The Samba Kings have been drawn in Group F, alongside Serbia, Costa Rica and Switzerland, leaving them as the outright favourites to progress to the knockout stage.

And Paris Saint-Germain forward Neymar said he is glad to have avoided the Africans, largely due to their physical presence on the field of play.

“We [Brazil] have to be at our best to get a good result particularly in our first game of the tournament. The teams in our group are difficult to play against,” Neymar told the media.

“I am happy it wasn’t a group where we had to play against African teams like Nigeria. They run a lot and are very physical in their approach. We are no doubt still up against strong sides at the World Cup.”