2014 finalists land in Qatar

Four-time winners Germany arrived at the World Cup in Qatar on Thursday after Argentina superstar Lionel Messi touched down to launch his final bid to win football's biggest prize.

After a 1-0 win in a low-key warmup game against Oman the night before, the Germans, led by captain and goalkeeper Manuel Meuer, flew into Doha.

Germany are aiming to erase the nightmare of the 2018 tournament in Russia when they crashed out of the World Cup in the group stage after winning it four years earlier.

Team official Oliver Bierhoff explained why they had opted for the seclusion of a hotel in Al-Ruwais, an hour and half from the capital.

"We want to develop a team spirit there that will carry us through the tournament -- and for as long as possible."

Messi landed with the Argentina squad in the early hours of the morning from Abu Dhabi where he scored in a straightforward 5-0 win against the United Arab Emirates in front of 36,000 spectators on Wednesday.

It was his 91st international goal for the 1978 and 1986 World Cup winners who extended their unbeaten run to 36 matches.

The tournament is likely to be the final chance for 35-year-old Messi to emulate fellow Argentine great Diego Maradona in leading his country to World Cup glory.

The South Americans begin their campaign on Tuesday against Saudi Arabia in Group C, which also includes Mexico and Poland.

Argentina's 26-man squad could change with less than a week to go before their World Cup opener as some players are not fully fit, coach Lionel Scaloni said on Wednesday after their 5-0 friendly win over the United Arab Emirates.

Defender Cristian Romero and forwards Nicolas Gonzalez, Alejandro Gomez and Paulo Dybala were left out for Argentina's last warm-up match in Abu Dhabi, with all four recovering after feeling "some discomfort", the coach said.

"We have a few problems, we have days to decide on the list ... We can change, hopefully not, but there is a possibility," Scaloni told reporters.

"I'm not saying they are going to be dropped from the list. There are players who are not well, who have been left out of the squad today because they were not fit to play or there was a risk.

"We have to be cautious because there is a reason why they were left out."

FIFA rules say that the World Cup teams can replace players in their squads who are injured or ill up to 24 hours before their opening match.

France arrived in Doha on Wednesday, seeking to become the first team to retain the World Cup since Brazil in 1962.

Ten members of the 2018 title-winning squad are in the squad, including captain Hugo Lloris, Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann.

But the defending champions, grouped with Australia, Denmark and Tunisia, are without first-choice midfield pair Paul Pogba and N'Golo Kante.

Ballon d'Or winner Karim Benzema, who has missed a series of games for Real Madrid this season because of injury, is set for his first World Cup appearance since 2014.