Perhaps the most wide-open group in the entire tournament, Group H is going to be oodles of fun. Of the four teams in the group, only Japan did not get at least one pick to top the group in PST’s writer predictions of the tournament results, and every team was picked to advance through to the knockout round at least once, with only Japan receiving less than two votes to advance. Poland: Robert Lewandowski leads the lines as Poland heads to its first World Cup since 2006. The White & Reds are ranked 8th in the FIFA rankings, but have never truly been able to get over the hump to be considered a true European power. Their Euro 2016 result - a quarterfinal loss to eventual winners Portugal on penalties - is a perfect embodiment of that. Can they avoid group stage disappointment in a loaded pack?READ FULL TEAM PREVIEW
Colombia: After a promising 3rd place finish in the 2016 Copa America, Colombia barely squeaked into the 2018 World Cup after struggling through a tough CONMEBOL qualification slate. After failing to win in any of its final four qualifying matches, Los Cafeteros have had a weird run-up to the tournament, beating France before a pair of 0-0 draws against Australia and Egypt. Nobody really knows what to expect from Colombia in Russia. READ FULL TEAM PREVIEW
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Senegal: Sadio Mane is a chic pick as one of the top players to watch in the 2018 World Cup, and Senegal has a surprisingly strong young team. The problem is the attacking support behind Mane, and when teams focus on the Liverpool star, they struggle to produce much else. Still, Senegal got a generous group draw without a clear frontrunner, and that could see them into the knockout round. READ FULL TEAM PREVIEW
Japan: The Samurai Blue is a true dark horse of this tournament, but their strong attacking group will work against them. They have decent star power in Borussia Dortmund’s Shinji Kagawa, Leicester City’s Shinji Okazaki, and former AC Milan attacker Keiuske Honda, but the defense is unbelievably suspect. During the run-up to the World Cup, Japan coughed up six goals in three June matches against Ghana, Switzerland, and Paraguay. READ FULL TEAM PREVIEW
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Who’s going through: Poland and Colombia
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Who’s going home: Senegal and Japan
Marquee match: Colombia vs. Senegal, June 28 in Volgograd
Top 5 players to watch 1) James Rodriguez -- Colombia 2) Robert Lewandowski -- Poland 3) Sadio Mane -- Senegal 4) Shinji Okazaki -- Japan 5) Kalidou Koulibaly -- Senegal