Ranking every World Cup team heading into the group stage draw as Brazil land at No1

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  • The World Cup draw takes place in Moscow on Friday with each of the 32 teams set to find out their group stage fate.

    From the four pots eight groups will be drawn from A-H with the opening clash featuring hosts Russia to be played on June 14.

    The allocation of the pots is done by using the FIFA rankings system and of course, have been dissected and debated.

    But the rankings don’t necessarily reflect the true position of the 32 sides so we’ve gone ahead and analysed is 1-32 with their actual ranking in brackets.

    Here is the final in our four-part series with rankings 1-8.

    1. Brazil (2)

    Brazil have reinvented themselves under Tite, rising from the depths of insignificance to become one of the most vibrant teams in international football.

    And ‘team’ is the crucial word there because the dependency on Neymar has been dialled down. A front three contrained Neymar, Philippe Coutniho and Gabriel Jesus has revived this fallen giant.

    In Jesus, they have an injection of youth and pace at centre-forward and in Coutinho and Neymar flair and vibrancy.

    Behind that trio is balance. Casemiro is a shield in the front of a backline marshalled by Joao Miranda who is enjoying the form of his career at Inter Milan.

    They were the first team to clinch qualification for Russia and their 3-0 triumph over Argentina showed the 2014 World Cup semi-final humiliation is a thing of the past.

    Obviously Brazil are still carved in the image of Neymar but in comparison to say Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, he doesn’t carry the hope of his nation alone.

    He’ll be 26 when the tournament kicks off, at the peak of his powers and he’ll be thirsty to overthrow the aforementioned pair by proving he is the best player in the best international team.

    Neymar

    Brazil star Neymar

    2. Germany (1)

    Dominant and devastating in qualifying, the German machine just continues to motor along.

    Undoubtedly the best side Europe has to offer, Jogi Low has overseen a successful squad overhaul following the international retirements of vital veterans Philipp Lahm, Miroslav Klose, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Per Mertesacker.

    Emre Can, Leroy Sane and Leon Goretzka are now establishing themselves in a well-oiled unit and the experience of Toni Kroos, Matts Hummels and Thomas Muller has ensured a smooth transition.

    Crucially, Germany now have a strength they’ve seldom had – pace. Timo Werner has added an edge to their steel scoring seven in 10 appearances and the Leipzig man is a genuine centre-forward who likes to run in behind.

    They ended the qualification campaign perfect but no team has defended the World Cup since Pele’s Brazil in 1958 and 1962.

    Timo Werner

    Germany striker Timo Werner

    3. Spain (6)

    Having reversed the rotting decline which set in under Vicente del Bosque, Julen Lopetegui has now built a team ready to mount a stronger challenge than the teams which failed to defend their world title in 2014 and its European crown in 2016.

    An interchangeable midfield is their biggest quality as Lopetegui has been gifted the luxury of four world-class creative midfielders in Isco, Cesc Fabregas, David Silva and Andres Iniesta.

    Ahead of them, Alvaro Morata gives them a genuine option at No9 and seems a far better fit in this side than Diego Costa ever did.

    At the back, David De Geas is arguably the world’s best goalkeeper while Sergio Ramos and Gerard Pique anchor a sturdy defence.

    La Roja navigated calmly through a qualifying group which contained four-time champions Italy with nine wins from 10 and it’s safe to say the Spaniards have their mojo back.

    Spain midfielder Isco

    Spain midfielder Isco

    4. France (9)

    The depth of French talent is simply ludicrous. It’s not gross hyperbole to say they could field three separate XIs worthy of challenging the world’s best and with a healthy stock of talent comes every element which marks a successful side.

    From youth to experience, to skill and organisation, Les Bleus are a force to be reckoned with.

    But there have been issues in qualifying with lapses in concentration and a lethargic approach casting doubt over their credibility as a genuine football superpower.

    However, it hasn’t negated the growing hype and naturally, led with quality like Paul Pogba, Antoine Griezmann and Kylian Mbappe, the expectations are high.

    If Didier Deschamps can iron out the vulnerabilities, come next summer they’ll be warranting a place in the top-three.

    France duo Paul Pogba and N'Golo Kante

    France duo Paul Pogba and N’Golo Kante

    5. Belgium (5)

    The Red Devils are effectively the younger brother of France in that Roberto Martinez has so many options in an attacking sense with Kevin De Bruyne, Dries Mertens and Romelu Lukaku.

    They breezed through qualifying and the country’s exceptional generation of talent stand a good chance of competing for their first ever piece of major silverware.

    The consensus is they have produced a team which is among the best in the world but that same narrative creatives pressure and they crumbled at Euro 2016.

    Two years older and wiser, they will be better prepared for Russia.

    Belgium playmaker Kevin De Bruyne

    Belgium playmaker Kevin De Bruyne

    6. Portugal (3)

    Switzerland won their first nine qualifiers but lost in Libson to hand top spot to Portugal after a thrilling two-horse race.

    As European champions, they command respect and with Cristiano Ronaldo heading up a side which is blessed by a veteran core (Joao Moutinho and Pepe) and youthful exuberance (Bernardo Silva and Andre Silva), Fernando Santos has a promising group of players to take to Russia.

    Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo

    Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo

    7. Argentina (4)

    Disaster was averted in qualifying as Jorge Sampaoli eventually guided his side safely to next year’s tournament.

    They should in theory be a contender next year with Sampoli introducing a high-pressing, possession-heavy, direct-attacking style of football in place of the more conservative approach of old.

    But it is yet to truly click and the likes of Paulo Dybala and  Mauro Icardi are still in the fledgling stage of their international careers.

    Of course, they still have Lionel Messi and as Barcelona have shown so far this season, sometimes that’s all you need.

    Argentina skipper Lionel Messi

    Argentina skipper Lionel Messi

    8. Poland (7)

    Robert Lewandowski scored 16 goals in qualifying – no one scored more from Europe – and as Poland’s record goalscorer he is the man to be feared.

    His stunning form for Bayern Munich hasn’t necessarily translated into a major international tournament, though, with Euro 2016 a disaster after he scored just once.

    Still, he has talent behind him with Napoli’s attacking midfielder Piotr Zielinski and goalscoring-centre-back Kamil Glik the other big names as the Poles embark on their first World Cup since 2006.

    Poland's record scorer Robert Lewandowski

    Poland’s record scorer Robert Lewandowski

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