Thirty-two countries from different confederations have qualified for the tournament and will go for the kill to clinch the most decorated trophy in the sporting world

FIFA World Cup 2018: 32 countries, 1 trophy and 1 dream

England have appeared in 14 World Cups, including the last five. Their best performance was 1966

FIFA World Cup 2018: A complete profile of England

Colombia are playing in their fifth World Cup, with their quarter-final appearance at Brazil 2014 -- where they lost to the hosts -- their best performance

FIFA World Cup 2018: A complete profile of Colombia

Portugal will be appearing at their eighth World Cup and sixth in a row

FIFA World Cup 2018: A complete profile of Portugal

Spain have played in 14 World Cups and qualified for every edition since 1978. They have won it once, beating the Netherlands 1-0 in the 2010

FIFA World Cup 2018: A complete profile of Spain

Belgium have appeared in 12 World Cups, with their qualification for the 2014 edition in Brazil coming after a gap of 12 years

FIFA World Cup 2018: A complete profile of Belgium

Argentina have played in 16 World Cup tournaments and have won the title twice

FIFA World Cup 2018: A complete profile of Argentina

Brazil is the only country to appear in every World Cup and the only nation to win the trophy five times

FIFA World Cup 2018: A complete profile of Brazil