Poland

On face value Poland cruised through qualifying, winning eight out of their 10 games, they finished a full five points ahead of second with front man Robert Lewandowski netting 16 goals in the process.

However their defence is proving to be their weak spot losing 4-0 to Denmark and conceding in almost all qualifying matches, with only 2 clean sheets.

The results from their recent friendlies have also been close, losing 1-0 to Nigeria and securing a 3-2 win over South Korea in extra time. 

Senegal

Senegal secured qualification in a history making match that saw them replay their game against South Africa. In the original match South Africa was awarded a penalty for a non-existent hand ball with FIFA handing down a life time ban to the referee for match fixing.

The Lions of Teranga made the most of this opportunity, winning 2-0 to qualify with a game to spare. They go into the World Cup ranked 28th    

Colombia

Opting for the photo finish, Colombia booked their ticket to Russia in their very last match. Their qualification was marked by draws but the team is showing promising signs with a 3-2 victory over France in a friendly.

Many of their bigger names have been struggling to secure game time at their regular clubs but the team will be hoping they find the kind of form that saw them through to the quarter finals in 2014.  

Japan   

It wasn’t the smoothest of qualifications but Japan managed to finish first in their qualifying group ahead of both the UAE and Australia.

However a 4-1 loss to South Korea saw the Japanese Football Association (JFA) replace coach Vahid Halilhodzic just two months out from the World Cup.

His replacement, JFA technical director Akira Nishino, is yet to make an impact with the Samurai Blue, losing friendlies to both Ghana and the Ukraine.