The 2026 World Cup is fast approaching, with the tournament’s structure rapidly taking form. A total of 32 teams have already secured their spots in the USA, Canada and Mexico after successful qualification campaigns. Fear not, England supporters, as the Three Lions are among those who have qualified. Several other heavyweights, including Argentina, Brazil, France and Portugal, are also set to compete in the World Cup.
The expanded format of the World Cup has allowed a number of smaller nations to qualify, including Uzbekistan, Cape Verde, Paraguay and others. Regrettably, some teams have had disastrous qualifying campaigns and will not be participating. This could result in some big names watching the tournament from their living rooms rather than playing on the pitch. Here are a few examples…
Benjamin Sesko – Slovenia
Manchester United’s £74million summer signing, striker Benjamin Sesko, has been one of his country’s most promising players for several years. Despite his undeniable talent, he hasn’t been able to help Slovenia reach the World Cup.
Their campaign has been dismal, failing to win any of their first five matches. If they lose to Sweden, who have yet to win a game, on Tuesday evening, Slovenia could end up at the bottom of their group.
Andre Onana and Bryan Mbeumo – Cameroon
United will have more players staying put during the World Cup, as Cameroon’s failure to qualify means both goalkeeper Andre Onana, currently on loan at Trabzonspor, and Bryan Mbeumo will be out of action next summer.
The African team faced off against DR Congo on Thursday in a bid to secure a spot in the playoff finals, but former Newcastle defender Chancel Mbemba clinched a late victory for his side.
Dominik Szoboszlai and Milos Kerkez – Hungary
Meanwhile, in Liverpool, several stars will be mere spectators during the World Cup. Hungary seemed well-positioned to secure at least a playoff place after taking a 2-1 lead in their decisive match against the Republic of Ireland.
However, they spectacularly fell apart in Budapest, with Troy Parrott’s hat-trick turning the tide of the game. This resulted in Hungary finishing third in their group and losing a potential World Cup spot, meaning Liverpool duo Dominik Szoboszlai and Milos Kerkez will not feature in the tournament.
Victor Osimhen, Alex Iwobi and Ademola Lookman – Nigeria
Nigeria, who were absent from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, will now miss a second consecutive tournament. They reached the final of the play-off tournament and faced DR Congo.
Despite Nigeria taking an early lead thanks to Frank Onyeka, they ultimately lost on penalties. This failure means that several stars, including Galatasaray’s Victor Osimhen, Fulham’s Alex Iwobi and Atalanta’s Ademola Lookman, will be absent from the tournament.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – Gabon
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, a name well-known to Premier League fans, had a successful spell with Arsenal before moving on to Barcelona, Chelsea and Saudi Arabia. Despite his efforts, Gabon have never made it to a World Cup and their latest attempt ended in disappointment.
They were defeated by Nigeria in this international window, despite a late goal from ex-Southampton player Mario Lemina forcing extra time.
Dusan Vlahovic and Aleksandar Mitrovic – Serbia
Serbia, who were part of England’s qualifying group, narrowly missed out on at least securing a playoff spot. Their 2-1 victory over Latvia in their final match left them just one point behind Albania.
As a result, talented forwards such as Juventus’ Dusan Vlahovic and Aleksandar Mitrovic will not be playing next summer.