1. Making a statement

There are plenty of players with points to prove. First of all, Paul Pogba still faces criticism for not living up to his promise. He’ll be keen to use the World Cup to push himself up into that rarefied atmosphere inhabited by the modern greats. And he won’t be the only Frenchman with designs on the peak of world football. Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé will both be hoping for a great campaign. From Australia’s perspective, Mat Ryan has stated he felt he let the team down with his performances in the 2014 World Cup. He’ll be very keen to show how he has progressed as a keeper.

2. Speed demons

Peru and Australia feature some very fast men. Peruvian defender Luis Advincula was proclaimed the fastest player in world football this year with a 36.16kph run. Australia’s Matthew Leckie has been credited as the fastest man in the Bundesliga hitting 35.18kph. Robbie Kruse for Australia hit the top speed recorded at the Asian Cup. The French meanwhile have opted to leave two of their fastest men behind with Anthony Martial and Kingsley Coman clocking excellent speeds but that wasn’t enough to impress coach Didier eschamps.  

Catch him if you can - Peru's Luis Advincula

3. Nicknames

You just know there are some good nicknames out there and the commentators are going to talk about them as soon as they can. The Peruvians have Farfan who is known as La Foquita ‘the little seal’. Denmark have got ‘Lord’ Bendtner who’ll we’ll talk about later. For Australia, Tim Cahill has been called Super Tim in the past but this year he might get stuck with Cahilltex.

4. Pin-ups

French striker Olivier Giroud was once voted the hottest premier league player and he stripped off for a French charity calendar. After his move to Spain, Australian keeper Mat Ryan had the women of Valencia drooling when they saw his topless pic. Meanwhile most of the Danish team could be characters on the hit show Vikings.  

Strike a pose - Olivier Giroud

5. Lord Nicklas Bendtner

This Danish striker is an internet fan sensation. Akin to Chuck Norris, Bendtner’s name gets thrown about as someone whose football skills are unmatched. He has scored more goals for Denmark than Messi has for Argentina! Mind you, he might not be seeing much game time in this World Cup, Denmark have a few younger strikers forcing their way into the team.

6. Veterans

Tim Cahill could join an elite few who’ve appeared and scored at four world cup finals. Meanwhile Peru, France and Denmark all feature players who’ve been appearing for their country for over 10 years.

Denmark's veteran midfielder Michael Krohn-Dehli turns 35 just days out from the World Cup

7. French largesse

Football economics is a funny business. While it’s not exactly the most accurate source because many factors can influence a player’s transfer fee,Transfermarkt provides at least a rough guide. The latest guestimate from them has the French squad valued at just over a billion Euros. One Billion. When France and Australia meet, the French bench will be valued at more than the entire Australian squad. In fact the French squad is valued at three times more than the combined values of all the other group C teams! The Danish squad is valued at nearly €261 million (AUS $402.4m). The Australian squad is valued at around €52 million (AUS $80.2m). And the poor Peruvians have only been valued at nearly €35 million (AUS $54m).

8. Young Guns

The World Cup is no finer stage for a young lad to announce himself as a football god of the future. Denmark are bringing Pione Sisto. This 23-year-old shot to fame by scoring against Manchester United in the Europa League in 2016. Kylian Mbappé is only 19 years old and he’s already had a club spend €145 million (AUS $223.5m) on him. That’s just ridiculous but it shows what a prospect this kid could be. Peru have Feyenoord midfielder Renato Tapia who has just had a good season in the Eredivisie. Meanwhile, the Australian football community has been ranting and raving about youngster, Daniel Arzani. This season he set the A League alight with his close control and explosive pace on the ball. He proved too hot to handle for many defenders. There will be many broken hearts if this 19-year-old doesn’t make the squad.

Top dog, young pup - Australia's Tim Cahill with Daniel Arzani

9. The managers 

All 32 nations at the world cup feature experienced and accomplished managers. Group C is no exception. Didier Deschamps is hoping to lead France onto the winners podium. He took them to a UEFA Championship final in 2016 but didn't win the silverware. He's won seven club trophies. Denmark's manager, Age Hareide, also has seven trophies to his name, all in Scandinavian football. Ricardo Gareca takes Peru into the World Cup with a wealth of South American experience. He's won six pieces of silverware through his managerial career. Out of the four managers, Australian boss Bert Van Marwijk has the least amount of dusting to do. He's only won two competitions, the Dutch Cup and the UEFA Cup with Feyenoord. But he has the best World Cup experience after leading the Netherlands to the 2010 final.

10.  Save the date

The final thing to know about Group C is that it kicks off on June 16 at 8pm AEST. If you only watch those handegg games, House Rules, My Kitchen Rules and The Masterbachelor Rules (I’m sure that’ll be a show soon) then scheduling in some Group C action is something you definitely need to do.