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.
Greece
Lachlan Ilias
As if 2022 could get any bigger for Ilias – first taking the reins as South Sydney Rabbitohs halfback following Adam Reynolds' departure, and now capping it off with selection in Greece's World Cup squad. Though he took a little while to get going at the Rabbitohs, by the end of the season he was looking like a seasoned NRL half, and that's bound to be of huge benefit to the national team.
The 22-year-old played 26 games this year and finished with 12 try assists despite sharing much of the attacking responsibility with Cody Walker and Latrell Mitchell. He'll have far more responsibility for the attack in the national team set-up, but after a year of incredible growth and development he won't be over-awed by the task at hand.
Billy Magoulias
Magoulias has endured a far different 2022 to Ilias, arriving in England to play for Warrington after limited opportunities with Cronulla in the NRL, but after 12 games for the English club he headed back home after securing a release on compassionate grounds – but it shouldn't be forgotten what a creative excitement machine the back-rower is when on form.
It was three years ago that Magoulias made history for Newtown in consecutive weeks, with match-winning plays out of nothing as the clock wound down and his team trailed in both the NSW Cup grand final and the State Championship game a week later. He has an under-rated kicking ability and a high level of game awareness that is perfectly suited to tournament conditions, and with an NRL return in his crosshairs, he has everything to play for.
Chaise Robinson
After missing the majority of 2021 thanks to an ankle injury, Robinson has enjoyed an exemplary, if stop-start campaign for the South Sydney Rabbitohs in the Jersey Flegg competition. Though he was unable to make his NSW Cup debut this season it's expected to come in the near future, with the Sydney-born teen's reputation growing by the year.
The Greek team is likely to benefit from the Rabbitohs system, with Robinson joining Ilias and 21-year-old Peter Mamouzelos as South Sydney squad members continuing to work together in the national team.
