One of the great attractions of any World Cup is seeing new teams arrive on the biggest stage in the world and attempt to steal the spotlight from other top sides.

Bosnia and Herzegovina will look to do just that in its first ever World Cup performance.

History

The nation has never competed in a World Cup and is the only debutant in 2014. Prior to 1990, the nation competed as part of Yugoslavia. That nation did well throughout the years in the tournament and managed a rather remarkable fourth place finish in 1962.

How did they get here?

Bosnia was drawn into one of the "easier" UEFA qualifying groups and its top competitor for first place was Greece.

Bosnia and Herzegovina opened the tournament with an 8-1 win over Liechtenstein and followed it up with a 4-1 victory over Latvia. In the third round, the team drew 0-0 with Greece but proceeded to destroy Lithuania 3-0 in the ensuing match. A 3-1 win over Greece all but clinched the top spot in the group for Bosnia but a 1-0 loss against Slovakia changed the complexion of the group rather quickly. Still, the team rebounded with a 2-1 win over Slovakia on the road and then took down Liechtenstein 4-1 at home. A 1-0 win over Lithuania in its final group game assured that the team would clinch the top spot in the group. Despite tying Greece with 25 points, Bosnia and Herzegovina held the edge in goal difference with a +24 against Greece's +8.

Edin Dzecko finished with 10 goals in the qualifiers while Vedad Ibisevic had eight and Zvjezdan Misimovic had five goals.

Top Stars

Dzecko is surely the team's most recognized player and his performance in the qualifiers has shown that he is also its offensive leader. He has 33 international goals in only 60 appearances for the club and will likely be the one relied on to carry the team in the opening round. He has been solid for club team Manchester City with 11 goals in 26 league matches and an overall stat line of 21 goals in 43 matches for Manchester City this season.

Can they get out of the group stage?

Bosnia and Herzegovina's group is one of the easier ones and it is highly possible that that the team will get out of the first round. Argentina is the uncontested favorite to win the group and will likely beat every single team that it faces. Iran, meanwhile, is the minnow and widely expected to finish last in the group. This means that Bonia and Herzegovina will probably be competing with Nigeria for the second spot in the group. The team has the skill to overcome the African side, but experience could play a huge role in this showdown. It is also possible that Bosnia gives into its nerves and ultimately collapses under pressure in this tournament.

Will they win the whole thing?

The team's offense is terrific but if anything is to be learned from the 4-2 loss against the United States, it would be that the team's defense is suspect. Expect that weak defense to be exploited in the first round. Bosnia finished third in the group.