Germany's defeat by Japan, a day after Saudi Arabia stunned Argentina at the World Cup, goes to show that there cannot be any room for complacency against the so-called 'small teams', France forward Ousmane Dembele said on Wednesday.

An eight-minute blitz by super subs Ritsu Dosan and Takuma Asano saw Japan storm Germany 2-1 in their opening World Cup match at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha on Wednesday.

Saudi defender Yasser Al-Shahrani was set to undergo surgery on Wednesday after sustaining injuries in a collision during his team's shock World Cup win over Argentina, the national team said.

Portugal will not be distracted by the drama surrounding captain Cristiano Ronaldo's acrimonious departure from Manchester United, coach Fernando Santos said on Wednesday, a day before their World Cup opener against Ghana.

Germany's Manuel Neuer will start in goal and becomes the first goalkeeper of his country to play in four consecutive tournaments for their World Cup Group E match against Japan on Wednesday.

The young Spain players at the heart of coach Luis Enrique's new-look side make their global debut on Wednesday when they face the experienced veterans of Costa Rica in their Qatar World Cup opening match.

Croatia's World Cup campaign got off to a stuttering start with a 0-0 draw against a battling Morocco on Wednesday as the 2018 runners-up lacked the punch of the side that went so close in Russia.

Germany coach Hansi Flick praised the quality of Japanese football ahead of their World Cup Group E clash on Wednesday but is confident about his team's preparations for the tournament.

Lionel Messi's Argentina must put aside injured pride after a shock defeat by Saudi Arabia and summon the fighting spirit of their similarly-bruised 1990 predecessors if they want to bring home the World Cup for a third time.

Four-times world champions Germany will kick-off their World Cup campaign against Japan desperate to put the 2018 debacle behind them when the 2014 champions lost their first group match and crashed out in the first round, their earliest exit in over 80 years.

Saudi Arabia fans will long celebrate their team's stunning victory over Argentina at the World Cup on Tuesday and their French coach Herve Renard could quickly become a national hero.

Hundreds of thousands of people have flocked to Qatar in recent years to work on giant construction schemes as it boosted its infrastructure ahead of the World Cup.

Germany begin their path to World Cup redemption on Wednesday after the 2018 horror show in Russia, with Spain and Croatia also kicking off their campaigns in Qatar.

France defender Lucas Hernandez will miss the rest of the defending champions' World Cup campaign after suffering a knee injury in Tuesday's opening match against Australia, a source close to Les Bleus told AFP.

Croatia take on Morocco to begin their World Cup campaign as they hope to not only execute a repeat of an astonishing 2018 World Cup run but aspire to go a step further this time around.

Few experiences can compare to watching a World Cup in Brazil: the borderline-obsessive football passion; the explosion of pride around the national team. And the schadenfreude when rivals Argentina lose.

Olivier Giroud became France's joint all-time top scorer when his double helped the holders start the defence of their World Cup title in style with a 4-1 comeback Group D win against Australia on Tuesday.

Defending champions France start their campaign in Group D looking to beat Australia just like they did to kick off their 2018 journey in Russia.

Poland skipper Robert Lewandowski failed to break his World Cup duck when he saw a second-half penalty saved in a goalless but entertaining draw with Mexico in their opening Group C game at Stadium 974 on Tuesday.

The stars appeared to be aligning for Lionel Messi as he arrived at the Qatar World Cup as the talisman for an Argentina squad that has been simply unbeatable since 2019.