The 24mm World Cup
Qualifying Round 1: The Zooms

Leica 21-35mm f3.5-4 v Nikon 17-35mm f2.8 v Sigma 12-24mm f4.5-f5.6

As the fanfare of the opening ceremony dies away, the first teams are led onto the pitch on this glorious day in Oberköchen. With temperatures of 25° in the shade, conditions aren't going to favour the Sigma camp, whose squad is notoriously prone to rampant jaundice in sunlight.

With the Canon 16-35mm f2.8 L on the bench, the Nikon 17-35mm f2.8 plays the role of quality mass-produced centre forward today, preferred by the head coach over the red-headed veteran, whose form has been patchy in recent matches.

Despite its youth, the Sigma 12-24mm earned its place in the squad with consistent performances in the difficult ultrawide role. There is a feeling in the training room that it might be out of its depth in this competition – but will the lack of experience count against it today? We'll have to see . . .

Leading the players onto the pitch now is the diminutive striker Leica: four inches of German genius, legendary for its silky skills in the box and much fancied as tournament winner this year.

Before kick-off, let's go to the player stats:

Leica 21-35mm f3.5-4 MTF/Distortion Charts Nikon 17-35mm f2.8 ED MTF/Distortion Charts Sigma 12-24mm f4.5-5.6 DG MTF/Distortion Charts