by now we all know how good Lionel Messi is. How great, actually. What he’s done with Barcelona; the records he’s broken; the titles he’s won. It seems impossible for him to improve—but this summer is his chance to do just that.

For years, the main criticism of Messi has been his lack of success on the international stage, his inability to reproduce his Barca best for Argentina. It’s been the downfall of any argument that Messi has eclipsed Pele and Diego Maradona as the best player ever.

In the qualification campaign for Brazil, he quieted that criticism. He scored just 17 goals in 54 appearances for the senior national team from his debut in 2006 to 2011, but since the Albiceleste kicked off their qualifying run, he’s scored 20 in 21 games, including friendlies. That means Messi—now captain—is at nearly a goal-per-game rate entering a tournament on his home continent.

Significantly, Messi overtook Maradona for second on Argentina’s all-time goals list in June, scoring his 33rd, 34th and 35th goals in a friendly against Guatemala. It creates hope that maybe he can push on to World Cup glory and finally step out from his countryman’s shadow.

Whether the rest of the Argentine squad has the quality for a deep run is a big question. The Albiceleste have an embarrassment of riches up front and on the wing—aside from Messi, manager Alejandro Sabella will have to find room for world-class talents Sergio Aguero, Gonzalo Higuain, Rodrigo Palacio, Angel di Maria and Ezequiel Lavezzi.

At the back, though, the quality is lacking. While Pablo Zabaleta is tireless and reliable on the left, the centre back corps hardly inspires confidence, and No. 1 keeper Sergio Romero made just nine appearances for Monaco this year.

The result is an awkwardly unbalanced set-up. The overpowering offence will be enough to escape their group, but it’s unlikely to stand up to tougher tests later on. Messi’s glory will have to wait. —JAMIE DOYLE

Every four years, new members are welcomed into the World Cup fraternity. This summer, Bosnia and Herzegovina will become the latest nation to make its World Cup debut after a long and arduous road to join the world’s elite.

After gaining independence from Yugoslavia in 1992, Bosnia wasn’t allowed to participate in the qualifiers for the 1994 World Cup in the United States due to the ongoing Bosnian War. Admittance into FIFA was finally granted in 1996, and years of hard slogging led to progress on the pitch, with the Zmajevi (Dragons) losing to Portugal in the qualification playoffs for both the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012. But after a nearly perfect qualifying campaign (eight wins out of 10 games with only one loss) achieved on the strength of an awesome attack that produced 30 goals, Bosnia has arrived.

With Manchester City forward Edin Dzeko (10 goals in the qualifiers) and Stuttgart’s Vedad Ibisevic leading the line, and Roma playmaker Miralem Pjanic pulling the strings in central midfield, Bosnia is a difficult side for opponents to contain. Keeper Asmir Begovic of Stoke City is also a potential star.

SUPER EAGLES? Nigeria is more like a wounded sparrow.

Aside from the misfortune of drawing a group featuring Lionel Messi’s Argentina, the reigning African champions are a team in transition—don’t expect too much of them in Brazil.

Since taking the reins in 2011, coach Stephen Keshi has made radical changes to the Nigerian set-up, with a number of proven veterans phased out, including Obafemi Martins and Yakubu Aiyegbeni. He’s also experimented with his roster, calling up a total of 60 players over the past year and a half in an attempt to find the right mix. But that has resulted in a lack of team cohesion, and led to lingering questions as to whether Keshi knows what his best 11 is.

Don’t be fooled by their unbeaten qualifying record. Runaway group winners with three wins and three draws, it’s surprising they didn’t win all six games considering their opponents—Kenya, Malawi and Namibia—had an average FIFA ranking of 123rd. A playoff date with No. 95 Ethiopia hardly proved challenging, either. They’ll find the going considerably tougher in Brazil.