THE Greatest Show on Earth begins on June 12 in the mecca of football, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Thirty-two teams will clash in Groups A – H, building up to the grand finale on Sunday, July 13.

Every Tuesday for the next 31 days, teenAGE will be providing you with a guide to all the groups, the players and possible winners of World Cup 2014.

SWITZERLAND

The Swiss shocked everyone last time out, beating Spain in their first group match and had a good build-up to the Cup. However, they definitely won’t be burdened with expectation.

Appearances : 10 (First in 1934)

Wins : None — best finishes have been quarter-final exits in 1934, 1938 and 1954.

Expected finish: Group-stage exit.

Road t o Rio : They won their UEFA qualification group to earn a place.

Key Players: Xherdan Shaqiri (Bayern Munich), Gokhan Inler (Napoli) Philippe Senderos (Valencia).

Coach : Ottmar Hitzfeld

Strengths : The Swiss have pace on their wings in both their forwards and their full-backs with decent creativity and verve in midfield. Their biggest strength, however, is their nighimpenetrable defence.

Weaknesses : They lack ‘clinicalness’ as well as simple talent upfront since the loss of Alex Frei, meaning the Swiss find it hard to score.

Expected finish : Round-of-16 berth.

FRANCE

Despite their torrid time qualifying, Les Bleus are a world football powerhouse and will be hoping to perform better than they have in recent times on the biggest stage.

Appearances: 14 (first in 1930)

Wins: One (1998)

Road to Rio: The French had to beat Ukraine in the European play-offs, coming back from a 2-0 first leg deficit to win 3-2 on aggregate.

Key Players: Franck Ribery (Bayern Munich), Laurent Koscielny (Arsenal), Hugo Lloris (Tottenham)

Coach: Didier Deschamps

Strengths: The French have an organised back-line as well as infinite creativity going forward. They will hope young newcomers like Paul Pogba will have added the bite in midfield they have been missing since the retirement of Patrick Vieira, etc.

Weakness: The French front line is inconsistent with none of their forwards being able to cement their place. They also have a reputation for underperforming at championships.

Expected finish: A quarter-final berth will be the least French supporters expect.

ECUADOR

The Ecuadorians will be the least touted representatives from South America but will be hoping to compete well in this reasonably open group.

Appearances: Three (first in 2002)

Wins: None — best finish was a Round-of- 16 exit in 2006.

Road to Rio: They finished fourth in CONMEBOL to earn a place, surprisingly ahead of Uruguay who had to enter a play-off.

Key Players: Antonio Valencia (Manchester United), Walter Ayovi (Pachuca [Liga Mexico]), Edison Mendez (Santa Fe [Colombia])

Coach: Reinaldo Rueda

Strengths: With reasonable wing-play and big threats in the air, La Tricolor poses an aerial challenge for any team they come up against.

Weaknesses: They simply lack the quality upfront and at the back to compete at a certain level.

Expected finish: Group-stage exit.

HONDURAS

The CONCACAF representatives will be hoping to finally exit their group at a World Cup; however, in all truth simply getting there was a big achievement.

Appearances: Three (First in 1982)

Wins: They have passed the groupstage.

Road to Rio: They finished third in CONCACAF to secure a place.

Key Players: Wilson Palacios (Stoke City), Maynor Figueroa (Hull City) Emilio Izaguirre (Celtic)

Coach: Luis Fernando Suarez

Strengths: The best hope for Honduras will be to try and use their compact defence and midfield to defend for their lives.

Weaknesses: A simple lack of quality all over the field.

Expected finish: Group-stage exit.