World Cup 2018: Predicting how far each of the 32 teams will go 

Group D

Russia could be Messi's last shot at World Cup glory

Argentina - Quarter Finals

Argentina are not the force that they once were. Sure, they have an embarrassment of riches going forward, but their qualification campaign left a lot to be desired and they were demolished 6-1 by Spain in a recent friendly.

Lionel Messi will be out to prove himself in what could very well be his last World Cup given his knack of flirting with International retirement in the past, and they should comfortably finish top of their group. Equally, their round of 16 opponent is likely to be Denmark, who they should brush aside, so it will be the quarters where they are likely to meet their first real test.

If the tournament plays out as many expect, Argentina will likely meet a confident Spain side in the quarters, and that will be all she wrote for them. Messi will most likely leave the World Cup empty-handed.

Iceland - Group Stage

Iceland is the smallest nation in the World Cup

Iceland were the surprise package of Euro 2016, finishing second in the group and then defeating England on the way to a quarter-final exit to France.

They will be hoping to replicate those kinds of performances in Russia, and while they might put up a fight, a third-place finish behind Croatia and Argentina seems more viable.

They have a great team spirit and work well as a unit, and they will be looking to Premier League star Gylfi Siggurdson to fire them to glory here, but they will probably have to settle for finishing third in a close run race.

Croatia - Round of 16

Luka Modric will be key to Croatia's success

Croatia have a strong and experienced side that should comfortably get out of Group D behind Argentina.

The likes of Luka Modric, Ivan Rakitic and Mario Mandzukic should all help Croatia get through the group stages, while Hoffenheim striker Andrej Kramaric could have a break-out tournament.

The runners-up spot in Group D means an encounter with France in the round of 16. A victory for Croatia is not completely out of the realms of possibility, but smart money would be on France progressing further.

Nigeria - Group Stage

England v Nigeria - International Friendly - Wembley Stadium

The star of Nigeria's World Cup campaign will no doubt be their kit. The eye-catching homage to their 1990 team sold out in record numbers on its release, and it is likely to continue to grab attention for them on the big stage.

That being said, that is the only thing that is likely to grab people's attention about the team as they look likely to finish bottom of what is a very difficult group.

Former Chelsea star John Obi Mikel will play an important role for the Nigerians, and they will be hoping that Alex Iwobi can perform better for them than he has for Arsenal this season, but it seems highly unlikely that they will be getting past the group stage.