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It barely seems like a few days ago, when Mario Gotze's left-footed volley in Rio de Janeiro gave Germany their fourth world cup win. It's been more than three years since that memorable tournament that provided us with so many remarkable moments.
Whether it was defending champions Spain being knocked out in the group stages, Costa Rica finishing above England, Uruguay and Italy in Group D, or the infamous 7-1 thrashing of the hosts by Germany, the 2014 FIFA World Cup provided us with lots of drama.
With the qualifying stages for the 2018 edition almost wrapped up, and less than a year for the biggest sporting spectacle on the planet to kick off in Russia, we take a look at the top five contenders to take home the most coveted title in world football.
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#5 Brazil
The South American giants may not have been in their best form in 2014, but that was a team heavily dependent on Barcelona superstar Neymar. His spinal injury against Colombia was a defining moment not just for Brazil, but for rest of the tournament as well.
With the hosts lacking an attacking outlet up front, they were demoralised and toothless in the loss to Germany. Once the first goal went in, the others followed automatically, and it soon became a matter of how many.
But this time, they are much better off. Neymar has an added four years of experience and has since become the world's most expensive player, valued at €222 million.
His Paris Saint-Germain teammates Thiago Silva and Marquinhos form the spine of Brazil's defence, and they have more options up front - Liverpool duo Philippe Coutinho and Roberto Firmino, and Manchester City's Gabriel Jesus.
Their midfield is the only facet stopping them from being higher up this list. They have only three truly world-class players in the centre of the pitch in Fernandinho, Casemiro and Paulinho, but even they are inferior when compared with some of their other competitors.
However, a good coach can certainly work wonders with this current squad. Currently ranked number 2 in the FIFA rankings, Brazil must not be discounted.
#4 Belgium
The Belgians have risen to prominence in recent years, with the emergence of several world class players in top leagues across Europe. In fact, Belgian teams have now become feeder clubs for several European heavyweights, consistently producing the best talents in the world.
They were, however, disappointing in the 2016 Euros, and the 2014 World Cup. They were knocked out in the quarterfinals of both tournaments, by Wales and Argentina respectively - teams you would have expected them to get past.
This time around, the squad is more experienced, and with Roberto Martinez and Thierry Henry at the helm, Belgium find themselves sitting atop Group H in the qualifying stages, having won 7 of their 8 matches so far, albeit against weaker teams.
Notably, they are one of the only eight teams to have sealed their qualification.
With Manchester United hitman Romelu Lukaku leading the line, and Eden Hazard, Dries Mertens, Kevin De Bruyne and Yannick Carrasco lining up to support him, Belgium will not be short of attacking firepower.
Axel Witsel, Youri Tielemans, Moussa Dembele, Marouane Fellaini and Steven Defour add steel to the midfield, while Tottenham duo Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen along with Thomas Meunier, Vincent Kompany (if he's fit), Laurent Ciman and Thibaut Courtois round off one of the most balanced national teams in the world right now.
#3 Germany
The defending champions should be higher up on the list, but their lack of a traditional centre-forward might hurt them in Russia. But that being said, they did perfectly well last time around without one.
Joachim Löw has built an extraordinary team out of young talents from across Europe, but primarily from the Bundesliga.
With the retirement of Philippe Lahm and Bastian Schweinsteiger from the national team, they needed a fresh batch of youngsters to take over the mantle, and that's exactly what has happened.
Joshua Kimmich, Leon Goretzka, Sebastian Rudy and Emre Can, along with veterans Toni Kroos and Sami Khedira make up one hell of a midfield - possibly the best in the tournament.
In spite of lacking a proper number 9, they do possess some really interesting options going forward like Julian Draxler, Thomas Muller, Mesut Ozil and Julian Brandt.
Mario Gomez is nearing the end of his career, and Timo Werner still doesn't have the necessary experience, but, both of them could turn out to be a source of goals as impact substitutes.
A lot can change in 9 months, and Germany might well turn out to be favourites to defend the title by the time the tournament starts in June.
#2 Spain
In 2014, the elimination of 2014 champions Spain in the group stage, one that was instigated by their 5-1 humiliation to the Dutch, was the headline of that summer, at least before Brazil's exit at the hands of Germany.
That Spanish squad was an ageing one, with veterans like Iniesta and Xavi still controlling the midfield alongside Xabi Alonso. Spain's "Golden generation" were reaching the end of their careers.
But in the past three years, a fresh batch of young and energetic talents have emerged from the country that won three international trophies between 2008 and 2012. If it was Barcelona that formed the core of that national team, it is now Real Madrid's turn going into the next World Cup.
Several Real Madrid stars like Isco, Marco Asensio, Dani Carvajal, Sergio Ramos and Lucas Vazquez are all important members of the squad, and are well complemented by the likes of Alvaro Morata, David Silva, Koke, Thiago, Jordi Alba and David De Gea, along with some other 2010 veterans like Sergio Busquets, Cesc Fabregas and Iniesta.
Spain are likely to continue their philosophy of possession-based football, and have one of the best midfields in the world right now to help them achieve that.
In Morata, they have a striker who has grown exponentially over the past couple of years, and will hope that he can fill the role vacated by David Villa, who only recently made a come-back to the National side, before cruelly getting injured.
With qualification all but sealed at the top of Group G, expect Spain to light up Russia next June.
#1 France
Let's face it - the French have one heck of a team. Much like Spain at the start of this decade, France have been developing several talented players every year, and right now, they are arguably the best national team in the world.
Three of the four most expensive players of all time are French - Paul Pogba, Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele, and if clubs like Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona are willing to pay in excess of 100 million for them, then that's saying something.
French players form the core of several of Europe's biggest clubs. They have some of the best young players in the world who have burst on to the scene in last couple of years, taking the football world by storm.
With Antoine Griezmann, Kylian Mbappe, Alexandre Lacazette and Olivier Giroud up front, they have an embarrassment of riches to choose from, and that's not even counting Karim Benzema.
Dimitri Payet, Ousmane Dembele, Thomas Lemar, Kingsley Coman and Florian Thauvin provide attacking options in midfield.
The Les Bleus have two of the best central midfielders in the world right now in Paul Pogba and N'Golo Kante, with Adrien Rabiot, Blaise Matuidi and Corentin Tolisso for backup.
Laurent Koscielny, Raphael Varane, Samuel Umtiti, Djibril Sidibe, Lucas Digne and Kurt Zouma will provide a solid defensive wall in front of captain and goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.
France suffered a heartbreaking defeat in the finals of the 2016 Euros when they conceded a last-minute winner in extra time to Portugal, but since then, they have only improved.
Their road to the World Cup has been a bit bumpy, having suffered a shock 2-1 defeat to Sweden back in June, but they still sit on top of Group A, above the Swedish and the Dutch.
With one of the youngest national teams in the world right now, lack of experience might be a problem, but with the kind of talent that they have all over the pitch, they are definitely the clear favourites right now.
