Factbox: Chile

Colours: Red shirts, dark blue shorts and white socks.

Nickname: "La Roja" (the Reds)

Previous World Cup appearances: (7) 1930, 1950, 1962, 1966, 1974, 1982, 1998

Best World Cup performance: Third place, 1962

Coach: Marcelo Bielsa

Most capped player: Leonel Sanchez 84

Top goalscorer: Marcelo Salas 37

Squad:

Claudio Bravo (Real Sociedad). Goalkeeper. Born April 13 1983. Caps 41.
Undisputed first-choice keeper who played in all 18 World Cup qualifiers. Moved to Spain in 2006 and has stuck with Real Sociedad despite their drop into the second division. Missed the end of the Spanish season with a knee injury but will be fit for Chile's opening match.

Miguel Pinto (Universidad de Chile). Goalkeeper. Born July 4 1983. Caps 13.
Likely second-choice keeper who has played for "La U" for eight years. Suffered a knee injury in early 2010 but returned to action in April.

Luis Marin (Union Espanola). Goalkeeper. Born May 18 1983. Caps 3.
Picked as Chile's third-choice keeper over Cristopher Toselli due to his consistency at club level. Kept clean sheets in recent friendlies against Venezuela and Trinidad & Tobago.

Roberto Cereceda (Colo Colo). Defender. Born Oct. 10 1984. Caps 28.
Speedy left wing-back who cemented his place in the side during the qualifying campaign. Established himself at Audax Italiano in the Chilean first division before moving to the country's biggest club, Colo Colo. Captained Chile in their May 5 friendly against Trinidad & Tobago.

Pablo Contreras (PAOK Salonika). Defender. Born Sept. 11 1978. Caps 49. Goals 1
The most capped man in a young and relatively inexperienced squad. A survivor of the 2002 and 2006 qualifying campaigns, Contreras played for Monaco in France, Celta in Spain and Sporting Lisbon in Portugal before moving to Greece.

Ismael Fuentes (Universidad Catolica). Defender. Born Aug. 4 1981. Caps 27. Goals 1
A regular first-team player under previous coach Nelson Acosta, starting every match in the 2007 Copa America, but has fallen slightly out of favour under Bielsa, appearing in just six of Chile's 18 qualifiers. Struggling to make the final cut.

Mauricio Isla (Udinese). Defender/Midfielder. Born June 12 1988. Caps 10.
Bielsa has used him in defence but this utility player is equally comfortable in midfield. Made his debut for Chile in Bielsa's first match in charge in 2007 but played in only five of the 18 World Cup qualifiers and might watch much of the World Cup from the bench. Has enjoyed three solid seasons in Italy.

Gonzalo Jara (West Bromwich Albion). Defender. Born Aug. 29 1985. Caps 32. Goals 3.
Caught the eye of West Brom scouts at an under-23 tournament in France in 2008 and signed for the club a year later, helping them to promotion this season. A neat, technically efficient, versatile player, he should get a regular run-out at the finals.

Gary Medel (Boca Juniors). Defender/Midfielder. Born Aug. 3 1987. Caps 23. Goals 3.
Know as "Pitbull" for his ferocious handling of opponents, he has recovered from a nightmare start to 2009. First he was in a serious car crash and then a teenage girl fell to her death from the balcony of his apartment in what appears to have been an accident. One of the few Chileans to cut the mustard in Argentine football, he scored both goals for Boca in their 2-0 defeat of arch-rivals River Plate in March. Likes to push forward down the right and can play in midfield and defence.

Waldo Ponce (Universidad Catolica). Defender. Born Dec. 4 1982. Caps 24. Goals 2.
Tall, agile, mop-haired central defender, strong in the air and a dead-ball expert. Spent a year in Germany with Wolfsburg and then played for Velez Sarsfield in Argentina before moving back to Chile in February to prepare for the World Cup.

Rodrigo Tello (Besiktas). Defender/Midfielder. Born Oct. 14 1979. Caps 32. Goals: 2.
A left footer with a powerful shot, Tello spent six years in Portugal with Sporting Lisbon before moving to Turkey. A regular during the 2002 and 2006 qualifying campaigns but his star has waned under Bielsa and he played in just one of 18 qualifiers.

Arturo Vidal (Bayer Leverkusen). Defender/Midfielder. Born May 22 1987. Caps 22. Goals 1.
Versatile, pint-sized right wing-back who has enjoyed three impressive seasons in Germany. Should make the first team in South Africa; the only question is whether it will be in defence or midfield.

Gonzalo Fierro (Flamengo). Midfielder. Born March 21 1983. Caps 16. Goals 1.
Right-sided midfielder who made his debut for Chile in 2006. Built his reputation at Colo Colo before moving to Brazil. Should make the squad but might not make the first team, having played in just four of Chile's 18 qualifiers.

Carlos Carmona (Reggina). Midfielder. Born Feb. 21 1987. Caps 18.
Dependable holding midfielder, a tireless ball-winner with a good tactical sense. Has been based in Italy since 2008 and played a major role in the World Cup qualifiers. Expect to see him on the pitch in South Africa rather than the bench.

Marco Estrada (Universidad de Chile). Midfielder. Born May 28 1983. Caps 20. Goals 1.
Defensive left-sided midfielder who played for Chilean club Everton for a decade before joining "La U". Made his debut in Bielsa's first match in charge in 2007 and has been in and out of the Chilean first team since then.

Rodrigo Millar (Colo Colo). Midfielder. Born Nov. 3 1981. Caps 20. Goals 1.
First played for Chile at the under-20 World Cup in Argentina in 2001. Spent most of his career at Huachipato before stepping up to Colo Colo in 2007. Appeared in six of Chile's World Cup qualifiers.

Matias Fernandez (Sporting Lisbon). Midfielder. Born May 15 1986. Caps 36. Goals 7.
A creative attacking force, of the same ilk as Real Madrid's Cristian Ronaldo. Was hailed as the best player in the Americas in 2006 when he was on brilliant form for Colo Colo, but has been disappointing since moving to Europe, first at Spain's Villarreal and now in Portugal. Frustrating at times, but if he can rediscover the promise he showed four years ago he has the potential to light up this World Cup.

Jorge Valdivia (Al Ain). Midfielder. Born Oct. 19 1983. Caps 37. Goals 3.
Known as "El Mago", the Magician, Valdivia is Chile's top playmaker, at his best when just behind the strikers. An outspoken extrovert, he served a long ban from the Chilean side after being found guilty of indiscipline during the 2007 Copa America. After two successful seasons in Brazil with Palmeiras he moved to the Middle East and has also played for clubs in Spain and Switzerland, two of Chile's Group H rivals.

Mark Gonzalez (CSKA Moscow). Forward. Born July 10 1984. Caps 38. Goals 3.
A trip to South Africa would take him back to the country of his birth. Gonzalez grew up in Durban where his Chilean father played professional football. An attacking left-sided midfielder, he never quite made the grade at Liverpool but has enjoyed more success at Real Betis in Spain and now in Russia.

Esteban Paredes (Colo Colo). Forward. Born Aug. 1 1980. Caps 12. Goals 5.
A journeyman forward who has played for four different Chilean clubs as well as in Mexico and Cyprus. A survivor of the 2006 World Cup qualifying campaign, he has not featured much in Bielsa's plans despite a respectable scoring record.

Hector Mancilla (Toluca). Forward. Born Nov. 12 1980. Caps 6.
A regular goalscorer with three different clubs in Mexico over the past four seasons, Mancilla has never reproduced that form for Chile, for whom he has yet to score. Recently urged the President of the Republic Sebastian Pinera to intervene to ensure Bielsa stays on as Chile's coach after the World Cup.

Juan Beausejour (America). Forward. Born June 1 1984. Caps 25. Goals 1.
Strong left-footed forward who likes to drift out to the wings. More of a creator than a poacher, he has developed a good understanding with Chile's top striker Suazo. Born to a Haitian father and a Chilean mother, Beausejour has played in Switzerland, Belgium and Brazil, and is now based in Mexico.

Fabian Orellana (Xerez). Forward. Born Jan. 27 1986. Caps 13. Goals 2.
Scored two of the most important goals of the qualifying campaign -- the first in a 1-0 defeat of Argentina and the second against Colombia, the goal that sealed Chile's passage to South Africa. Might not make the starting line-up in South Africa, but could serve as a handy replacement for Suazo.

Alexis Sanchez (Udinese). Forward. Born Dec. 19 1988. Caps 27. Goals 8.
A live-wire, unpredictable, right-footed striker, Sanchez has hit a rich seam of form in recent weeks, scoring in four consecutive Serie A matches in April and May to help save Udinese from relegation. AS Roma and Liverpool are among the clubs rumoured to be interesting in signing him after the World Cup, where he is likely to start in attack alongside Suazo.

Humberto Suazo (Real Zaragoza). Forward. Born May 10 1981. Caps 41. Goals 17.
Beat Brazil's Luis Fabiano and Uruguay's Diego Forlan to finish as top scorer in the South American qualifying campaign with 10 goals. The only Chilean outfield player to appear in all 18 qualifiers, his is the first name on Bielsa's team sheet. Has been criticised as overweight but his heavy build belies his agility. Played in Chile and Mexico before moving to Real Zaragoza on loan. The Spaniards are keen to sign him on a permanent basis.