Lionel Messi's form, France woes and Spain starlets: How England's World Cup rivals look

England are preparing for the World Cup in Qatar. Gareth Southgate's side reached the semi-finals in 2018 and the final of the European Championships last year. The tournament starts on November 20. Mirror Football look at how England's competitors are shaping up.

Lionel Messi has been in fine form since joining Paris Saint-Germain. Argentina are one of the favourites for the World Cup. Manager Lionel Scaloni has promoted some talented youngsters. The team has established internationals all over the pitch. They begin the tournament by facing Saudi Arabia on November 22. They play Mexico and Poland to end the group stages. France are struggling. Spain are having problems with their young players. England are also having issues with young stars. Italy are not having any problems. Brazil are in good form.

It's been over a decade since Spain won the World Cup in South Africa. Six Barcelona players started the win over Netherlands. Pedri, Gavi and Ansu Fati are key players for Luis Enrique's side. Iago Aspas is expected to lead the line. Spain play Costa Rica first, before playing Germany and Japan. Sergio Ramos is not expected in the squad. He's unlikely to be for the Qatar World cup. The squad is made up of a blend of youth and experience.

Tite has made some surprising selections for his Brazil squad. Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel and Gabriel Martinelli have been left out of the squad for two friendlies against Tunisia and Ghana. Phillipe Coutinho has been dropped in favour of Everton Ribeiro. Roberto Firmino has also been recalled to the Brazil team. Brazil's World Cup starts on November 24.  Neymar, Antony, Vinicius and Raphinha are the most dangerous front line in the team, with Neymar leading the line.

Kylian Mbappe refused to take part in a team photo day on Tuesday due to image rights issues with the French FA. France play two Nations League matches this week.

Mbappe boycotted a marketing campaign in March. He won the Best Young Player Award at the 2018 World Cup. France are winless in their opening four Nations League matches. They begin their defence of the World cup against Australia. Their next games are against Austria and Denmark.