Despite the controversies that have surrounded it, the strangest World Cup in history will kick off on 21 November: Qatar 2022.
Until 18th December, 32 teams will be fighting to add the coveted World Cup winner's star on their jerseys. But this time it will start at the end of Autumn, close to Winter, to avoid the high temperatures of the Qatari summer.
These 32 national teams will be divided into eight groups of four teams each, with only the top two teams advancing to the Round of 16. The question is, do you know which teams will play in the Qatar 2022 World Cup?
A total of 64 matches will be played in Qatar leading up to the grand final on 18 December.
Led by Spaniard Felix Sanchez, the Qatari Asian team have their most talented player in Akraf Afif, their left winger. As hosts, and despite being the underdog of the group, they could cause a lot of upsets.
Gustavo Alfaro took the reins of the national team in 2020 to bring about a radical change- With Piero Hincapié, a spectacular 20-year-old centre-back, he has a lot of possibility in these games.
The African champions will have Aliou Cissé on the bench in what will be their second consecutive World Cup. Sadio Mané, the tremendous Liverpool striker, is their face and their undoubted star.
Louis Van Gaal will lead the team until Ronald Koeman takes over from him on 1st January 2023. And it is clear that Virgil Van Dijk will be the 'Orange' boss on the pitch.
Gareth Southgate has turned England into a fearsome team with Foden and Harry Kane as a lethal attacking partnership. A lot of quality up front for the English.
Dragan Skocic took Iran in 2020 and has worked the football miracle of the year. Their centre-forward, Sardar Azmoun, looks set to be one of the revelations of the tournament.
Gregg Berhalter has given solidity to a team looking to take another step towards football stardom, with Christian Pulisic, AKA 'Captain America', as the main shining star.
The war in Ukraine has delayed a play-off which has now been given the date of 1st June. In the photo, Gareth Bale, Wales captain.
Lionel Scaloni has given Argentina the competitive edge it has long lacked. Messi's fifth World Cup may be the most talked about event for this team.
Hervé Renard, the globetrotting coach, has once again led a national team to the World Cup. Salem Al-Dawsari, the left winger, was the star of the qualifiers.
Tata Martino has delivered but it is not clear that he will lead the Tricolor at the World Cup. Raúl Jiménez, who has emerged as a relentless goalscorer, will, however, be there.
Czeslaw Michniewicz took over the national team in January and worked the miracle of getting Poland into the World Cup, thanks also to Robert Lewandowski who has been in top form for several years. The Bayern Munich striker is scoring goals in every game.
Can France recapture their glory days? Well they certainly have a talented enough team - and with Kylian Mbappé leading the font line the are dangerous.
We will have to wait until 13 June to find out which of these three teams will be in Qatar. In the photo, Ricardo Gareca, Peru coach.
Kasper Hjulmand has created a juggernaut that swept through qualifying and arrives with confidence sky-high and with Simon Kjaer, Milan's solvent centre-back, as the great captain.
Khaled Kadri has created a compact and very dangerous unit, with Wahbi Khazri as a dagger on the right flank that looks set to be one of the surprises of the World Cup.
Spain have a young team so expectations are not as high as in previous years, which releases pressure on the youngsters, so they can just go and enjoy the football.
This play-off will take place on 13th or 14th June and will decide the last ticket to Qatar. In the photo, Luis Fernando Suárez, Costa Rica coach.
Hans-Dieter Flick wants to bring back the glory days of the German national team with a combination of veterans and young talents led by Joshua Kimmich.
Hajime Moriyasu takes charge of Japan's seventh consecutive World Cup appearance with a tremendously physical team. Takehiro Tomiyasu controls everything from the centre of defence and Take Kubo as the focal point in attack.
Roberto Martínez continues to amaze with his Belgium team. A team that plays with heart and that could go all the way. Led by Kevin De Bruyne, who is a truly world class footballer.
John Herdman has cemented Canada's place among the football elite and will have young Alphonso Davies as his voice on the pitch.
Vahid Halilhodzic has four World Cups under his belt with four different national teams so the expectation of success is high. A success that will depend, to a large extent, on Achraf Hakimi.
Zlatko Dalic has given stability to a bench that will bid farewell to veteran Luka Modric, a generational player. Or so they hope.
Tite has already announced that he will leave Brazil after the World Cup. It remains to be seen which Neymar turns up in in Qatar. The genius or the clown.
Dragan Stojkovic has come through a tough qualifying group and has done so with Dusan Vlahovic emerging as a poerhouse and already among the best strikers in the world.
Murat Yakin has managed to get Switzerland through to the World Cup without pressure; but with everything they need to spring a surprise or two. The midfielder Granit Xhaka will be the one to watch.
Rigobert Song arrived with controversy on the Cameroon bench but has surprised everyone by qualifying the team for the World Cup, with Lyon striker Toko Ekambi in fine form.
Fernando Santos faces a tournament of transition to a new generation of players in which Cristiano Ronaldo will play his fifth and last consecutive World Cup.
Otto Addo still has the interim tag but that hasn't stopped him from taking Ghana to Qatar. Arsenal's Thomas Partey will be the team's leader on the pitch.
Diego Alonso achieved what seemed impossible, with four wins in a row in the last few games. Luis Suárez will once again be taking control in attack.
Portuguese coach Paulo Bento has created a criminal defensive framework that will give his three opponents a lot of problems. Son Heung-Min will be the one to watch and an attacking life insurance for the South Koreans.
