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Two of the tournament favourites are in action on Tuesday, November 22, as Argentina and France begin their respective quests for
World Cup glory.
Two-time champions Argentina open their Group C campaign against Saudi Arabia at the Lusail Iconic Stadium in Lusail.
La Albiceleste head to Qatar on the back of an impressive 35-match unbeaten run dating back to the 2019 Copa America semi-finals when they lost 2-0 to Brazil.
Lionel Messi, who captained his country to the 2021 Copa America title, has called on his team-mates to ignore the hype and focus on the immediate task ahead.
"All national teams are tough to play against these days," Messi told Universo Valdano. "Every team [at the World Cup] will be difficult to beat.
"We have not had many games against European teams [in our unbeaten run], although they don't like playing against us either - playing against South American teams is tough as well.
"We are in good form going into the finals, but we can't fall into trap of believing the hype that we are favourites and will win it. We have to be realistic and go step by step."
The Green Falcons are bidding to reach the last 16 for the first time since their making debut in 1994, having failed to progress beyond the group stages in their subsequent four appearances.
Herve Renard's side have played a whole host of friendlies since qualifying for the global showpiece and saw a seven-match unbeaten run come to an end with their 1-0 defeat to Croatia on November 16.
Denmark and Tunisia square off at the Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan, with both teams looking to put early pressure on their Group D rivals.
The Danes' hopes of progressing from the group were handed a significant boost when they beat France twice in the UEFA Nations League to bring an end to their title defence.
The Eagles of Carthage have never made it out of the group stages in five previous attempts, although their recent form is good, having lost just once in six games since qualifying via the playoffs.
Mexico lock horns with Poland at the Stadium 974 in Doha, which could be a crucial match to their respective hopes of escaping Group C.
El Tri have advanced to the last 16 in each of the last seven editions of the World Cup but their recent form is patchy after recording four wins, three draws and three losses since qualifying for Qatar 2022.
The Eagles have failed to make it out of the group stages in their three appearances since the turn of the millennium, although they did manage to win one game each in 2002, 2006 and 2018.
Their recent form is poor, however, with Czeslaw Michniewicz's side winning just two of their six matches in the UEFA Nations League to finish third in Group 4.
Holders France will be looking to make a strong start to the tournament when they face Australia at the Al Janoub Stadium in Al Wakrah.
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Les Bleus are aiming to avoid a repeat of the 2002 World Cup when they failed to win a single game and exited at the group stages as defending champions.
Didier Deschamps' side made a poor defence to their UEFA Nations League crown after losing three of their six matches to finish third in Group 1 behind Denmark.
Deschamps has bemoaned the lack of time he has to prepare for their Group D opener,
"There is no such thing, one week is not a preparation. If you look at it a little bit, there are many, many players who were playing just yesterday," he said.
"So anyway, the two days we have - that is today and tomorrow - will serve as recovery before everything else. We'll travel on Wednesday, and then we'll have - as when they're at their clubs - a classic week from Thursday to prepare for Tuesday's match."
The Socceroos featured at the last four editions but haven't progressed beyond the group stages since 2006 when they were knocked out in the last 16.
Graham Arnold's side had to navigate the inter-confederation playoffs to qualify for this year's event at the expense of Peru and they recorded back-to-back victories against New Zealand most recently.
World Cup fixtures - Tuesday, November 22
12h00: Argentina v Saudi Arabia
15h00: Denmark v Tunisia
18h00: Mexico v Poland
21h00: France v Australia
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