While competing as Serbia since 2006, they are competing in their third World Cup since then qualifying for tournaments in South Africa 2010 and Russia in 2018.
From 1994 to 2006, they competed with Montenegro. Since 2006, they have been an independent nation. Prior to 1994, they were part of the amalgamating nation of Yugoslavia made up of seven countries, they were a vastly successful team during this time.
They were one of the 13 teams, in the inaugural World Cup in 1930, finishing third, they were eliminated by eventual winners Uruguay 6-1 in the semi-finals.
Qualification Path
Serbia pulled off a shock in qualification by finishing top of Group A which included Portugal, forcing Ronaldo's men into a play off scenario. They did not lose in qualifying as they secured six wins and two draws scoring 18 goals and conceding nine.
Top spot was secured on final day when they completed the shock with a 2-1 win in Portugal taking them three points clear at the top. The Serbs find themselves in Group G, alongside tournament favourites Brazil, as well as Switzerland and Cameroon.
Historical Performances
As mentioned before this will be Serbia's third appearance in the tournament as an independent nation, They are yet to make it out of the group stage since becoming independent and will be looking to change that this time around.
Their best performance dates back to the inaugural tournament in 1930, eliminated at the semi final stage by winners and hosts Uruguay, they reached this stage again in 1962 where they were beaten 3-1 by Czechoslovakia.
The 2010 World Cup was a disappointment for the country, falling out of a group they were expected to qualify from. On opening match day, Aleksander Yukovic saw red as an Asamoah Gyan penalty saw a win for this tournaments surprise package Ghana.
Events looked a little more optimistic for the team as they pulled off a shock beating 2014 winners Germany 1-0, setting up a must win encounter against Australia. Group D saw another shock as Australia won this encounter, leaving Serbia bottom of the group, while the Australians missed out on the next round on goal difference.
The 2018 World Cup was a similar story for the Serbians, as they were drew in a group with two of the teams in their group this time around.
On opening day in Russia, they were victorious over Costa Rica, while on the second match day, they suffered a 2-1 defeat to Switzerland, making qualification look unlikely with a final group stage game against previous tournament hosts Brazil, they would fall to defeat once again here as Brazil score twice and finish third in the group.
Player to Watch
A number of players stand out in the Serbian national team, they are very prominent in their attacking options with top scorer in Fulham striker Aleksander Mitrovic as well as captain Dusan Tadic and 22 year old Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic.
Another experienced name to add to the team sheet, who will be one of the first on the starting XI you would expect is Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic. Vlahovic has a club teammate joining up with him in Filip Kostic.
The choice for a player to stand out though has to be Aleksander Mitrovic, the 28 year old was once deemed not good enough for the Premier League during his time at Newcastle where he struggled to find the back of the net.
Since that time, after being sold to Fulham, he has seemed unable to miss the back of the net, last season he lit the Championship on fire, demolishing the record for goals scored in a season, he won the golden boot, finishing on 43 goals.
Since Fulham's return to the Premier League, where they have been the surprise package of this season, he has scored nine goals in his 12 games for the club, proving the statement wrong that he was not good enough for the Premier League.
His goalscoring form extends to the national team also having hit the back of the net 50 times in 76 matches, making him Serbia's all time record goalscorer - his most successful year was 2018 where he scored 12 goals in 13 appearances, and the only year he has failed to score for the national team was 2014.
Expected Lineup
V Milenkovic Savic, Milenkovic, S Mitrovic, Pavlovic, Zivkovic, Lukic, S Milenkovic Savic, Kostic, Tadic, Mitrovic, Vlahovic
Biggest Talking Point
The Serbian national team is a big talking point, they are frequently discussed as dark horses most teams, which they are very capable of living up to.
The confidence in the team is instilled within the team themselves by the coach Dragan Stojkovic, before their important clash in Lisbon at the end of qualifying, the coach was asked if he believed they could qualify for the World Cup in the end, with many believing that they would be heading to the play offs.
His response showed the confidence the country has: "What do you mean, in the end? There are no question marks, we will be at the World Cup." It was a bold statement to make at the time coming up against a team like Portugal, however, they got the job done in Lisbon that night, leaving with all three points and securing top of the group.
The coach has a firm belief in his attacking options, when he summarised his coaching philosophy, he said that it is not enough for him to win, he wants his team to score goals.
Predictions
This will be a difficult group for the Serbians, they were drew with Brazil and Switzerland in 2018 and they fell to defeat to both of these nations, with their new philosophy and confidence instilled into the team combined with the top experience that they have in their star players, they can get out of this group.
Their biggest test will come in Brazil and it will take a lot to get a result from them, however you would expect a result against Cameroon for them.
The make or break game in this group will come against Switzerland, with these being the two teams expected to be battling for second in the group to go through to the next round.
Group stage: Second place
Eliminated in the quarter finals.