On June 14th, the most anticipated sports event of the year begins - the 2018 World Cup. In Russia, for over a month, the 32 strongest teams on the planet will compete for the main tournament trophy - the golden cup.
In these championships, the most representatives are from Europe - 14 national teams. Following them are five from other continents - Africa, South America, and Asia. North and Central America have three representatives - Costa Rica, Mexico, and Panama.
Altogether, 32 teams are divided into eight groups - starting from Group A to H. As always, each team in the group plays against each other, followed by knockout matches from the round of 16 to the final.
The World Cup will be scattered throughout Russia - matches will take place in 11 different cities. The opening match will be played in the Luzhniki stadium in Moscow, which can accommodate 81,000 spectators. The most important tournament matches will also take place there - the fight for the champion's title.
The most popular football news portal in the country, "EuroFootball.com," will provide its visitors with the most interesting and hottest news from Russia throughout the championship. With little time left until the end of the championship, we present an overview of Group D, in which Argentina, Iceland, Croatia, and Nigeria will compete.
Argentina
Profile:
Confederation: CONMEBOL (South America)
Coach: Jorge Sampaoli (Argentinian)
Captain: Lionel Messi
Top Scorer: Lionel Messi (64)
Most Capped Player: Javier Zanetti/Javier Mascherano (143)
FIFA Ranking: 5
Best World Cup Results: Champions (1978, 1986)
Team's Path to the World Cup: Argentina didn't advance to the World Cup as smoothly as expected. The Argentinians finished behind Brazil and Uruguay in the qualifiers, clinching third place. Argentina managed to secure its place at the World Cup with just two points more than Peru. Despite this, the vice-champions of the World Cup made it to the tournament.
Team's Star: Lionel Messi, one of the best footballers of all time, is the man to watch on the Argentine national team. Messi will do everything in his power to win trophies with the national team. However, the Barcelona superstar has said that he does not believe they will be favorites in this tournament. Messi had a remarkable season, scoring 45 goals and providing 18 assists in 54 appearances.
Team's Experience: Looking for experience, players can turn to Javier Mascherano, the team's pillar. The 34-year-old, who currently plays in China, will become the Argentine with the most appearances in this tournament. Despite his current club situation, Mascherano's invaluable experience at the highest level of football could be crucial for the Argentine team.
Team's Coach: Jorge Sampaoli, a well-known strategist, previously coached the Chile national team for four years and Sevilla for a year before taking over Argentina in 2017. His biggest achievement was winning the Copa America with the Chilean national team in 2015.
Team Composition:
Goalkeepers: Franco Armani (Atletico River Plate), Nahuel Guzman (Tigres UANL), Willy Caballero (Chelsea)
Defenders: Nicolas Otamendi (Man City), Marcos Rojo (Man Utd), Federico Fazio (Roma), Nicolas Tagliafico (Ajax), Cristian Ansaldi (Torino), Gabriel Mercado (Sevilla)
Midfielders: Lucas Biglia (AC Milan), Javier Mascherano (Hebei Fortune), Giovani Lo Celso (Saint-Germain), Ever Banega (Sevilla), Marcos Acuna (Sporting), Maximiliano Meza (Atletico Independiente)
Forwards: Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Angel Di Maria (Saint-Germain), Eduardo Salvio (Benfica), Christian Pavon (Boca Juniors), Paulo Dybala (Juventus), Sergio Aguero (Man City), Gonzalo Higuain (Juventus)
Stay tuned for the matches:
Argentina - Iceland (2018-06-16) 16:00
Croatia - Nigeria (2018-06-16) 22:00
Argentina - Croatia (2018-06-21) 21:00
Nigeria - Iceland (2018-06-22) 18:00
Nigeria - Argentina (2018-06-26) 21:00
Iceland - Croatia (2018-06-26) 21:00
...And continues with more details about the teams competing in the World Cup.
