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"This is the first post in a series previewing the World Cup's eight groups. Check back later this week for looks at groups B, C, D, E, F, G and H.\n\nThe 2014 World Cup's Group A includes host Brazil, two dangerous challengers and one of the game's greatest stars leading an undermanned squad. \nBut which are the most-interesting teams? Who are the most-exciting players? Who will advance to the knockout stage, and who will get sent home early? \nSee also: How the World Cup Works, for the Soccer Newbie\nAll that (and more!) shall be revealed right here in our 10-minute guide to Group A.\nThe teams (FIFA world ranking in parenthesis)\n\nBrazil (4)\nMexico (19)\nCroatia (20)\nCameroon (50)\n\nThe landscape\n\nLuka Modric, wearing Croatia's trademark checkered home kit, challenges for the ball during a World Cup qualifying match against Iceland on Nov. 19, 2013, in Zagreb, Croatia. Image: Darko Bandic/Associated PressBrazil will look to win a record sixth World Cup title this summer, an achievement that would be even sweeter on its home soil. The Sele\u00E7\u00E3o is under incredible pressure to do just that; but behind superstars such as Neymar, Hulk, Oscar and Thiago Silva, the talent is certainly there. Winning aside, though, many fans \u2014 Brazilian and otherwise \u2014 hope manager Luiz Felipe Scolari will encourage the flashy, attacking style that first made Brazilian soccer legendary worldwide, but became somewhat lost in recent years.\nWhile not among the world's highest-ranked teams, both Mexico and Croatia are intriguing dark horses. Mexico struggled mightily in qualifying, almost missing out on the World Cup altogether, but is a dangerous squad nonetheless. Croatia may not strike the casual fan as a soccer power, but behind top-shelf players such as Luka Modri\u0107 and Mario Mand\u017Euki\u0107, it has the firepower to surprise some teams. Cameroon, meanwhile, features the incomparable (and aging) Samuel Eto'o, but he lacks support. \nThe schedule (all times in ET)\n\nBrazil vs. Croatia, June 12, Sao Paulo, 4 p.m.\nMexico vs Cameroon, June 13, Natal, 12 p.m.\nBrazil vs. Mexico, June 17, Fortaleza, 3 p.m.\nCameroon vs. Croatia, June 18, Manaus, 6 p.m.\nCroatia vs. Mexico, June 23, Recife, 4 p.m.\nCameroon vs. Brazil, June 23, Brasilia, 4 p.m.\n\n4 players to watch\nNeymar (Brazil): Sure, this is the obvious choice \u2014 but it's obvious for a reason. Neymar is stunningly quick and elusive with the ball, and Brazil's top weapon by far. The 22-year-old will likely be the face of this World Cup, and while partially overshadowed by demi-god Lionel Messi at FC Barcelona, he is Brazil's unquestioned star. Here's why:\n\nGiovani dos Santos (Mexico): Javier \"Chicharito\" Hernandez is more well known to the casual fan, but dos Santos is an immense talent in his own right. Currently playing club ball for Villareal in Spain, the half-Brazilian attacker didn't do well for Mexico in qualifying. But look for him to bounce back for El Tri at the World Cup, and feature in some highlights like these:\n\nLuka Modri\u0107 (Croatia): Modri\u0107 plays alongside \u2014 and against \u2014 the best of the best with Real Madrid. He'll be counted on to take a more starring role for Croatia this summer. The midfielder's passing and creativity are easy to appreciate, even if you only watch soccer every four years.\n\nSamuel Eto'o (Cameroon): At 33, Eto'o isn't quite the player he once was, but the striker is one of the best Africa has ever produced. He played in his first World Cup as a 17-year-old in 1998, and chances are, this year's will be his last. Can he somehow lead a magical Cameroon run to go out in a style befitting his outsized legacy? \n\nThe prediction\nWhile not an outright cakewalk, Brazil was handed a pretty easy World Cup draw. Look for them to win the group. Croatia will make things interesting, but Mexico will ultimately get itself together, and take the group's second place, along with a berth in the knockout stage. That leaves Croatia and Cameroon on the outside, looking in. Happy trails, fellas. \n\n\nUniforms of the World Cup, from best to worst\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n1. Brazil\nWhen Brazil looks to win its sixth World Cup on its home soil this summer, it'll do so in the utmost style. The yellow and blue numbers above stick close to the blueprint for the sele\u00E7\u00E3o's respective home and away kits. Meanwhile, the dark green alternate jersey provides a nice change of pace, right down those subtly striped shorts. To mix our sports metaphors, Brazil (with some help from Nike) knocks it out of the park. Final score: 10/10\n\nImage:  Nike\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n2. Spain\nAdidas does a top-notch job of balancing tradition with innovation. The red home numbers reflect the look you expect from Spain, while the away versions offer something else entirely: A black base with neon green trim. Not every nation could pull this off, but the look fits perfectly with Spain's stacked squad of fearsome attackers and creative ball-handlers. Final score 9.6/10\n\nImage:  Adidas\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n3. Portugal\nAnother excellent study in contrasts. Portugal's red home kit is all fire and strength, while the away kit features a clean blue and white look. The Portuguese Football Federation's excellent patch, meanwhile, is a welcome addition to any shirt. Final score: 9.5/10\n\nImage:  Nike\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n4. Italy\nItaly has one of the game's classic kits, year in and year out. Puma does that heritage justice here, with two equally excellent outfits. From the tiny collar on the blue home shirt to the light gray pinstripes on the white away kit, little details make a difference. Final score: 9.4/10\n\nImage:  Tom Oldham Photography/Puma\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n5. Germany\nAnother great contrasting look. The white home kit is clean, simple and traditional, while the away kit's deep red and black stripes give the attacking German squad some fearsome style. Final score: 9.2/10\n\nImage:  Adidas\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n6. Argentina\nArgentina's vertically striped home kits are among the most iconic in soccer. Adidas does good job of not messing with tradition here, while the  albiceleste's darker away duds look sharp too. Final score: 9.1/10\n\nImage:  Adidas\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n7. Netherlands\nThe Netherlands signature orange home shirts and excellent lion crest give Nike plenty to work with here. But it's the subtle designs on the blue away kit that really win us over. Final score: 9/10\n\nImage:  Nike\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n8. Mexico\nAdidas does El Tri justice here with a killer green home kit (moving the Federaci\u00F3n Mexicana de F\u00FAtbol Asociaci\u00F3n's crest to the middle of the shirt is a nice touch). The blood-red away kits should look awesome in Brazil as well. Final score: 8.8/10\n\nImage:  Adidas\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n9. France\nLess is more with France's 2014 kits from Nike. The blue home kit is classic and timeless, while horizontal gray striping takes the white away shirt to another level. Final score: 8.7/10\n\nImage:  Nike\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n10. Cameroon\nPuma pulled out all the stops for Cameroon's green home jersey. The relief designs, vivid coloring and traditional lion crest (the squad's amazing nickname is the Indomitable Lions) add up to a classic. That gold away number isn't shabby either. Final score: 8.5/10. \n\nImage:  Puma\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n11. Japan\nAnother excellent balancing act between tradition and boldness. Japan's blue home kits don't contain any huge surprises, but that neon away uni is something else entirely. Both look mighty fine, however. Final score: 8.4/10\n\nImage:  Adidas\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n12. England\nNike goes for a classic look on both England's home and away kits. Neither takes any real risks, but they both look pretty sweet. That yellow goalie shirt isn't bad either. Final score: 8.2/10\n\nImage:  Nike\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n13. Croatia\nThose checkers! We have a feeling you'll either love or hate Croatia's unique national team kits, but we are definitely in the pro-check camp. The red and white checks look even better when used as trim on Croatia's blue away shirts. Final score: 8/10\n\nImage:  Nike\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n14. Belgium\nBelgium's three looks offer plenty of variety but it's the big crown in-lay that goes a long way for us. Final score: 7.8/10\n\nImage:  Burrda Sport\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n15. Cote D'Ivoire\nPuma deserves credit for letting the Ivory Coast's lovely green and orange colors do the heavy lifting here. The country's elephant crest is also among the coolest in soccer. Final score: 7.6/10\n\nImage:  Tom Oldham Photography/Puma\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n16. Ghana\nGhana's red away kits are sharp, but it's the creative trim around the collar of the home whites that will have the Black Stars looking extra-super in Brazil. Final score: 7.4/10\n\nImage:  Puma\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n17. Greece\nNike stuck to simplicity for Greece, and the result is a smooth look. Then again, that simplicity doesn't offer anything far out of the ordinary, landing these uniforms in the middle of our power rankings. Final score: 7.2/10\n\nImage:  Nike\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n18. United States\nWhen Nike unveiled the multi-colored USA away kits this spring, many snarkily denigrated them for looking like a summer popsicle. We think they look mighty fine -- but those home white jerseys look too much like something you'd see at a Florida retirement village. Final score: 7/10\n\nImage:  Nike\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n19. Russia\nNot bad, but far from transcendent. The white away kits do feature a unique design that we like. Final score: 6.7/10\n\nImage:  Adidas\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n20. Australia\nPoints for simplicity -- but not too many points. Final score: 6.6/10\n\nImage:  Nike\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n21. Switzerland\nThese are ... fine. Final score: 6.3/10\n\nImage:  Tom Oldham Photography/Puma\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n22. Uruguay\nThe blue-on-black home kits are kind of sweet, but this is the World Cup -- we're looking for greatness, not goodness. Final score: 6.2/10\n\nImage:  Tom Oldham Photography/Puma\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n23. Colombia\nAgain, good but not great (in our humble opinion, of course). Final score: 6/10\n\nImage:  Adidas\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n24. Algeria\nSome nice touches -- the crescent moon and light green color give a good starting point -- but, overall, not a lot going on. Final score: 5.8/10\n\nImage:  Puma\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n25. Chile\nChile is an interesting dark-horse contender in Brazil, but its uniforms won't be generating a ton of buzz. We do like the red home kit's blue collar though. Final score: 5.7/10\n\nImage:  Tom Oldham Photography/Puma\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n26. Costa Rica\nEhhhh, these are okay. Final score: 5.6/10\n\nImage:  Lotto Sport\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n27. Ecuador\nThey definitely don't suck. But they definitely aren't that memorable, either. Final score: 5.5/10\n\nImage:  Marathon Sports\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n28. Nigeria\nNigeria's green and white flag offers a rich starting point, but we wish there was more going on here. Final score: 5.4\n\nImage:  Adidas\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n29. Honduras\nCool T-shirt? Yes. Cool World Cup jersey? Less so. Final score: 5.3/10\n\nImage:  Joma\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n30. South Korea\nPretty pedestrian, plus those differently-colored shoulder stripes on the white away kits look a little odd. Final score: 5.1/10\n\nImage:  Nike\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n31. Iran\nThat's a cool in-lay, but these are otherwise pretty meh. Final score: 5/10\n\nImage:  uhlSport\n\n\n\n\n"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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