It's the Rugby League World Cup - a cross-cultural melting pot with teams from the Americas, Europe and the Pacific ready to do battle.
But with 16 teams in the men's competition and hundreds of names to familiarise yourself with, we've had a look at the squads to determine just who are the three players from each nation you need to be watching.
France
Ben Garcia
Garcia's name may look familiar to some NRL fans – and that's because he did spend some time in Australia, joining the Penrith Panthers on a two-year deal in 2016. Unfortunately, he never earned that first NRL appearance, rejoining Catalans Dragons just months later.
He's played 189 games for the team he made his debut for in 2013, and has taken over the captaincy since the retirement of Remi Casty, working very closely with club and current national team coach Laurent Frayssinous. Renowned for his work rate at both ends of the pitch, this will be Garcia's third World Cup for France.
Cesar Rouge
At the other end of the spectrum is Rouge, a young half just 20 years old and with just eight first-grade games of experience to draw upon after making his Super League debut in 2021. Interestingly, he's also yet to experience victory as a starter but is undefeated from the bench at club level. He spent time in France learning from James Maloney and has also spent time in training camps with the Melbourne Storm.
He's easy to spot thanks to his Thurston-like preference for headgear, but he has an incredible turn of pace and a dangerous step that's likely to catch some defenders off-guard and is only going to get better. He made his national team debut this year, starting at halfback in a comprehensive victory over Wales and proved himself ready for the responsibility. Remember the name.
Fouad Yaha
Known as ‘the French Finisher' – at least on YouTube – Yaha is the most prolific try scorer on the team, a proven success at Super League level with 100 four-pointers in just 149 appearances for Catalans Dragons – though he is yet to cross the line in five appearances at international level.
The 26-year-old enjoyed a career-best season in 2022, scoring 24 tries in 25 games to finish in the Super League's Top 5 try scorers – beating his previous best haul of 15 by scoring 10 tries in five games before the finals. Given the majority of the French squad are already playing together at club level, expect Yaha to grab his first international try at the tournament, and maybe a couple more.
