MOSCOW — They are largely minnows in the soccer world, countries that have far fewer people and far less money than the countries they had to beat to get to the World Cup.

And yet there they are, on soccer’s biggest stage, taking on the giants of the sport. Iceland held Argentina to a 1-1 tie on Saturday, a strong result that will help its chances to advance out of the first round. Panama squares off with Belgium on Monday. Costa Rica lines up against Brazil next Friday.

So how, exactly, did they beat out the bigger countries in their regions to get there? And what can the countries that aren’t in Russia, despite a much deeper history of success in the sport, or more resources, or millions more people, learn from what they did so they can get to Qatar in 2022?

Interviews with coaches, players and administrators from these countries reveal a through line — in each case, the team found a problem that was solvable and a way to turn a weakness into a strength. Iceland has spent the past two decades seeding its youth coaching ranks with professionals. Panama, traditionally a baseball-first country, got its best players on the best possible teams outside the country. Costa Rica has instilled the simplest of strategies and makes no apologies for aesthetics. They all know who they are, and who they are not.