Hong Myung-bo, Sami Al Jaber, Mehdi Mahdavikia, Tim Cahill. Just some of the names of Asia's footballing elite to have left their mark on the global stage. But how about those stars of the Continental game who have not been so fortunate, for one reason or another, to represent their nation at the FIFA World Cup?

We review and recognise six of those players from Kirkuk in Iraq to Sydney, Australia and invite you to pick your favourite in the voting poll at the end of the article.

The FIFA World Cup is without a doubt the grandest stage in world football, and it comes as no surprise that a strong showing at just one tournament could massively shape a player's career in the years to come. As such, here are a number of players that could possibly propel themselves into the spotlight when the tournament kicks off in just over two weeks' time.

For football fans around the globe, a team’s kit often serves as an everlasting visual representation of certain memories. Nowhere is this truer than in the FIFA World Cup, where the four-year gap means kits usually change from one edition of the competition to the next.

Some kits have been immortalised due to their unique designs, while others remain forever associated with the team’s success. 

Here are five unforgettable kits from the Continent’s representatives in this year’s World Cup. View them below and then pick your favourite .

With the final eight of the 2018 AFC Champions League decided and the draw conducted, eyes of Asian football fans turn to Russia for the FIFA World Cup, where five Asian nations will be present. Fans of AFC Champions League quarter-finalists will have one eye on their respective clubs' players looking to make a name for themselves in Russia.

A total of 14 players will be representing seven of the eight finalists, testament to the growing profile of the top club competition in Asia. Qatar's Al Duhail are the only side of the eight with no representatives amongst the 736 players competing for international glory next month.

Reims – On a typical summer day in June of 1938, the Dutch East Indies lined up in a first round match at the second edition of the FIFA World Cup against Hungary. The Hungarians’ 6-0 win over their opponents that day may have been straightforward, but the Asian side’s journey towards discovering their identity as a football team was anything but.

A record 15 match officials and one VAR official will represent the Continent and we kick off the series by profiling the Asian assistant referees who will be on duty in Russia 2018.

Overview

With three of their six planned pre-World Cup friendlies cancelled, IR Iran’s preparations have been less than ideal. But with an abundance of talent across the squad, Queiroz will still be confident of a strong showing in Russia.

Drawn in the so-called “Group of Death” alongside the last two European champions; Spain and Portugal as well as Morocco, many believe Team Melli have their work cut out for them.

However, a defence that conceded just five goals in their 18 qualifiers’ games and an attack line boasting some of the continent’s finest forwards could cause upsets if the Portuguese coach gets his tactics right.