Serbia
Group:
G
First Match:
November 25, 2022, 1:30 AM SGT
Stadium:
Lusail Stadium
Serbia has qualified for three of the last four World Cups as a separate nation, but since entering as Yugoslavia in 1998, they have not advanced past the Group Stages. They had a fantastic qualification campaign, winning every game they played and coming out on top of their league, but the excitement of their last match was the cherry on top.
Serbia needed a win in their final qualifier in Portugal to finish first in their group and qualify automatically; they fell down early but rallied to tie the game through Tadic before Mitrovic delivered in stoppage time to secure a 2-1 victory.
After missing out on last year's European Championships, this was a much-needed boost, and they'll be hoping to make up for the last three World Cups in which they've been eliminated in the first round.
Key Player: Aleksandar Mitrovic (Fulham)
An impressive international career has seen 28-year-old Aleksandar Mitrovic become his country's all-time leading scorer with 46 goals in 74 games.
When he first arrived in England at the age of 20, he had a difficult time adjusting to the Premier League with Fulham and Newcastle. However, his stock has since risen.
His 43 goals in 44 games in the Championship last year set a new record for goals in a single English league season, and his return to the Premier League this year kicked out with a pair of goals against Liverpool.