This tournament is the best in sports due to the absence of Italy, Egypt, Nigeria, Nigeria, and Victor Osimhen. Brazil are looking to win their first World Cup since 2002, while England, Argentina, and Germany are vying for the same prize.
Can Belgium or Spain do well? Will either Messi orRonaldo do well? Where will the US and Mexico end up?
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Each of the 32 teams that will compete in the World Cup will be profiled by ABC. This is what you need to know about the groups the sides will be in.
The opening game of the tournament will be played in front of 60,000 fans at the Al Bayt Stadium and a victory for the hosts would not be a shock. It's unlikely that the home side will get much further than that if they take a point against the two other teams.
The Netherlands will face opponents from Group B in the round of 16 if they get through the group stage. All the pieces must come together for the team to make it to the semifinals.
When they got out of their group and lost to England, the expectation was that they could at least match their best World Cup ever. The group is tough and they are capable of it.
It has been 20 years since the great side of 2002 reached the quarterfinals and the belief in the team is that they will do the same this time. They can definitely reach the knockouts.
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Group B is hard to understand. The US team has a 50% chance of advancement. Their odds don't look to be getting better. It looks like the U.S. will fall short at this point in time.
England will expect to get out of the group. It looks like a last-16 tie against either the Netherlands or Senegal is going to be difficult. James Olley said that England simply have not defended well enough, often enough, for anyone to have a high degree of confidence.
Wales face a difficult task in replicating their recent tournament heroics. Although England are clear favorites to top the group, Page's side will expect to be competitive for one of the top two spots and the fact they play England last could help in that regard.
Iran picked up a single point from their group in the year. The tally was up to four points after four years. With years of experience under their belts and a coach who knows the ins and outs of this team, it may be time for Iran to reach the round of 16.
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Argentina are likely to top the group, but El Tri should have the upper hand over Saudi Arabia and Poland. It's difficult to see them going much further, which would mean exiting before the fifth game.
They will be one of the most attractive sides in the world if they hit their form. They have the right to want to walk off with a trophy. This is their best team in a long time, but is their defence good enough to win it all? "Maybe the semifinals are their limit."
The battle for second place behind Argentina could be decided on the first matchday when Poland faces Mexico. It is likely that they won't make it out of the group and will leave the country early.
Saudi Arabia has a lot to do. Any points collected along the way will be a bonus for the second lowest ranked team in the tournament.
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It's difficult to retain a World Cup. Brazil in 1962 was the last time it occurred. France has the skills and experience to bring them together. France will be hard to stop ifMbappe and Benzema are at their best.
Arnold said in August that he expected the second round. One of the shocks of the tournament would be to deliver on that target and a more realistic target would be a first World Cup match win in five years.
The World Cup may be the most difficult to face for the Danes. They should be confident of progressing to the round of 16 after showing they can compete with France. Nobody should be surprised to see this well-balanced side reach the final stages.
Tunisia doesn't have enough quality to move forward. Although Tunisia's defensive solidity gave them optimism of neutralising the Danes and troubling France, neither side will be too concerned.
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Germany should get through the group stage if they can get results against Japan and Costa Rica, which would be an improvement over last year. It is not likely that they will be able to overcome their defensive weaknesses in order to contend for the trophy.
Spain isn't a group where Spain can have a bad day at work. Costa Rica is the most defensive team in the tournament, followed by Germany and then Japan. If Spain gets out of the group, they will have a good chance of reaching the semifinals.
Japan would have had an excellent chance of making it out of the group stage, but Germany and Spain would just prove too much of a hurdle. It hasn't stopped Moriyasu from setting a target but it looks like it's out of reach unless there is a major upset.
Costa Rica is not likely to leave the group. Although some may point to their World Cup performance, where they topped an equally challenging group ahead of Uruguay, Italy and England, the odds of Los Ticos replicating that same magic are not very high.
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It would be an achievement if Belgium could do as well as they did at the last World Cup. Four years ago, they were one of the favorites, but they are not this time around. De Bruyne is a special player who can carry them. A quarterfinals exit is a good prediction.
Croatia and Belgium are on the same level. If they win the group they will have enough to get into the knockout round. They will probably go out in the round of 16 if they come second, but if they win the group, they could go further.
Canada wasn't helped by the draw. Is Canada capable of springing an upset and moving forward? It's possible, but looking at the opposition, progressing past the group stage seems too far for this side.
Morocco was unfortunate in being grouped with Portugal and Spain in Russia. Both Croatia and Belgium have weaknesses that they can exploit. The Lions can hope to reach the knockouts for the first time in 26 years if they get the balance right.
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Four years ago, Brazil lost to Belgium in the quarterfinals. They are a better side now, and will stop. After they met European opposition in the knockout phase, the campaign ended. How will they deal with the Europeans? They are the favorites.
Even if Serbia make it to the knockout rounds, their next opponent will not be easy. Alex Holiga said that anything past the round of 16 is possible.
The match against Serbia is likely to be decisive for Switzerland, not only because it will be their last in the group, but also because the two teams are on a similar level and likely to fight for second place behind clear favorites Brazil. They will have a good chance if they beat Serbia.
The recent defeats by Uzbekistan and South Korea have brought the country down to earth, and a strong start against Switzerland is important. Even if they are still alive by the end of the game against Brazil, they need to prove that they can hold their nerve.
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Portugal needs to be able to deal with an interesting and disparate group. It's almost certain that Brazil will be in the round of 16 if FernandoSantos' team finishes second. You may say too much. If they win the group, they could face Serbia.
They're up against it, and a first-round exit looks likely. In games against old teams like Portugal and Uruguay, the youth and vitality of the players can cause upsets.
The ferociously balanced nature of the group made it one of the most difficult teams to predict. It could be a case of elimination at the group stage if Diego Alonso fails to get the balance right.
South Korea has a chance if Son Heung-min is firing. Should they get a point off either Portugal or Uruguay, a round-of-16 berth could be on the table.
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