandals, beating the national teams of Italy and Spain in the playoffs. In addition, South Korea has won the Asian Cup twice.

Saudi Arabia national team

The Saudi Arabia national team returned to the number of participants in the World Cup, having missed the last tournament. It was announced that the players will receive € 1.1 million for this, which is a record in history. sporting achievements... In the decisive qualifying group stage, the Saudi Arabian team beat Australia and the UAE.

Immediately after the team entered the World Cup, a scandal broke out, as a result of which the head coach was replaced. Dutchman Bert Van Marwijk said that he broke off negotiations with the federation after some of its members were fired. coaching staff... The team was taken over by the 59-year-old Edgardo Bausa, under whose leadership the Argentine national team almost failed the qualifying tournament: out of eight matches, only three were won, two meetings were drawn and three were lost.

The Saudi Arabia national team has no foreign players, with the exception of the 19-year-old midfielder of Dutch Vitesse Mukhtar Ali, who played only one match. The top scorer in the qualifying tournament was forward Mohammad Ibrahim Al-Sahlavi, who scored 16 goals in 14 matches, including five against Timor Leste (10-0). Saudi Arabia captain is 33-year-old defender Osama Hawsawi, who has more than 120 caps for the national team.

Achievements: in their debut world championship in 1994, the Saudi Arabian national team reached the 1/8 finals, in the three subsequent tournaments the team did not leave the group. The Saudi Arabia national team is a three-time winner of the Asian Cup.

Panama squad

The Panama squad is one of the main sensations of the qualifying tournament. Her first entry into the tournament was made possible by an unexpected coincidence. First, the US team, which until now has not missed a single World Cup since 1990, sensationally lost to Trinidad and Tobago. And secondly, the victory for the Panamanians in the decisive match with Costa Rica brought a goal that was not there: the ball after hitting striker Gabriel Torres did not cross the goal line. The day after the historic victory was declared a public holiday in Panama.

The team's top scorer in the qualifying tournament was the already mentioned Torres, who scored three goals. Panamanian players are not represented in the leading championships, the maximum level for them is MLS, the leading league of the USA and Canada. The Panama national team has been coached by 61-year-old Colombian Hernan Dario Gomez since 2014, who has coached his national team twice. The second time he was forced to leave office after he attacked a woman outside a pub in Bogota in 2011.

Achievements: the World Cup in Russia will be the main event in the history of Panamanian football.

Millions of fans are worried about who has already passed to the 2018 World Cup, which for the first time in the sovereign history of Russia will be held on its territory. At the moment, all 32 participants of the World Cup are known. For some, the selection passed without special problems, and some had to fight their way through the play-offs. A number of national teams that regularly participated in the world championship did not make it to the tournament at all. This list can include Italy, USA, Chile, Ireland, Cote d'Ivoire and others.

Let's start our review of the topic of who got to the 2018 World Cup, from the zone where there was the largest quota of places (13). As a result of qualification for the World Cup, the following teams made it:

Poland;
England;
Serbia;
Spain;
Belgium;
France;
Germany;
Iceland;
Portugal;
Switzerland;
Denmark;
Croatia;
Sweden.

The first 9 of the 13 teams listed won their qualifying subgroups in the 2018 World Cup qualifier. The remaining 4 teams got tickets through the play-offs. The main sensation of the qualification was, perhaps, the Swedish national team, which defeated Italy. Squadra Azzurra will not go to the World Cup for the first time in 60 years. The Italians showed an indistinct football, both in the first and in the second meeting. Robin Olsen's goal remained clean in both matches. The Swedes clung to every ball, deservedly leaving Italy behind the Mundial.

Who passed from Asia?

Unlike other football zones, in Asia, the favorites were initially determined, who had high chances to go to Russia. Four tickets were won:

Iran;
Japan;
South Korea;
Saudi Arabia.

A ticket to the play-offs with the fourth team of the CONCACAF zone was played by the national teams of Australia and Syria. In the face-to-face confrontation, the players from the fifth continent were a little luckier. As a result, the Australians, led by 37-year-old captain Tim Cahill, were able to beat Honduras on aggregate and make their way to the final of the World Cup.

South America: intrigue before the final round

Until recently, it was not known who got on, from South America. Experts, fans and ordinary people wondered if they would see Lionel Messi in Russia. As a result, the Argentina national team left the group thanks to the actions of their main trump card. The list of other lucky ones from the COMNEBOL zone includes:

Brazil;
Uruguay;
Colombia.

In the play-offs with the team that won the selection from the Oceania zone, the national team of Peru advanced. On aggregate, the charges beat New Zealand... It is noteworthy that on the day of the decisive match in Peru, a day off was announced, and millions of citizens watched the game of their favorites. The footballers did not let their fans down and used the chance to go to Russia in the summer of 2018

Chile was the main disappointment in qualifying. The national team of this country until the last round was included in the list of teams that will play in the World Cup. IN final round the Chileans lost to unmotivated Brazil and flew past the Mundial. The local football federation has filed a lawsuit with FIFA with a request to recognize the match between Colombia and Peru as negotiable. Having learned about the defeat of their opponents, the players of these teams literally walked across the field, keeping the score 1: 1 that suited both teams. The wife of the main goalkeeper of Chile, Claudio Bravo, added fuel to the fire by writing a post that a number of players of the national team simply got drunk in a bar before an important meeting. Be that as it may, we will no longer see Alexis Sanchez, Arturo Vidal and company at the World Cup.

African continent: no surprises

Four vacant tickets to the Mundial from the CAF zone were distributed as follows:

Tunisia;
Egypt;
Nigeria;
Morocco;
Senegal.

Particularly surprised by the Moroccans, who for the first time in 20 years, will play in the world elite. In the final round, Hervé Rinard's charges defeated Cote d'Ivoire, snatching a ticket to world championship... As for the rest, Africa did not bring any surprises: all the strongest teams of the continent received cherished tickets to the World Championship.

North and South America

In the zone, three tickets to the Mundial were received:

Mexico;
Costa Rica;
Panama.

If the passage of the first two teams was not a surprise for sports experts, then Panama became the author of the sensation. For the first time in its history, the national team of this country will play at the World Cup. A phantom goal helped to qualify in Panama, after which they climbed immediately to the third line in standings... The fourth place was taken by the players of Honduras, having beaten the leader of the selection against Mexico in the last round. Unfortunately, the team did not manage to pass the joints, where they lost to the Australian national team.

Separately, it is worth mentioning the failure of the US team. For the first time in 32 years, one of the strongest teams on the planet will not perform at the world championship. For their fiasco, the Stars and Stripes can only blame themselves, because in the last match they had to beat the outsider of the Trinidad and Tobago group.

Oceania

The New Zealand team has successfully passed the Oceania zone. IN final match she was stronger than the Solomon Islands, but that was not enough to qualify for the World Cup. Main match New Zealanders played the day before - November 16. In the second play-off match with Peru, they lost 2: 0 and said goodbye to the dream of going to the world championship.

The question of who made it to the 2018 World Cup is no longer relevant. In addition to the Russian national team, which automatically qualified for the tournament as a host, another 31 were included in the list strongest team planets. All 32 national teams will be divided into 8 subgroups on December 1, 2017. Don't miss the draw for the Mundial at the Kremlin.