Spain, Holland, Chile and Australia will form the latest World Cup "group of death", with the opening game of Group B a rematch of the 2010 final.
Spain became world champions for the first time by defeating Holland in South Africa in a bad-tempered match remembered as much for the violent approach of the Dutch as Andrés Iniesta's extra-time winner.
Vicente del Bosque's La Roja, who are also the double European champions, and Louis van Gaal's Oranje, kick off the group in Salvador on 13 June at 8pm BST.
Spain, as the only nation to claim three consecutive major tournaments – and with an array of talent who include Iniesta, Xavi, David Silva, Álvaro Negredo, Sergio Busquets and Iker Cassillas – will be favourites to top the group, though in Robin van Persie Holland have the leading scorer during the qualifying phase for European nations, with 11 goals.
Holland have never won the World Cup – they lost the 1974 and 1978 finals – and Chile's best performance was third at their own tournament in 1962. Roy Hodgson's England understand the threat Chile can carry after being beaten 2-0 at Wembley last month with Alexis Sánchez, scoring both goals.
The 24-year-old Barcelona forward has scored 22 goals in 64 international appearances, he won last season's La Liga with the Catalan club, and his Chile team-mates include Cardiff City's Gary Medel and Wigan Athletic's Jean Beausejour. Managed by the Argentinian Jorge Luis Sampaoli, Chile begin by playing Australia on 13 June in Cuiabá.
Tim Cahill, Lucas Neill and Marco Bresciano are the stand-out names of the Socceroos, who are to compete in only a fourth World Cup, having emerged from the group once before – in Germany in 2006, where they lost to the eventual champions, Italy.
Beyond Group B, England fans will hardly describe their section as the Group of Life. While Roy Hodgson will somehow have to plot a route past Italy, Uruguay and Costa Rica if his side are to emerge from Group D, Group G – Germany, Ghana, the USA and Portugal – and Group A – Brazil, Croatia, Mexico, and Cameroon – also look tough.
A so-called "group of death" appeared in the very first World Cup in 1930 in Uruguay. Then, Group 1 featured Argentina, Chile, France and Mexico from which only the winners would progress. Argentina did so by defeating their South American neighbours Chile, 3-1, in the final game.
In Spain in 1982 Brazil, Argentina and Italy were the three nations in a second-phase group from which the latter emerged, having beaten the two South American countries. Italy's 3-2 win over Brazil, after twice going behind and featuring a Paolo Rossi hat-trick, remains among the greatest of all World Cup matches.
• This article was amended on 10 December 2013. Gary Medel plays for Cardiff City, not Swansea City as an earlier version said.
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