It is something Lionel Messi has become so obsessed with that he has over the last few months been scrutinising the smallest details of how the Argentina team works, to the point of sending manager Jorge Sampaoli tactical suggestions as they occur to him. The 30-year-old knows well the significance of this summer, but his desire to finish it in glory goes far deeper than anything like his own legacy. It is much more innate. His great rival Cristiano Ronaldo feels the same, while a past champion like Andres Iniesta says he will “face it like it is my first”. Raheem Sterling and many of the England squad have meanwhile admitted to daydreaming about what it would be like to land back home with that unique trophy.

These different ideas from the same fundamental feeling reflect how unique this competition is as a whole, and was perhaps best summed up by maybe its single greatest player. On the eve of the 1990 opening game, Diego Maradona roared to his Argentina teammates: “Fucking come on! This is a World Cup!”

A simplistic statement, but one that illustrates the simple and uncomplicated emotion the great event produces.

2018 World Cup group-by-group guide Show all 33 1 /33 2018 World Cup group-by-group guide 2018 World Cup group-by-group guide Who's qualified for the 2018 World Cup? HAMBURG, GERMANY - MAY 25: The FIFA World Cup is pictured at the city hall on May 25, 2006 in Hamburg, Germany. The FIFA World Cup will be presented to the public on May 26, 2006 in Hamburg, Germany. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Bongarts/Getty Images) Bongarts/Getty Images 2018 World Cup group-by-group guide Group A: Russia Coach:Stanislav Cherchesov

Star player:Fyodor Smolov

World Cup best:First round 1994, 2002, 2014 (Soviet Union finished fourth in 1966)

Russia qualified automatically as hosts and will be desperate to improve their poor recent record at major tournaments. They have not won a match since Euro 2012 and, since the break up of the Soviet Union, have not progressed from the World Cup group stage. Getty Images 2018 World Cup group-by-group guide Group A: Saudi Arabia Coach:Edgardo Bauza

Star player:Mohammad Al-Sahlawi

World Cup best:Second round 1994

After qualifying for four consecutive tournaments between 1994 and 2006, Saudi Arabia missed out in 2010 and 2014 but are back after finishing ahead of Australia in their qualifying group. AFP/Getty Images 2018 World Cup group-by-group guide Group A: Saudi Arabia Coach:Hector Cuper

Star player:Mohamed Salah

World Cup best:First round 1934, 1990

Egypt will make only their third appearance at a World Cup finals and their first since 1990 after booking their place in Russia with victory over Congo. Runners-up to Cameroon in this year's African Nations Cup. Getty 2018 World Cup group-by-group guide Group A: Uruguay Coach:Oscar Tabarez

Star player:Luis Suarez

World Cup best:Winners 1930, 1950

Uruguay's last World Cup campaign was overshadowed by Suarez's bite on Giorgio Chiellini and expulsion from the tournament but they qualified impressively for Russia and possess undoubted firepower. 2018 World Cup group-by-group guide Group B: Portugal Coach:Fernando Santos

Star player:Cristiano Ronaldo

World Cup best:Third place 1966

Portugal enjoyed a real battle with Switzerland for automatic qualification but came out on top. Looking to continue their unbeaten run at tournaments after winning their first major title at Euro 2016. 2018 World Cup group-by-group guide Group B: Spain Coach:Julen Lopetegui

Star player:Isco

World Cup best:Winners 2010

The previously all-conquering Spanish suffered the ignominy of group stage exits at the 2014 World Cup and 2016 European Championship. The squad has seen evolution rather than revolution. Getty 2018 World Cup group-by-group guide Group B: Morocco Coach:Herve Renard

Star player:Medhi Benatia

World Cup best:Second round 1986

Well-travelled coach Renard will have relished beating his former employers Ivory Coast to top spot in a tough qualifying group. The North Africans are back at the finals for the first time since 1998. Getty 2018 World Cup group-by-group guide Group B: Iran Coach:Carlos Queiroz

Star player:Sardar Azmoun

World Cup best:First round 1978, 1998, 2006, 2014

This will be Iran's fourth appearance from the last six World Cup finals, but their only victory came against the USA in 1998. Won their final qualifying group ahead of South Korea. Getty Images 2018 World Cup group-by-group guide Group C: France Coach:Didier Deschamps

Star player:Antoine Griezmann

World Cup best:Winners 1998

Knocked out in the quarter-finals in 2014, France have built a hugely impressive squad and will hope to make up for their near miss on home soil in Euro 2016, when they lost in the final to Portugal. 2018 World Cup group-by-group guide Group C: Australia Coach:N/A

Star player:Aaron Mooy

World Cup best:Second round 2006 Completing a quintet of qualifiers from the Asian groups, Australia conquered Honduras over two play-off legs. Were pointless at Brazil 2014 and long-serving talisman Tim Cahill is on the wane. Getty 2018 World Cup group-by-group guide Group C: Peru Coach:Ricardo Gareca

Star player:Jefferson Farfán

World Cup best:Quarter-finals 1970

Will be appearing at their first World Cup since 1982 after they beat New Zealand 2-0 on aggregate in the play-offs. Getty 2018 World Cup group-by-group guide Group C: Denmark Coach:Age Hareide

Star player:Christian Eriksen

World Cup best:Quarter-finals 1998

After missing out in 2014, Eriksen propelled Denmark back to the World Cup finals with a hat-trick in their play-off victory over the Republic of Ireland. The Danes failed to get out of their group on their last appearance in 2010. Getty 2018 World Cup group-by-group guide Group D: Argentina Coach:Jorge Sampaoli

Star player:Lionel Messi

World Cup best:Winners 1978, 1986

A nervy qualification campaign saw one of world football's great powers book their place at the last opportunity with victory over Ecuador but the losing finalists in 2014 will be looking to go one better. 2018 World Cup group-by-group guide Group D: Iceland Coach:Heimir Hallgrimsson

Star player:Gylfi Sigurdsson

World Cup best:Debut

The smallest nation by population ever to qualify for the World Cup finals, Iceland followed up their Euro 2016 heroics by topping a group featuring Croatia, Ukraine and Turkey. Getty 2018 World Cup group-by-group guide Group D: Croatia Coach:Zlatko Dalic

Star player:Luka Modric

World Cup best:Third place 1998

Ivan Rakitic, Luka Modric and Ivan Perisic make for one of the best creative midfields in the tournament but they have failed to make it out of their group on their last three appearances since reaching the semi-finals at France 98. Getty 2018 World Cup group-by-group guide Group D: Nigeria Coach:Salisu Yusuf

Star player:Victor Moses

World Cup best:Second round 1994, 1998, 2014

A very impressive qualifying campaign booked Nigeria's place in Russia. The Super Eagles have only missed one of the last seven tournaments but 2014's victory over Bosnia-Herzegovina was their first since 1998. 2018 World Cup group-by-group guide Group E: Brazil Coach:Tite

Star player:Neymar

World Cup best:Winners 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002

The five-time champions were the first team other than hosts Russia to qualify for the tournament after a very impressive campaign. Brazil have not made a World Cup final since their last title in 2002. Getty Images 2018 World Cup group-by-group guide Group E: Switzerland Coach:Vladimir Petkovic

Star player:Xherdan Shaqiri

World Cup best:Quarter-finals 1934, 1938, 1954

Qualified for their fourth straight World Cup by beating Northern Ireland in a play-off via a controversial penalty. They have made it out of their group in two of the previous three and that will be the minimum aim this time around. Getty 2018 World Cup group-by-group guide Group E: Costa Rica Coach:Oscar Ramirez

Star player:Keylor Navas

World Cup best:Quarter-finals 2014

Finished second in CONCACAF qualifying, with the highlight being a 4-0 victory over the United States. Will be hard pushed to match their 2014 performance, when they beat Italy, Uruguay and Greece before losing to Holland on penalties. 2018 World Cup group-by-group guide Group E: Serbia Coach:Mladen Krstajic (caretaker)

Star player:Nemanja Matic

World Cup best:First round 2010 (Yugoslavia finished fourth in 1930 and 1962, Serbia and Montenegro reached the second round in 1998)

Qualifying for a first major tournament since the 2010 World Cup was not enough to save manager Slavoljub Muslin from the sack. Finished top of a group featuring the Republic of Ireland and Wales. Getty 2018 World Cup group-by-group guide Group F: Germany Coach:Joachim Low

Star player:Toni Kroos

World Cup best:Winners 2014 (West Germany were champions in 1954, 1974 and 1990)

The reigning champions qualified in style, winning all 10 of their games, scoring 43 goals and conceding only four. Their golden generation is ageing but remains a force and has been enhanced by young blood. Getty Images 2018 World Cup group-by-group guide Group F: Mexico Coach:Juan Carlos Osorio

Star player:Javier Hernandez

World Cup best:Quarter-finals 1970, 1986

Mexico are traditionally the strongest team in the CONCACAF region and again qualified comfortably. They have reached the second round at the last six tournaments without once going further. AFP/Getty Images 2018 World Cup group-by-group guide Group F: Sweden Coach:Janne Andersson

Star player:Andreas Granqvist

World Cup best:Runners-up 1958

They may be missing Zlatan Ibrahimovic but Sweden qualified for their first World Cup since 2006 with a play-off win over four-time champions Italy. They also finished above Holland in a tough qualifying group which was headed by France. Getty 2018 World Cup group-by-group guide Group F: South Korea Coach:Shin Tae-yong

Star player:Son Heung-min

World Cup best:Fourth place 2002

South Korea qualified for their ninth consecutive World Cup finals despite an indifferent campaign. They have only won two matches since finishing fourth as co-hosts in 2002. Getty Images 2018 World Cup group-by-group guide Group G: Belgium Coach:Roberto Martinez

Star player:Kevin De Bruyne

World Cup best:Fourth place 1986

Unbeaten in qualifying, Belgium's hugely talented squad will be hoping to build on their quarter-final appearance four years ago having reached the same stage at Euro 2016. AFP/Getty Images 2018 World Cup group-by-group guide Group G: Panama Coach:Hernan Dario Gomez

Star player:Gabriel Torres

World Cup best:Debut

Panama have been edging closer to reaching the World Cup finals for the first time in recent tournaments and crossed the line this time thanks to a last-gasp 2-1 victory over Costa Rica in their final qualifier. Getty 2018 World Cup group-by-group guide Group G: Tunisia Coach:Nabil Maaloul

Star player:Wahbi Khazi

World Cup best:Group stage 1978, 1998, 2002, 2006

After appearing at three consecutive finals without winning a single group game, Tunisia missed the last two editions. Unbeaten in qualifying, they defeated DR Congo to Russia by a point, with a last-round draw against Libya proving enough for a squad compromised largely of Tunisia-based players. Getty 2018 World Cup group-by-group guide Group G: England Coach:Gareth Southgate

Star player:Harry Kane

World Cup best:Winners 1966

A comfortable qualification campaign did nothing to boost optimism for England's chances in Russia. A first major tournament in charge for Southgate, with the Three Lions having failed to reach the quarter-finals at the last two World Cups. AFP/Getty Images 2018 World Cup group-by-group guide Group H: Poland Coach:Adam Nawalka

Star player:Robert Lewandowski

World Cup best:Third place 1974, 1982

Poland are back at the World Cup finals for the first time since 2006 after comfortably topping their qualifying group. The last time they progressed beyond the group stages was 1986. 2018 World Cup group-by-group guide Group H: Senegal Coach:Aliou Cisse

Star player:Sadio Mane

World Cup best:Quarter-final 2002

The surprise package at the 2002 World Cup - they memorably beat hosts France - Senegal missed three editions of the tournament before securing their return by beating South Africa in a replayed group match. The original result was annulled after referee Joseph Lamptey was expelled by FIFA. Getty 2018 World Cup group-by-group guide Group H: Colombia Coach:Jose Pekerman

Star player:Radamel Falcao

World Cup best:Quarter-finals 2014

Colombia's star has waned a little since their brilliant showing in 2014, when they reached the last eight and were narrowly and controversially beaten by Brazil. Finished fourth in South American qualifying. 2018 World Cup group-by-group guide Group H: Japan Coach:Vahid Halilhodzic

Star player:Shinji Kagawa

World Cup best:Second round 2002, 2010

Will be appearing at their sixth consecutive World Cup finals after winning their qualification group. Did not win any of their three group games at the 2014 tournament. Getty Images

The evolution of football might mean the Champions League is its pinnacle in terms of performance, and there might be all manner of debate over how far the international game has fallen behind the club game, but there can be no debate about what the pinnacle of the game is in terms of feeling.

This is what it’s all about.

Those two arms on the trophy “stretching out to receive the world... at the stirring moment of victory” – in the words of designer Silvio Gazzinaga – are so representative in more ways than one. This is what everyone in the game is ultimately reaching for: immortality.

It is little wonder many within the game, not to mention so many supporters, describe the night before the World Cup starts as “like Christmas Eve”.

There’s still nothing like it in all of sport. It is the great festival of football, set on the vibrant stage that the host country becomes, with its extreme popularity across the expanse of the globe giving it a uniquely universal audience. To put it another way, it becomes the centre of the world for a month. Just by watching we’re all part of the show, in a way nothing else in the modern world can quite match. Big World Cup fixtures fill the lists of the most-watched broadcasts in countries across the globe. In the United Kingdom alone, the 32.3m who watched the 1966 final still trumps everything else that followed, including the 32.1m who watched the funeral of Princess Diana. Countries are meanwhile consumed by that rare fervour, coloured by flags on the street and soundtracked by car horns blaring on the roads. It is an atmosphere of togetherness that only the World Cup can bring.

This is what debutants Iceland and Panama will feel for the first time, and what Egypt, Morocco and Peru will feel for the first time in decades.

Countries are consumed by that rare fervour, coloured by flags on the street and soundtracked by car horns blaring on the roads (Getty)

That of course ensures that winning the World Cup means so much more than just ‘winning the World Cup’. You are winning the competition that means the most to the most people in the world. But to even be involved in something so absorbing is a thrill of its own.

A huge part of that universality is also the unique childlike joy it inspires, as illustrated by so many of these won-it-all modern professionals. The way it consumes a country means you can’t help but grow up with and get enamoured by it, those memories further firing the adult fascination and extra desire for it. When Iker Casillas was talking about the moment before he went to pick up the trophy in 2010, he admitted that the images of the past captains doing the same was in his head, before reeling them off in perfect order going back to that special first World Cup he consumed as a youngster.

“From when I was small, I saw Matthaus lift it,” Casillas began. “I saw Dunga lift it, I saw Deschamps lift it, I saw Cafu lift it, Cannavaro… so to watch me lift it, I could watch it tomorrow, I could watch it within 10 years and it will always make me emotional because it’s incomparable.”

Even before such heights, there’s the purer enchantment brought by the wall-to-wall football of the group stages, the colour of the kits and the venues, the excitement of new players and teams, and then the magic of high-stakes moments that mean sudden death or immortality.

This is something else that makes the World Cup so wondrous.

Iker Casillas lifts the World Cup with Spain in 2010 (Getty)

Just as players will still inevitably measure their careers by World Cups, so many people measure their lives by World Cups, with personal moments forever emotionally anchored to great tournament moments.

The mere mention of epic events like Maradona’s second, Paul Gascoigne’s tears, Roberto Baggio’s miss, Zinedine Zidane’s headers and headbutt, Ronaldo’s redemption, Iniesta’s winner and that seismic 7-1 will make so many instantly remember where they were and what was going on for them at that time.

Even when the actual football in World Cups hasn’t measured up to expectation, the nature of the competition means it will still throw up storylines and moments that will never be forgotten. Italia 90 was the ultimate iteration of this. It produced some of the worst football the event has ever seen, but also some of its best remembered moments and stories, as well as what has become the World Cup soundtrack: Nessun Dorma.

Italia 90 was influential for far more than nostalgia, though. It may well have been the World Cup that had the most lasting effect on the game as a whole.

Italia 90 changed the landscape of the game forever (Getty)

Taking place at a juncture period in the history of the world as much as the history of the sport, it distilled and further dictated huge changes going on at the time. The necessary alterations to the rules, combined with the huge success of the broadcasting model, set in motion an evolution that has reached a stage where the European club game has now become the main event. The economics involved have brought about the intense concentration of quality – in terms of both players and coaching – within the Champions League, and produced some of the most entertaining football ever seen.

This just hasn’t been all that valuable for the international game. Instead, it has brought about a situation where the countries can’t reach the same level of cohesion as the top clubs, or hire anywhere near the same level of coaches.

The response of many inevitable journeymen managers in the international game has been to set sides up with the most easily applicable tactical approaches, and they generally happen to be safety-first. It is a long time since the World Cup has been the showcase for football pioneering.

The net effect of this is that South Africa 2010 and France 2016 produced probably the most negative football seen since Italia 90.

It is mercifully the very last World Cup, however, that stands as a triumphant break in this trend. The 2014 group stage was an oasis of attacking football, as well as something of a throwback in the way it saw individual stars command the stage again in the way James Rodriguez did.

This could be the flip side of that tactical fog the international game has become. The way in which the managers and tactics are so much less influential than the club game could open up the space for the individual stars like Neymar and Ronaldo, but especially for those who are such huge figures in less prominent nations: Mohamed Salah, Robert Lewandowski, Rodriguez, Sadio Mane, Christian Eriksen.

It could also mean the history of the World Cup is flipped. Because as much as the 2014 group stage broke from recent tournaments, it still followed the natural trend where the knock-out stages would naturally become much more constricted, dictated by tension and protection rather than trust in ability and adventure.

Mohamed Salah carries the weight of a nation on his shoulders (Getty)

One of the other effects of the economic explosion of the club game, however, is that it has meant the biggest countries have effectively industrialised youth production. The strength in depth of the top six to eight national sides is staggering, with so many enhanced by the cohesion their top club sides have brought. This raises the possibility of a number of mouth-watering quarter-finals in Russia.

Altogether, the squads of Spain, Germany, France, Brazil, Belgium and to a lesser extent Argentina and England represent the greatest collection of quality the World Cup has ever seen – even if it still doesn’t necessarily follow that any of the individual squads are better than Spain 2010, Brazil 1970 or 1958 or West Germany 1974.

As to who is the best from those top squads this summer, that’s even harder to say. It feels like they are separated by slivers of differences, with those slivers representing different rock-paper-scissors qualities.

Spain have the deepest midfield quality and greatest tactical variation. France have frightening pace amid their fearsome talent. Germany have the experience as defending champions. Brazil have maybe the most sophisticated coach in Tite. Argentina have maybe the greatest player ever in Messi.

This World Cup may well definitively define the latter, but itself could be decided by these small differences. It will hopefully be decided in the epic games that we really associate with the competition: matches akin to France-West Germany 1982, England-Argentina 1986, Brazil-Netherlands 1994, England-Argentina 1998, Germany-Italy 2006.

This is what it’s really all about. This is what we’re hoping for.

World Cup 2018 Russia stadiums Show all 12 1 /12 World Cup 2018 Russia stadiums World Cup 2018 Russia stadiums Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow Capacity: 81,000 World Cup 2018 Russia stadiums Saint Petersburg Stadium, Saint Petersburg Capacity: 68,000 World Cup 2018 Russia stadiums Fisht Stadium, Sochi Capacity: 47,700 World Cup 2018 Russia stadiums Ekaterinburg Arena, Ekaterinburg Capacity: 45,000 World Cup 2018 Russia stadiums Kazan Arena, Kazan Capacity: 45,000 World Cup 2018 Russia stadiums Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, Nizhny Novgorod Capacity: 45,000 World Cup 2018 Russia stadiums Rostov Arena, Rostov-on-Don Capacity: 45,000 World Cup 2018 Russia stadiums Samara Arena, Samara Capacity: 45,000 World Cup 2018 Russia stadiums Mordovia Arena, Saransk Capacity: 45,000 World Cup 2018 Russia stadiums Volgograd Stadium, Volgograd Capacity: 45,000 World Cup 2018 Russia stadiums Spartak Stadium, Moscow Capacity: 42,000 World Cup 2018 Russia stadiums Kaliningrad Stadium, Kaliningrad Capacity: 35,212

That’s what this invigorating build-up to the World Cup really brings: that childlike hope that we’ll be moved with events that are socially monumental for the nations involved.

In an interview with The Independent this month, 1986 winner Julio Olarticoechea said that one of his abiding memories from that World Cup was actually right at the end, after the explosion of joy at victory, silently taking it all in. “Looking from a fair bit away, watching all the craziness like a spectator, and the beauty of it struck me… I realised what we’d done,” he said.

Will this year’s World Cup produce any of those epic matches we really associate with the competition? (Getty)

Many former champions say the same, that the initial explosion of exultation at what you’ve achieved quickly gives way to a distinctive silence, as if suddenly awed by the weight of the achievement. This is what it means to be a world champion, in the true world sport.

We’re at the other side of that now, the calm before what’s in store. The anticipation, the hope, the realisation of what’s coming and what it all will mean.