Switzerland and France might be considered favourites to progress but on 15 June, each open their tournaments against sides much more acclimatized to South American heat and humidity in Ecuador and Honduras.

Match-day two sees France take on European neighbours Switzerland in the heat of Salvador in a tie which could help decide the group winner or put one of the two out of contention, while Ecuador face Honduras and their former manager Luis Fernando Suarez in a game which could rule out qualification for one of the two.

The last match day sees France take on Ecuador, while Switzerland meet Honduras with their failure to beat the central American side having led to their elimination at the group stage in 2010. The games will determine who advances to the knock-out stages, and who must face a likely last-16 tie against giants Argentina.

The Players

Xherdan Shaqiri
The versatile left-footed attacker made his debut at 17 years old for Basel, who he helped to three consecutive league titles and a memorable 2011-12 Champions League campaign in which he set up both goals to knock Manchester United out at the group stage. His explosive displays earned a move to Bayern Munich in 2012, and his quick feet and powerful shooting make him Switzerland’s biggest threat.

Franck Ribery
The creative winger was France’s top scorer in qualifying with five goals, and also finished in third place in the 2013 Ballon D’Or after a a treble winning 2012-13 campaign with Bayern Munich. The 31-year-old played in France’s 2006 World Cup final defeat and apologized in the aftermath of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. This tournament could have represented his last chance at international success, but he was sadly ruled out by injury shortly before the tournament started.

Antonio Valencia
The powerful right-winger made his Ecuador debut at age 19 and following his impressive performances at the 2006 World Cup he became a Premier League regular with Wigan. He collected two Premier League titles after a move to Manchester United, where his consistent displays saw him deployed at right-back as well as in attack. His ability on the counter makes the captain key to his side’s chances.

Emilio Izaguirre
The attacking left-back signed for Celtic in 2010 and collected multiple player of the season awards in his first season in Scotland before he suffered a broken ankle early in the next season. He recovered however to collect three successive SPL titles with the Glasgow giants, and his pace, energy, crossing and dribbling ability down the left flank will be a key feature of Honduras’ play.

Switzerland – Hitzfeld’s last Hurrah
Experienced manager Ottmar Hitzfeld had won Champions League titles with Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich before taking charge after Switzerland finished bottom of their group as one of the Euro 2008 host nations. He swiftly set about tightening their defence and his side reached World Cup 2010 and beat eventual champions Spain 1-0 in their opening match, but then collected one point from their next two matches. La Nati then failed to qualify for Euro 2012 as England topped their qualifying group and Montenegro beat them to the play-off spot, prompting strikers Alexander Frei and Marco Streller to retire from international football.

However, his side went on to take advantage of a welcoming UEFA Group E to qualify for the World Cup unbeaten in ten fixtures. Former Basel youth trio Valentin Stocker, Granit Xhaka, now of Borussia Moenchengladbach, and Bayern Munich’s Xherdan Shaqiri emerged in attack behind lone striker Haris Seferovic. Wolfsburg goalkeeper Diego Benaglio and experienced centre-backs Steve Von Bergen and Johan Djourou are protected by Napoli midfielders Gokhan Inler and Valon Behrami, providing a powerful foundation for left-back Ricardo Rodriguez and Juventus’ twice Serie A-winning right-back Stephan Lichtsteiner to attack.

Hitzfeld will hope this combination helps him bow out with success before he retires from coaching with Lazio manager Vladimir Petkovic taking over.

Ecuador – United through Chucho tragedy
Ecuador failed to qualify for the 2010 World Cup having made it to the previous two tournaments. However after the appointment of Colombian manager Reinaldo Ruena they won six of their first ten matches in the CONMEBOL qualifying tournament and went on to qualify in fourth place. Key to qualification was their imperious home form consisting of seven victories and a 1-1 draw against table-topping Argentina. Away from the high altitude of their home stadium in capital Quito however La Tri gained just three draws and failed to win a qualifying match.

Their achievements in qualification were however overshadowed by the tragic death of Cristian ‘Chucho’ Benitez in July 2013 at the age of 27 after a sudden illness. The forward contributed four goals during qualifying and had made 58 appearances for the national team, and the Ecuadorian Football Association subsequently decided to retire the number 11 football shirt.

The squad will rely heavily on well-travelled striker Felipe Caicedo, their seven-goal top scorer in qualification, who will be supported by holding midfielder Segundo Castillo, Dynamo Moscow playmaker Christian Noboa, and wingers Jefferson Montero and Antonio Valencia of Manchester United. The side has little experience outside Latin America to draw on at the World stage, but their familiarity with the continent could prove to their advantage.

France – Les Bleus take confidence from difficult qualification
A shocking display of disunity at the World Cup 2010 in South Africa saw the expulsion of Nicolas Anelka from the training camp following a reported dispute with manager Raymond Domenech result in a boycott of training by the players, and, ultimately, the suspension of the entire squad for at least one match by the France Football Federation. Laurent Blanc was appointed in the aftermath and took the team to the quarter-finals of Euro 2012, before he stood down and was replaced by fellow 1998 World Cup winner Didier Deschamps.

Reaching the finals became difficult after Les Bleus were placed in UEFA Group I with Spain, and despite holding the World Cup holders to a draw in Madrid, a defeat in the return match at home forced them into a play-off against Ukraine in order to qualify. A 2-0 defeat in Kyiv meant hopes of World Cup qualification were subdued. However the introduction of centre-backs Raphael Varane and Mamadou Sakho, midfielders Yohan Cabaye and Mathieu Valbuena and Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema led to a convincing 3-0 home victory and qualification.

While the defence alongside goalkeeper Hugo Lloris and left-back Patrice Evra has been unsettled and Bayern Munich’s Franck Ribery was ruled out by injury, the dynamic midfield pairing of Paul Pogba and Blaise Matuidi and the array of creative attackers led by Champions League-winning Benzema suggest their performance in Brazil could put to rest bad memories of their South Africa campaign.

Honduras – Catrachos reach consecutive finals for first time
The central American side were eliminated in the group stages of the 2010 tournament in South Africa but finished on a high with a draw against Switzerland. Colombian manager Luis Fernando Suarez was able to lead them back however, having previously taken group rivals Ecuador to the last 16 of the 2006. He also masterminded a win over Spain at the London 2012 Olympics.

Given automatic entry to the third CONCACAF qualifying round, their campaign started with a 2-0 home defeat to Panama. However after going five matches unbeaten they topped Group C after an 8-1 home victory over Canada with hat-tricks for both strikers Jerry Bengtson and Carlo Costly. The tall duo also went on to finish joint top goalscorers with four each in the fourth CONCACAF qualifying round, which Los Catrachos opened with a 2-1 home win over the USA. They went through the six-team group stage unbeaten at home to finish third in the table, pushing Mexico towards a qualifying play-off after coming back from a goal down to win 2-1 a crucial tie away in Mexico City.

Experienced defender Maynor Figueroa plays alongside former Anderlecht centre-back Victor Bernardez for the national team, with Celtic’s Emilio Izaguirre on the left of defence. Central midfielders Wilson Palacios and Roger Espinoza also bring Premier League experience to the minnows, who will be pleased to qualify rather than pressured to succeed in the summer.