2018 Soccer World Cup factbox: Group C

Paul Pogba (Supplied)

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Cape Town - All the need-to-know facts on the international teams vying for glory in Group C at the 2018 Soccer World Cup in Russia.

FRANCE:

Honours: World Cup winners 1998; European Championship winners 1984, 2000; Confederations Cup winners 2001, 2003; Olympic Gold 1984

Past World Cup performance: Fifteenth participation.

Best result: Winners in 1998

FIFA ranking: 7th

Main clubs: Paris Saint-Germain, Monaco, Lyon, Marseille, Saint-Etienne, Nantes

Nickname: Les Bleus

How they qualified: Finished top of Group A in European qualifying

Friendly matches before the World Cup: June 1 v Italy (Nice), June 9 v United States (Lyon)

23-man World Cup squad:

Goalkeepers: Hugo Lloris (Tottenham Hotspur/ENG), Steve Mandanda (Marseille), Alphonse Areola (Paris Saint-Germain)

Defenders: Lucas Hernandez (Atletico Madrid/ESP), Presnel Kimpembe (Paris Saint-Germain), Benjamin Mendy (Manchester City/ENG), Benjamin Pavard (Stuttgart/GER), Adil Rami (Marseille), Djibril Sidibe (Monaco), Samuel Umtiti (Barcelona/ESP), Raphael Varane (Real Madrid/ESP)

Midfielders: N'Golo Kante (Chelsea/ENG), Blaise Matuidi (Juventus/ITA), Steven N'Zonzi (Sevilla/ESP), Paul Pogba (Manchester United/ENG), Corentin Tolisso (Bayern Munich/GER)

Forwards: Ousmane Dembele (Barcelona/ESP), Nabil Fekir (Lyon), Olivier Giroud (Chelsea/ENG), Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid/ESP), Thomas Lemar (Monaco), Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain), Florian Thauvin (Marseille)

PERU

Honours: Twice winners of Copa America, 1939 and 1975

Past World Cup performance: Fifth participation.

Best result: Quarter finals in 1970

FIFA ranking: 11

Main clubs: Universitario de Deportes, Alianza Lima, Sporting Cristal

Nickname: The Incas

How they qualified: Finished fifth in South American qualifying, then won play-off v New Zealand

Friendly matches scheduled before the World Cup: June 3 v Saudi Arabia; June 9 v Sweden

Provisional 24-man World Cup squad (23-man squad to be named by June 4):

Goalkeepers: Pedro Gallese (Veracruz/MEX), Jose Carvallo (UTC), Carlos Caceda (Municipal).

Defenders: Luis Advincula (Lobos/MEX), Miguel Araujo (Alianza Lima), Aldo Corzo (Universitario), Nilson Loyola (Melgar) Luis Abram (Velez Sarsfield/ARG), Christian Ramos (Veracruz/MEX), Alberto Rodriguez (Junior/COL), Anderson Santamaria (Puebla/MEX), Miguel Trauco (Flamengo/BRA).

Midfielders: Pedro Aquino (Lobos/MEX), Wilmer Cartagena (Veracruz/MEX), Christian Cueva (Sao Paulo/BRA), Edison Flores (Aalborg BK/DEN), Paolo Hurtado (Vitoria Guimaraes/POR), Sergio Pena (Granada/ESP), Andy Polo (Portland Timbers/USA), Renato Tapia (Feyenoord/NED), Yoshimar Yotun (Orlando City/USA).

Forwards: Andre Carrillo (Watford/ENG), Raul Ruidiaz (Morelia/MEX), Jefferson Farfan (Lokomotiv Moscow/RUS).

Star player: Jefferson Farfan

Now 33, winger Farfan is still going strong and will feel right at home in Russia having just helped his club Lokomotiv Moscow win the Russian title.

Farfan started at Alianza Lima but first arrived in Europe in 2004, going on to win four straight Dutch titles at PSV Eindhoven and then a German Cup at Schalke. He moved to Russia last year via a stint in the United Arab Emirates, and will now have extra responsibility with Peru at the World Cup due to the absence of striker Paolo Guerrero because of a doping ban.

DENMARK

Honours: European Championship winners 1992

Past World Cup performance: Fifth participation.

Best result: Quarter-finalists in 1998

FIFA ranking: 12th

Main clubs: FC Copenhagen, Brondby, Aalborg, Midtjylland

Nickname: The Red and Whites (De Rod-Hvide)

How they qualified: Finished 2nd behind Poland in UEFA Group E, won playoff against Ireland (5-1 on aggregate).

Friendly matches scheduled: Sweden vs Denmark (June 2), Denmark vs Mexico (June 9)

27-man provisional World Cup squad (13-man squad named by June 4):

Goalkeepers: Kasper Schmeichel (Leicester/ENG), Jonas Lossl (Huddersfield/ENG), Frederik Rønnow (Brondby)

Defenders: Simon Kjaer (Sevilla/ESP), Andreas Christensen (Chelsea/ENG), Mathias Jorgensen (Huddersfield/ENG), Jannik Vestergaard (Borussia Moenchengladbach/GER), Andreas Bjelland (Brentford/ENG), Henrik Dalsgaard (Brentford/ENG), Peter Ankersen (FC Copenhagen), Jens Stryger (Udinese/ITA), Jonas Knudsen (Ipswich/ENG)

Midfielders: William Kvist (FC Copenhagen), Thomas Delaney (Werder Bremen/GER), Lukas Lerager (Bordeaux/FRA), Lasse Schone (Ajax/NED), Mike Jensen (Rosenborg/NOR), Christian Eriksen (Tottenham/ENG), Michael Krohn-Dehli (Deportivo/ESP)

Forwards: Pione Sisto (Celta/ESP), Martin Braithwaite (Bordeaux/FRA - on loan from Middlesbrough/ENG), Andreas Cornelius (Atalanta/ITA), Viktor Fischer (FC Copenhagen), Yussuf Poulsen (RB Leipzig/GER), Nicolai Jorgensen (Feyenoord/NED), Nicklas Bendtner (Rosenborg/NOR), Kasper Dolberg (Ajax/NED)

AUSTRALIA

Honours: Asian Cup winners 2015; Oceania Football Confederation Nations Cup winners 1980, 1996, 2000, 2004

Past World Cup performance: Fifth participation.

Best result: Last 16 (2006)

FIFA ranking: 40th

Main clubs: Sydney FC, Melbourne Victory

Nickname: Socceroos  

How they qualified: Came third in Asian qualifying Group B behind Japan and Saudi Arabia, then won intercontinental playoff against Honduras (3-2 on aggregate) 

Friendly matches scheduled before World Cup: June 1 v Czech Republic (St Polten, Austria); June 9 v Hungary (Budapest)

Provisional 26-man World Cup squad (23-man squad to be named by June 4):

Goalkeepers: Brad Jones (Feyenoord/NED), Mathew Ryan (Brighton/ENG), Daniel Vukovic (Genk/BEL)

Defenders: Aziz Behich (Bursaspor/TUR), Milos Degenek (Yokohama Marinos/JPN), Matthew Jurman (Suwon/KOR), Fran Karacic (NK Lokomotiva/CRO), James Meredith (Millwall/ENG), Josh Risdon (Western Sydney Wanderers), Trent Sainsbury (Grasshopper/SUI)

Midfielders: Daniel Arzani (Melbourne City), Joshua Brillante (Sydney FC), Jackson Irvine (Hull City/ENG), Mile Jedinak (Aston Villa/ENG), Mathew Leckie (Hertha Berlin/GER), Robbie Kruse (VfL Bochum/GER), Massimo Luongo (Queens Park Rangers/ENG), Mark Milligan (Al Ahli/KSA), Aaron Mooy (Huddersfield Town/ENG), Tom Rogic (Celtic/SCO), James Troisi (Melbourne Victory)

Forwards: Tim Cahill (Millwall/ENG), Tomi Juric (FC Luzern/SUI), Andrew Nabbout (Urawa Red Diamonds/JPN), Dimitri Petratos (Newcastle Jets), Nikita Rukavytsya (Maccabi Haifa/ISR)