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Cape Town - All the need-to-know facts on the international teams vying for glory in Group D at the 2018 Soccer World Cup in Russia.
ARGENTINA
Honours: World Cup winners 1978, 1986; 14 times winners of Copa America; Confederations Cup winners 1992; Olympic Gold 2004, 2008
Past World Cup performance: Seventeenth participation.
Best result: Winners 1978, 1986
FIFA ranking: 5th
Main clubs: Boca Juniors, River Plate
Nickname: Albiceleste (The White and Sky Blue)
How they qualified: Finished third in CONMEBOL qualifying
Friendly matches scheduled before the World Cup: June 9 v Israel (Jerusalem)
Provisional World Cup squad:
Goalkeepers: Nahuel Guzman (Tigres Monterrey/MEX), Wilfredo Caballero (Chelsea/ENG), Franco Armani (River Plate)
Defenders: Gabriel Mercado (Sevilla/ESP), Federico Fazio (Roma/ITA), Nicolas Otamendi (Manchester City/ENG), Marcos Rojo (Manchester United/ENG), Nicolas Tagliafico (Ajax/NED), Marcos Acuna (Sporting/POR), Eduardo Salvio (Benfica/POR), Cristian Ansaldi (Torino/ITA), Javier Mascherano (Hebei Fortune/CHN).
Midfielders: Ever Banega (Sevilla/ESP), Lucas Biglia (AC Milan/ITA), Angel Di Maria (Paris Saint-Germain/FRA), Manuel Lanzini (West Ham/ENG), Giovani Lo Celso (Paris Saint-Germain/FRA), Maximiliano Meza (Independiente).
Forwards: Lionel Messi (Barcelona/ESP), Paulo Dybala (Juventus/ITA), Sergio Aguero (Manchester City/ENG), Gonzalo Higuain (Juventus/ITA), Cristian Pavon (Boca Juniors).
NIGERIA
Honours: Africa Cup of Nations winners in 1980, 1994 and 2013; Olympic gold medallists in 1996
Past World Cup performance: Sixth participation.
Best result: Round of 16 in 1994, 1998 and 2014
FIFA ranking: 47th
Main clubs: Enyimba, Kano Pillars, Plateau United, Akwa United, MFM FC
Nickname: Super Eagles
How they qualified: Finished top of African qualifying Group B
Friendly matches scheduled: Drew 1-1 v DR Congo on May 28 (Port Harcourt); June 2 v England (London); June 6 v Czech Republic (Austria)
Provisional World Cup squad:
Goalkeepers: Francis Uzoho (Deportivo La Coruna/ESP), Ikechukwu Ezenwa (Enyimba), Daniel Akpeyi (Chippa United/RSA), Dele Ajiboye (Plateau United)
Defenders: Kenneth Omeruo (Kasimpasa/TUR), Elderson Echiejile (Cercle Brugge/BEL), Leon Balogun (Mainz 05/GER), William Troost-Ekong, Shehu Abdullahi (Bursaspor/TUR), Ola Aina (Hull City/ENG), Tyronne Ebuehi (ADO Den Haag/NED), Brian Idowu (Amkar Perm/RUS), Stephen Eze (Lokomotiv Plodiv/BUL), Chidozie Awaziem (Nantes/FRA)
Midfielders: Wilfred Ndidi (Leicester City/ENG), Ogenyi Onazi (Trabzonspor/TUR), Mikel John Obi (Tianjin Teda/CHN), John Ogu (Hapoel Be'er Sheva/ISR), Oghenekaro Etebo (Las Palmas/ESP), Joel Obi (Torino/ITA), Mikel Agu (Bursaspor/TUR), Uche Agbo (Standard Liege/BEL)
Forwards: Simeon Nwankwo (Crotone/ITA), Junior Lokosa (Kano Pillars), Victor Moses (Chelsea/ENG), Odion Ighalo (Changchun Yatai/CHN), Kelechi Iheanacho (Leicester City/ENG), Ahmed Musa (CSKA Moscow/RUS), Alex Iwobi (Arsenal/ENG)
CROATIA
Honours: None
Past World Cup performance: Fifth participation.
Best result: Third in 1998
FIFA world ranking: 18th
Main clubs: Dinamo Zagreb, Hajduk Split, Rijeka, Osijek
Nickname: 'Fiery Ones' ('Vatreni' in Croatian)
How they qualified: Finished second in UEFA qualifying Group I, then beat Greece in play-off (4-1 on aggregate)
Friendly matches scheduled before the World Cup: June 3 v Brazil (Liverpool, England); June 8 v Senegal (Osijek)
Provisional World Cup squad:
Goalkeepers: Danijel Subasic (Monaco/FRA), Lovre Kalinic (Gent/BEL), Dominik Livakovic (Dinamo Zagreb)
Defenders: Vedran Corluka (Lokomotiv Moscow/RUS), Domagoj Vida (Besiktas/TUR), Ivan Strinic (Sampdoria/ITA), Dejan Lovren (Liverpool/ENG), Sime Vrsaljko (Atletico Madrid/ESP), Josip Pivaric (Dinamo Kiev/UKR), Tin Jedvaj (Bayer Leverkusen/GER), Matej Mitrovic (Club Brugge/BEL), Duje Caleta-Car (Salzburg/AUT)
Midfielders: Luka Modric (Real Madrid/ESP), Ivan Rakitic (Barcelona/ESP), Mateo Kovacic (Real Madrid/ESP), Milan Badelj (Fiorentina/ITA), Marcelo Brozovic (Inter Milan/ITA), Filip Bradaric (Rijeka)
Forwards: Mario Mandzukic (Juventus/ITA), Ivan Perisic (Inter Milan/ITA), Nikola Kalinic (AC Milan/ITA), Andrej Kramaric (Hoffenheim/GER), Marko Pjaca (Schalke/GER), Ante Rebic (Eintracht/GER)
ICELAND
Honours: none
Past World Cup performance: First participation
FIFA ranking: 22nd
Main clubs: KR Reykjavik, Valur
Nickname: "Strkarnir okkar" ("Our boys")
How they qualified: Finished top of UEFA qualifying Group I
Friendly matches scheduled: June 2 v Norway (Reykjavik); June 7 v Ghana (Reykjavik)
Provisional World Cup squad:
Goalkeepers: Hannes Halldorsson (Randers/DEN), Runar Runarsson (Nordsjalland/DEN), Frederik Schram (Roskilde/DEN)
Defenders: Kari Arnason (Vikingur), Ari Skulason (Lokeren/BEL), Birkir Savarsson (Valur), Sverrir Ingason (Rostov/RUS), Hordur Magnusson (Bristol City/ENG), Holmar Eyjolfsson (Levski Sofia/BUL), Ragnar Sigurdsson (Rostov/RUS), Samuel Fridjonsson (Valerenga/NOR)
Midfielders: Arnor Traustason (Malmo/SWE), Aron Gunnarsson (Cardiff City/ENG), Gylfi Sigurdsson (Everton/ENG), Emil Hallfredsson (Udinese/ITA), Birkir Bjarnason (Aston Villa/ENG), Johann Gudmundsson (Burnley/ENG), Olafur Skulason (Karabukspor/TUR), Rurik Gislason (Sandhausen/GER)
Forwards: Alfred Finnbogason (Augsburg/GER), Jon Bodvarsson (Reading/ENG), Bjorn Sigurdarson (Rostov/RUS), Albert Gudmundsson (PSV Eindhoven/NED)
