GROUP A

Brazil

Croatia

Mexico

Cameroon

Brazil are the hosts with the most, according to the bookies – who make Big Phil Scolari’s side the overwhelming favourites to lift the trophy on home soil. Their star-studded squad includes the likes of Neymar, Thiago Silva and Fred and they should cruise into round two as group winners.

Second spot would appear to be between Mexico and Croatia, who both needed a play-off to book their place. The intense heat could give the Mexicans the edge, but Luka Modric has been on fire for Real Madrid this season and his contribution will be key to Croatia’s chances.

Cameroon are not also-rans by any means, but big-game players like Chelsea striker Samuel Eto’o and former Arsenal star Alex Song will need to step up to the plate if there is to be any repeat of those famous Roger Milia corner-flag celebrations.

GROUP B

Spain

Holland

Chile

Australia

Holders Spain are favourites to qualify from Group B and while Barcelona have had a poor season by their exceptional standards, any team worth its salt would be happy to have Xavi and Iniesta pulling the strings in midfield.

Their main threat will come from Holland, who meet Vicente Del Bosque’s side in the group’s opening fixture on June 13. The game is a repeat of the 2010 final, which sticks in the memory for all the wrong reasons - 14 yellow cards, one red and Nigel De Jong’s studs-up assault on Xabi Alonso’s chest. When a football match did briefly break out amidst all the fighting, Iniesta’s 116th minute goal eventually settled it.

Chile are the group’s dangerous floaters and looked impressive when ending England’s 10-match unbeaten run in November, thanks to an Alexis Sanchez double.

Australia look to be the whipping boys of the group, but might take inspiration from neighbours New Zealand – the only unbeaten team at the last World Cup. (And they still didn’t make it out of the group.)

Spain have won Euro 2008, World Cup 2010 and Euro 2012. Surely it’s time for someone else to win a tournament?

GROUP C

Colombia

Greece

Ivory Coast

Japan

If you wanted to put a label on this quartet it would probably be the group of uncertainty.

Colombia, currently fourth in the FIFA world rankings, are slight favourites to top the standings, but much will depend on the fitness of striker and talisman Radamel Falcao, out since January following knee ligament surgery. The Monaco frontman is confident of being fit and ready to play by the end of May but is clearly a huge risk.

Greece squeezed through via the play-offs and while they’re not particularly pleasing on the eye, coach Fernando Santos clearly went to the same school of bus-parking as Jose Mourinho, with the miserly four goals conceded in their qualifying group second only to Spain.

The stars of the Ivory Coast are getting on a bit but the likes of Yaya Youre and Didier Drogba are not ready to draw their pensions just yet, with the former having a phenomenal season in the heart of the Manchester City midfield.

Japan, meanwhile, blow hot and cold, cruising through the qualifiers before being dumped out of the Confederations Cup following three successive defeats. In other words, no-one has got a Scooby who will go through from this little lot.

GROUP D

Uruguay

Costa Rica

England

Italy

Come the beginning of June, the charts will be filled with dodgy World Cup songs, sales of facepaint and tinned beers will go through the roof and St George’s crosses will flutter hopefully from white vans as Roy Hodgson’s brave boys carry the hopes of a nation.

For once, England were not expected to do very well at this tournament but in recent weeks, with the likes of Sturridge and Sterling banging the goals in, there are worrying signs people are starting to believe again.

In all honesty, just getting out of what looks to be a tough group would be a big achievement. Italy, who dumped England out of Euro 2012 at the quarter-final stages, are favourites to finish top of the pile. The Three Lions’ tormentor-in-chief Andrea Pirlo is still doing the business at 34, while the loose cannon that is Mario Balotelli would love to stick one past his old team-mate Joe Hart.

As for Uruguay, he may have been in tears at the end of Liverpool’s extraordinary 3-3 draw at Crystal Palace, but if Luis Suarez scores the goal that knocks England out of the World Cup, Steven Gerrard might not be quite so accommodating.

Costa Rica are the outsiders, but let’s face it, if England need to beat Bryan Ruiz’s side to stay in the World Cup, you wouldn’t put your mortgage on it.

A disappointed England fan - an image coming to your TV screen very soon.

GROUP E

Switzerland

Ecuador

France

Honduras

If you go by the seedings, Switzerland should comfortably top this group, while France will be catching the first flight back to Paris.

But games are not won on paper and while the Swiss sit eight place above France in the FIFA world rankings, any team containing the likes of Franck Ribery, Karim Benzema and Paul Pogba are a force to be reckoned with.

France manager Didier Deschamps couldn’t have asked for a better draw if he’d handpicked his side’s three opponents, although Switzerland don’t do reputations, giving eventual winners Spain a bloody nose in their opening game at the last World Cup.

Ecuador, whose team includes Manchester United winger Antonio Valencia, finished above Uruguay in qualifying and will be no pushovers, while Stoke midfielder Wilson Palacios will be flying the Premier League flag for a Honduras team not expected to progress beyond the group stage.

GROUP F

Argentina

Bosnia & Herzegovina

Iran

Nigeria

Lionel Messi’s detractors are always keen to point out the little magician cannot be described as the best player of all-time until he has won a World Cup. This might just be his year.

The Barcelona star has never quite reached the same extraordinary heights of his club career when playing for his country, but with the tournament being staged in South America, and the likes of Sergio Aguero and Gonzalo Higuain to keep Messi company, Argentina are fancied to go all the way.

Bosnia & Herzegovina, playing in their first ever World Cup, are very easy on the eye, boasting a formidable frontline of Edin Dzeko and Miralem Pjanic. They are likely to be competing for second place with a Nigeria side containing Premier League duo John Obi Mikel and Victor Moses, while Iran – coached by former Manchester United No 2 Carlos Queiroz – are unlikely to make it to round two.

He's the best player in the world, but so far in his career, the World Cup has not been kind to Lionel Messi.

GROUP G

Germany

Portugal

Ghana

USA

Germany might be hot favourites to top the group, but they would have been hoping for a far kinder draw. Joachim Low’s team have made it through to at least the semi-final of the last four major tournaments and it is hard to look beyond a team containing Bayern Munich quartet Manuel Neuer, Philipp Lahm, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Toni Kroos.

But just to top the group they will need to get past their former golden boy Jurgen Klinsmann, currently managing an awkward-looking USA team that held England at the last World Cup, and a Ghana side who were a Luis Suarez hand-width away from reaching the semi-finals at South Africa 2010 – lighting up an otherwise pedestrian tournament.

And then there’s Portugal, who just happen to boast Cristiano Ronaldo, Champions League finalist, reigning world player of the year and someone who can most definitely hit a Ballon d’Or with a banjo. Throw in the sub-plot of brothers Jerome and Kevin-Prince Boateng facing one another and you have an intriguing-looking group.



GROUP H

Belgium

Algeria

Russia

South Korea

Belgium are many people’s dark horses for the tournament and their squad list leads like a Panini Premier League sticker album.

Vincent Kompany, Eden Hazard, Thomas Vermaelen, er, Marouanne Fellaini – the names just trip off the tongue and Marc Wilmots’ side are clear favourites to top the standings.

Russia might have something to say about that, topping a strong qualifying group that included Portugal under the tutelage of former England coach Fabio Capello. The Russians failed to qualify for the last World Cup and the 2018 hosts will be keen to do well here.

Capello knows all about Algeria after they held England to a 0-0 in South Africa, although the African side failed to score a single goal in that tournament.

South Korea are no slouches, although there’s more chance of Lord Lucan handing out the winners’ medals than there is of them replicating their 2002 semi-final place.