A simplified look at Group E from a historical perspective and the current situation Note: Country's best player Information taken from Wikipedia page. Match Report from several on-line articles Brazil History World Cup Winners: 5 times (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002) Copa America Winners: 8 times (1919, 1922, 1949, 1989, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2007) World Cup Appearances: 20 times 1930: Group stage 1934: First round (Straight knockout format) 1938: Third 1950: Runners-up 1954: Quarter-finals 1958: Winners 1962: Winners 1966: Group stage 1970: Winners 1974: Fourth 1978: Third 1982: Quarter-finals 1986: Quarter-finals 1990: Second round 1994: Winners 1998: Runners-up 2002: Winners 2006: Quarter-finals 2010: Quarter-finals 2014: Fourth Best World Cup Match: Brazil 4-1 Italy (1970) 'The 1970 World Cup final between Brazil and Italy. Of all the encounters down all the decades in the planet's most popular sport, it remains, more than any other, The Match.' Independent 'The final did not yield a breathtaking finish. Unlike the semi-final, there were no pendulum swings of momentum from one side to the other. Brazil won comfortably, 4-1. And yet the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, on 21 June, 1970, is where the most dazzling virtues of the Beautiful Game fleetingly converged.' Independent World Cup final 1970: Brazil v Italy – as it happened The Guardian Best player: Pelé 'He is regarded by many in the sport, including football writers, players, and fans, as the greatest football player of all time. In 1999, he was voted World Player of the Century by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS), and was one of the two joint winners of the FIFA Player of the Century award. That same year, Pelé was elected Athlete of the Century by the International Olympic Committee. According to the IFFHS, Pelé is the most successful league goal-scorer in the world, scoring 1281 goals in 1363 games, which included unofficial friendlies and tour games. During his playing days, Pelé was for a period the best-paid athlete in the world. Pelé began playing for Santos at age 15 and the Brazil national football team at 16. During his international career, he won three FIFA World Cups: 1958, 1962 and 1970, being the only player ever to do so. Pelé is the all-time leading goalscorer for Brazil with 77 goals in 92 games. At club level he is the record goalscorer for Santos, and led them to the 1962 and 1963 Copa Libertadores. Pelé's "electrifying play and penchant for spectacular goals" made him a star around the world. Pelé has also been known for connecting the phrase "The Beautiful Game" with football. A prolific goalscorer, Pelé was known for his ability to strike powerful and accurate shots with both feet in addition to anticipating his opponents' movements on the field. Early in his career, he played in a variety of attacking formations and would use his dribbling skills to go past opponents. In his later career, he played in a playmaking role behind offensive strikers. In Brazil, he is hailed as a national hero for his accomplishments in football. Pelé received several individual and team awards for his performance in the field, his record-breaking achievements, and legacy in the sport.' Present World Cup Qualification: First in CONMEBOL Performance at Continental Championship: Group stage Most Notable Match in Qualification: Brazil 3-0 Argentina (Home) Most important player: Neymar Switzerland History World Cup Appearances: 10 times 1930: Did not enter 1934: Quarter-finals 1938: Quarter-finals 1950: Group stage 1954: Quarter-finals 1958: Did not qualify 1962: Group stage 1966: Group stage 1970: Did not qualify 1974: Did not qualify 1978: Did not qualify 1982: Did not qualify 1986: Did not qualify 1990: Did not qualify 1994: Second round 1998: Did not qualify 2002: Did not qualify 2006: Second round 2010: Group stage 2014: Second round Best World Cup Match: Switzerland 5-7 Austria (1954) 'This quarter final clash between the 1954 World Cup hosts Switzerland and Austria was an extraordinary game. The teams scored a combined total of 12 goals in the match, which remains a record number of goals scored in a single World Cup game.' WhatCulture.com 'The goal-fest began when Ballaman opened the scoring for Switzerland with a terrific strike from just outside the box that sent the ball flying into the net. Astonishingly, three minutes later, Switzerland were three goals up! Austria then began a tremendous comeback.' WhatCulture.com Austria v Switzerland (1954 FIFA World Cup) Wikipedia Best player: Stéphane Chapuisat 'A prolific goalscorer for both club and country, he spent most of his career with Germany's Borussia Dortmund. Chapuisat represented Switzerland at the 1994 World Cup and two European Championships. Chapuisat started his professional career with hometown club FC Lausanne-Sport, moving in January 1991 to Bundesliga's Bayer Uerdingen and switching to powerhouse Borussia Dortmund in that summer. Chapuisat scored 20 league goals in his first season, he stayed with Borussia until 1999, conquering back-to-back titles – although he played sparingly in 1995–96 due to injuries – and adding the following campaign's UEFA Champions League. Chapuisat then transferred to Grasshopper Club Zürich, playing there for three years, retiring at 37 with 106 goals in 228 Bundesliga matches to his credit; he was also voted Swiss Footballer of the Year four times. In November 2003, to celebrate UEFA's Jubilee, Chapuisat was selected as the Golden Player of Switzerland by the Swiss Football Association as their most outstanding player of the past 50 years.' Present World Cup Qualification: Play-offs winners Performance at Continental Championship: Second round Most Notable Match in Qualification: Switzerland 2-0 Portugal (Home) Most important player: Xherdan Shaqiri Costa Rica History Concacaf Championships Winners: 3 times (1963, 1969, 1989) World Cup Appearances: 4 times 1930: Did not enter 1934: Did not enter 1938: Did not enter 1950: Did not enter 1954: Did not enter 1958: Did not qualify 1962: Did not qualify 1966: Did not qualify 1970: Did not qualify 1974: Did not qualify 1978: Did not qualify 1982: Did not qualify 1986: Did not qualify 1990: Second round 1994: Did not qualify 1998: Did not qualify 2002: Group stage 2006: Group stage 2010: Did not qualify 2014: Quarter-finals Best World Cup Match: Costa Rica 1-0 Italy (2014) 'Costa Rica have qualified from the Group of Death that was supposed to eat them alive and nobody can say that they did not deserve it. After last Saturday’s 3-1 win over Uruguay, they went toe to toe with the four-times world champions and they were the better team.' The Guardian 'The smartness of their passing game, together with their organisation and commitment, has illuminated fixtures against two of the more fancied nations. They will fear nobody moving forward.' The Guardian Best player: Alejandro Morera Soto 'Played as a striker mostly for Alajuelense in the Costa Rican Primera División. He is considered one of the best and most talented players of all time in Costa Rica. "El fenómeno costarricense" ("The Costa Rican phenomenon"), as he was dubbed by the press in Catalonia, Spain, where he was part of FC Barcelona. However, he was known to most as "El Mago del Balón" (The Magician of the Ball) he was of small stature but a powerful striker. In 1925 at the early age of 16, he made his debut with Alajuelense, he became the star player and team's captain, showing a quality game and scoring many goals. These attributes opened doors beyond the country. Morera made his debut with Catalonia's foremost club on May 18, 1933. The 1933-34 season was his most successful, scoring 41 goals becoming the team's top scorer. The 1934-35 season was also successful, playing 24 games and scoring 12 goals. Altogether Morera played 76 games and scored 68 goals for FC Barcelona, a very high output. He arrived back in Costa Rica in November 1936 where he was to continue his outstanding career. Present World Cup Qualification: Second in CONCACAF Performance at Continental Championship: Semi-finals Most Notable Match in Qualification: Costa Rica 4-0 USA (Home) Most important player: Keylor Navas Serbia History (Since 2006) World Cup Appearances: Once 2010: Group stage 2014: Did not qualify Best World Cup Match: Serbia 1-2 Australia (2010) 'Marko Pantelic spurned two glorious chances to put Serbia into the last 16 as his side slipped out of the World Cup with a 2-1 defeat to Australia.' Sky Sports 'Why didn’t Serbia play with this conviction in the opening matches?' The Telegraph Best player: Dragan Džajić 'Widely considered to be one of the best Serbian footballers to emerge from former Yugoslavia. Regarded as a preeminent and very proficient left winger. Džajić has been known for his "great crosses and passes, unstoppable dribbling with great pace, natural technique and some of the best left footed free kicks ever seen". Džajić is viewed by some football experts as perhaps one of the most underrated players in European football, partly because he played in Yugoslavia. Džajić's football career was spent primarily with Red Star Belgrade, by winning five league titles and four Yugoslavian Cups. He is considered to have been one of the most important players in the history of the club. In 2013, Džajić was identified as the greatest Yugoslavian player of all time. Džajić on his most well-known international matches (at the UEFA Euro 1968). His most famous international match was likely the 1968 European Championship semifinal against England, in which his 87th-minute lob over the goalkeeper Gordon Banks gave Yugoslavia a 1–0 victory against the defending world champions. He participated in the 1974 FIFA World Cup which was held in West Germany. In November 2003, to celebrate UEFA's Jubilee, he was selected as the Golden Player of Serbia and Montenegro by the Football Association of Serbia and Montenegro as their most outstanding player of the past 50 years. In 2016, UEFA organized a voting to select EURO-s 11 Best players of all times, from a list of 50. Dragan Dzajc is a candidate, for voting to take place by June 2016. Present World Cup Qualification: Group winners Performance at Continental Championship: Did not qualify Most Notable Match in Qualification: Serbia 1-0 Ireland (Away) Most important player: Nemanja Matić