Iceland
Iceland have been making all the right noises for a couple of years now. With their star Gylfi Sigurdsson orchestrating things, Iceland made it to their first-ever FIFA World Cup and they will not be discounted by football fans, especially not after their performance at the European Cup 2016.
In Euro Cup 2016, Iceland reached the quarter-finals and lost France. But on the way, they held Portugal 1-1 in group stage and beat England 2-1 in the Round of 16.
Iceland, currently ranked 22, are the smallest county by population to qualify for the World Cup. Iceland were placed in Group D with Argentina, Croatia and Nigeria.
Panama
Ranked 55th in the world, this is the first time Panama have reached the finals of a FIFA World Cup after being a part of 12 qualifying campaigns from CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football).
In a federation that consists of Mexico, Costa Rica, Honduras and the United States of America, Panama qualified as the third-best team. As Panama prepare for their first trip to a World Cup, they’ll want to make an impact.
Panama were grouped alongside Belgium, England and Tunisia n Group E.