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After writing my last post on MLB Lineups on Twitter (here), FC Bayern Munich's Scott Sandalow tweeted that he'd love to see a similar post about football/soccer lineups. Well, it's World Cup time, and there are 32 participating nations. So I spent the last few days sorting through many languages that I don't understand, looking for the graphics announcing each squad's first XI of the tournament. Here's what it looks like.

The rules: I'll be looking at Twitter only for the Starting XI graphics, and will post every single team's lineup from either their main or English language account. If a team does not have an account, it will be skipped but still will be listed as part of the group. 

Group A - Russia, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Uruguay

Russia: Simple graphic, three rows of four circles, each with a headshot. No positions and squad numbers are listed, although the goaltender Akinfeev and manager Cherchesov are easily distinguishable. Russia posted the same graphic in English and Russian - I obviously posted the English version here.

Saudi Arabia: Again a simple graphic, with no positions listed. The goaltender is the only position easily distinguishable. Unlike Russia, this graphic was meant only for an Arabic-speaking audience. While the text below likely has starters and substitutes, it's impossible to know unless you're an Arabic speaker.

Egypt: Egypt went with a very informative graphic - positions, squad numbers, names, and placement on the field. This is seen a lot at club levels, and works great here. It's a very simple graphic, but delivers all the necessary information - however, it does not list substitutes.

Uruguay: Uruguay went with an infographic, which is PACKED with information about the starting XI, the team, the coaching staff, and more. This is a ton to pack into one graphic, and it suffers a little from too much information - plus, this isn't a Twitter optimized graphic. However, I can see the thought process behind it - with this being the first match of the World Cup, this graphic is meant to bring fans up to speed in one place, something that other teams don't always do.

Group B - Iran, Portugal, Spain, Morocco

Portugal: There's....there's a lot going on here, but not a lot of substance. Portugal has their national team branding all over this graphic, and squad numbers and names, but no positions - although, it's really not hard to figure out. This graphic reminds me of some of the edits that appears on #NBATwitter with the way that it's branded and set up.

Iran: Somewhat unsurprisingly, Iran did not tweet a graphic for their starting XI. This is one of those reminders that not everyone has access to Twitter/free speech in their home nation. Twitter is blocked in Iran, and has been since 2009, so there's no point in tweeting out a graphic.

Spain: WE HAVE A GIF! Spain announced their lineup with a beautiful GIF on a red background - a great tie-in to both Russia and Spanish colors. No squad numbers or first names are listed, but this is a very clean look. Simple, effective.

Morocco: This is one of my least favorites - it looks like it was created in a lineup app. Two uneven rows of jerseys, with last name and numbers listed - and this time, no positions are distinguishable without prior football knowledge.

Group C - France, Denmark, Australia, Peru

France: France fumbled this graphic. For a national team with a STRONG national league, this graphic is way too simple. It's static, on a simple blue background (unlike Spain, without a field overlay) and only last names listed. While you can figure out who is in each position, I expected more from one of the more prominent nations in the tournament.

Denmark: Denmark went with a dark graphic, staying away from their national colors. I like the overlay on a home stadium, although it's a bit confusing since they were playing in Russia. Again, name and numbers are on the jerseys, and the jerseys are placed in position, so this is fairly effective. I like how the red jerseys really pop on a dark background - although, the opposite is true for Schmeichel's goaltender jersey.

Australia: The Socceroos have the best name in the tournament. Their graphic is realllllly bad - this could be created in Microsoft Paint if you have enough patience. Yes, the information is there, but it's too simple, and looks amateurish. 

Peru: VIDEO. The Peruvians are the first team in the tournament to use a video as their starting XI announcement. It's 39 seconds, which is longer than I would like (I'd limit it to 30 seconds), but everything else is fantastic. Names, numbers, positions, and headshots are all included - this is very similar to an NHL/AHL lineup video. I love this.

Group D - Croatia, Argentina, Iceland, Nigeria

Croatia: I'm not really sure what the background image is, but this is another example of a simple graphic that provides just enough information. Extra bonus points for the intricate jersey design, but those points are immediately lost for not including squad numbers. Also, this is another graphic without listed subs.

Argentina: I see navy - lost of navy. While this would provide a nice contrast to Argentina's sky blue jerseys and colors, there isn't enough sky blue to stand out. Positions aren't listed, but all the other essential information is there. I really think that some more contrast between the background and the headshots/numbers (perhaps an outline?) would really improve this graphic.

Iceland: Strákarnir okkar (Our Boys in Icelandic) are this year's international darling, and have a simple graphic - unsurprising, since the Icelandic team has a number of players who aren't full time professionals. Last names, field positioning and numbers are present, but the red in the background washes out parts of the headshot background and number. As a side note - this is super similar to the 2017 New Britain Bees theme with the gradient vector pattern.

Nigeria: The Super Eagles have one of the best jerseys this year, and they made their graphic to match the scheme - a very nice, cohesive touch. The chevron designs on the right of the graphic are the same as those on the home kit. However, the rest of the graphic is simple - just a list of player last names and numbers, and an unidentified player photo on the side.

Group E - Serbia, Brazil, Switzerland, Costa Rica

Serbia: This graphic isn't sized for Twitter, but it's very clean. The red jerseys pop off the blue background, and the overlay of the pitch lines is a nice touch. Positions are easily identifiable, but unfortunately squad numbers are missing - otherwise this graphic would be one of the best this year.

Brazil: The all-time leader in World Cup wins with 5 opted for a simpler graphic - while it's sized for Twitter, it's very similar to Serbia's in terms of content. Oddly, the reserves are listed with squad numbers but the starters aren't.

Switzerland: Simple, beautiful. This is one of the cleanest graphics this year - while it's not optimized for Twitter, it is smaller than Serbia or Uruguay, so it's a bit better. The squad has last names, numbers, and appear in positions, with headshots to boot. This is a very clean look.

Costa Rica: This video is EXCELLENT. Headshots, player information, and placement on the field, complete with positions and squad numbers. The music is a remixed version of Seven Nation Army, complete with crowd noise. This is an excellent, excellent graphic.

Group F - Mexico, Sweden, South Korea, Germany

Mexico: Despite Landon Donovan's newfound support for the team, Mexico's graphic falls very flat. It's a nice idea to include national team stats for each player, but the graphic is fuzzy, and very hard to read. All the necessary information is there, but if you can't read it without zooming, it's kinda pointless. 

South Korea: The third video post on this list, but a completely different format - first headshots and a list, then positions on the field. This is a great way to visualize the squad, but the text is hard to read at the bottom. It's also the shortest video, which is great for quick consumption.

Sweden: Sweden doesn't have an official twitter account - they post on Facebook and Instagram instead. An interesting choice for sure.

Germany: Die Mannschaft really let me down here. They posted a photo of some jerseys, and wrote the lineup in text as part of the tweet copy. No first names, no positions other than goalkeeper. For a country that has some of the best football social media for their club teams, and offices around the world to provide content, this is a very weak showing - and their English language account didn't bother to even retweet the lineup. Edit 6/21 - Jordan Maciel was kind enough to point out that the German English language account DID tweet out a lineup graphic that I missed - you can see it here. This is far nicer than the original post - no positions listed, but names and numbers are. This is one of the better graphics in the tournament, so perhaps my assessment of the German XI graphic was too severe.

Group G - Belgium, Panama, Tunisia, England

Belgium: It looks like someone designed this graphic to be vertical, and then added a bunch to both sides to make it horizontal. The distressed background and the yellow text really distorts the image. The information is all there, but the execution is off.

Panama: Panama's got a lot of information in a small amount of place, but it works. On the left is the numerical squad, the center has headshots and placement on the pitch, and the right has the substitutes. The text is a little small, but that's nitpicking - this is one of the best information-laden graphics this year.

Tunisia: This is like Germany's, but far worse. Just a list of names and the generic pre-match photo. A very weak showing.

England: The Three Lions created a thread for their game, so their graphic was posted as a reply to their other tweets - a huge mistake, as it somewhat limits those who see it. I would have at the very least posted the graphic separately, and then threaded it in with a quote tweet - that way, it could get more engagement while also remaining part of the thread. The graphic itself is very unique to anything from the English Premier League, a surprise, and it's not great - the background distracts from the very small text. With all the resources available, England, like Germany, fell flat.

Group H - Poland, Senegal, Colombia, Japan

Poland: Poland's pre-World Cup graphics reminded me a lot of Arsenal's from this past season - red and white, with black accents on a moving GIF. However, this graphic doesn't fit that mold - and it's too simple. A squad list, no numbers or positions, and a list of subs is all the information provided.

Senegal: No graphic. They retweeted the Fifa made graphic (see below) with both teams. They did, however, tweet a graphic of their whole squad an hour or so before the game.

Colombia: The fourth and final video on this list, and one that should be a GIF. The animation is simple enough that video seems like a waste. It's a bit weird that the substitutes appear to the left of the starters, and no positions are listed - but the rest of the information is there, and it's easy to read.

Japan: Last up are the Samurai Blue, and their graphic is very sparse - just two rows of headshots with names, numbers, and positions. The black/blue background doesn't provide much contrast from the dark blue jerseys, but overall it's relatively easy to read.

FIFA Official Graphic

FIFA creates the same graphic for each match, with both teams listed on a simple background. Is it the best graphic on this list? Absolutely not - but it doesn't need to be. From an informational standpoint, this graphic gives you everything you need to know about the lineups, and that's precisely what FIFA wants to communicate.

My personal favorite is Costa Rica - they captured all the excitement of a match in 34 seconds, with a great soundtrack and all the needed information. Love the format, and it goes to show that quality social media doesn't always come from big names and big budgets.

Which one is your favorite? Vote below and leave a comment, or reply on Twitter at @cknoblock17!

As a reminder, I'm currently looking for a new position in sports, and would love any help that I can get. You can view my resume here and my portfolio here - any advice is welcome and much appreciated! -CK

Which #WORLDCUP Graphic is your favorite?
RUSSIA
SAUDI ARABIA
EGYPT
URUGUAY
PORTUGAL
SPAIN
MOROCCO
FRANCE
DENMARK
AUSTRALIA
PERU
CROATIA
ARGENTINA
ICELAND
NIGERIA
SERBIA
BRAZIL
SWITZERLAND
COSTA RICA
MEXICO
SOUTH KOREA
GERMANY
BELGIUM
PANAMA
TUNISIA
ENGLAND
POLAND
COLOMBIA
JAPAN
FIFA's Graphic
Created with QuizMaker

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