For a nation of only 11 million, Belgium has assembled a formidable squad.
Up front, the lightning-fast feet of Chelsea's Eden Hazard and his club teammate Romelu Lukaku.
Whilst Bayern Munich veteran Daniel Van Buyten, Manchester City's Vincent Kompany and Thomas Vermaelen of Arsenal will stand sentinel in defence.
Meanwhile, South Korea will be playing at their eighth consecutive World Cup finals in June but must improve on a dire qualification campaign to have any chance of escaping a tough group in Brazil.
The East Asian nation's team will feature Son Heung-min from Bayer Leverkusen and Koo Ja-cheol from Mainz, also in Germany.
Bolton Wanderers mid Lee Chung-yong is the new man wearing the captain's armband and home-based Kim Shin-wook and Lee Keun-ho are proven goal-scorers.
Algeria has constructed its side around a swathe of French-born players, drawn from the massive migrant population in Europe.
Among the new recruits are 19-year-old Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Nabil Bentaleb and uncapped Leicester midfielder Riyad Mahrez.
Madjid Bougherra is a key figure at the back and Sofiane Feghouli is a strong attacking midfielder.
Algeria coach Vahid Halilhodzic insists his team shouldn't be discounted because it lacks the star power of other nations.
"How many times have I seen small teams beat favourites? For that reason, you have to prepare, work hard and keep the faith. We must try and have no regrets."
For Russia, 2014 Brazil offers a chance to shine again on the world stage after not having appeared at a World Cup since 2002.
Players Russia will depend on include Sergey Ignashevich in defence, Roman Shirokov and Victor Fayzulin in midfield, and Alexander Kerzhakov - the former Sevilla striker who's now with Zenit.
Share
