The team break down each pool and who to look out for in the upcoming Fifa world cup.
It's finally here.
The squads have been finalised, the players have settled in, and Robbie Williams' voice is warmed up.
Here's an important list of things you may (but probably don't) need to know ahead of tomorrow's World Cup.
The worst World Cup opening game ever?
Hosts Russia, ranked 66thin the FIFA World Rankings, face off against 67th ranked Saudi Arabia at 3am (NZ time) in what certainly promises to be a game of football.
It is the highest combined ranking for an opening World Cup game since FIFA introduced their rankings in 1992.
Time to set your alarms!
Oldest player
Egypt's goalkeeper Essam El-Hadary (45 years and four months) will make history as the oldest player to play in the competition when he dons the number one jersey against Uruguay. The dude was born in 1973! Fun fact: The first portable cell phone call was made the year El-Hadary was born.
The oldest outfield player at the competition is Mexico's midfield maestro Rafa Marquez (39 years and four months). Marquez will become just the third man after compatriot Antonio Carbajal and German legend Lothar Matthaus to play in five World Cups.
Kiwi fans, of course, are well aware of what Marquez can do on the football pitch.
Youngest player
Australia's Daniel Arzani (19 years and five months) is the baby of the tournament. He's the only player born in 1999 or later in the entire list of players. There are six other teenagers going to the Cup: Kylian Mbappe (France), Trent Alexander-Arnold (England), Achraf Hakimi (Spain), Francis Uzoho (Nigeria), Jose Luis Rodriguez (Panama), and Moussa Wague (Senegal).
Here's Arzani being innocent and wide-eyed, while sporting what some people may call a moustache:
Heaviest player
Eyebrows were raised when England's talismanic striker Harry Kane was listed as one of the heaviest players in the World Cup.
The official FIFA squads listed Kane as tipping the scales at 98kg, which would've made him the second-heaviest player at the tournament.
Probably because he is carrying the weight of a nation on his shoulders!!!!
As everyone thought, the FA later confirmed to the Daily Mail that it was in fact an administrative error, confirming his weight as 89kg.
The official heaviest player at the competition - if we can believe FIFA's dodgy statisticians - is Panama and Seattle Sounders defender Roman Torres. He is quite the unit.
Roman Torres (PAN) is a big guy. Photo / Getty Images
Lightest player
Japanese attacking midfielder Takashi Inui is the lightest player weighing in at 59kg, proving that football is (mostly) about skill. He's the only player who weighs in the 50s. The second lightest player in Russia is underrated Manchester United and England star - and football's best dabber - Jesse Lingard (60kg).
Jesse Lingard > Paul Pogba (when it comes to dabbing). Photo / Getty Images
Tallest player
Towering over everyone is Croatian goalkeeper Lovre Kalinic, who stands at 201cm (6ft 5in). The tallest outfield player is Danish defender Jannik Vestergaard at 200cm.
Here's Vestergaard scoring a bunch of headers like it's nothing because he's a giant:
There's a three-way tie for shortest player at the World Cup, with Panama's Alberto Quintero, Saudi Arabia's Al Sherhi Yahya and - shockingly - Switzerland's Xherdan Shaqiri, who all stand at 165cm (5ft 4in). I had no idea Shaqiri was that short.
In 2015, Stoke City broke the bank ($22 million) and their tall-man transfer policy, to sign the 165cm Shaqiri - he's shorter than Tom Cruise! Three years later, they were relegated from the Premier League, ending their 10-year spell in the top flight. I blame Shaqiri - it all makes sense now. Despite not being able to see past any players, Shaqiri did score one of the best goals at the last World Cup.
Other facts you probably don't need to know
• Panama (29.6) have the oldest squad in terms of average age, while Nigeria have the youngest (25.9). • England are the only team going to Russia with a full team who play their club football in their own country. • Pep Guardiola's Premier League winning Manchester City side have the largest represtentation at the tournament with 16 players. • England's football clubs are the most highly-represented at the World Cup, with a whopping 124 players. • Mexico midfielder Jesus Corona will have JESUS C as his shirt name, which is just the best thing ever.
