With the entire 48-team field for this summer’s 2026 FIFA World Cup now complete, let’s take a look at who won’t be there. Sure, most of world football’s biggest names will be in Canada, the United States and Mexico come June, but there is also a number of stars whose countries missed out on the quadrennial tournament, some in the most heartbreaking of fashions. Without further ado, here’s a starting XI of players with no plans for the summer.
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Goalkeeper: Gianluigi Donnarumma (Italy)
Italy has not played in a World Cup since Brazil 2014 and the Azzurri won’t play in another until at least 2030. For a football-mad country like Italy, it almost beggars belief, but the reality of missing a third-straight World Cup has now sunk in for the four-time champions following Tuesday’s 1-1 (4-1 on penalties) loss to Bosnia and Herzegovina in the UEFA Pathway A final. Among those heartbroken is goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.
“Last night, after the match, I cried,” the 27-year-old Manchester City No. 1 wrote on social media. “I cried because of the disappointment of not being able to lead Italy to where they deserve to be. I cried because of the enormous sadness I’m feeling, along with the entire Azzurri team, of which I’m proud to be captain, and I know, right now, you, fans of our national team, are feeling too.”
While Donnarumma didn’t make any saves during the spot kicks, he was hardly to blame for the Azzurri’s exit. With Alessandro Bastoni’s 41st-minute red card, Italy was under siege for the final 50 minutes of the match and couldn’t hang on to the 1-0 lead earned through Moise Kean’s 15th-minute goal. The damn finally broke with Haris Tabaković’s equalizer in the 79th. Donnarumma made a career-high 10 saves in the loss.
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Right-back: Conor Bradley (Northern Ireland)
Conor Bradley did not actually play in Northern Ireland’s 2-0 loss to Italy in the UEFA Pathway A semifinal last week in Bergamo. The 22-year-old Liverpool’s right-back’s season ended in January when he incurred a knee injury in the Reds’ scoreless draw with Arsenal. Still, there was belief that Michael O’Neill’s captain would be ready in time to play at the World Cup.
Even with the disappointment of missing out on the tournament and the knee injury, this season has been a massive one for Bradley’s development. With Trent Alexander-Arnold having departed in the summer on a free transfer to Real Madrid, the academy product stepped up to prove a valuable member of Arne Slot’s squad and capable of filling Trent’s shoes. Still, injuries have been a hallmark of his young career and that will be of concern to both club and country.
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Centre-back: Alessandro Bastoni (Italy)
Look, this whole XI could be Italian players and that would sort of defeat this entire exercise, but Alessandro Bastoni has to be included on this list. The Inter centre-back is one of the finest central defenders in the world and he’s going to be a sought-after name in the transfer market this summer with Barcelona’s interest in the 26-year-old Atalanta youth product well documented. Yet, his fingerprints were all over the Azzurri’s loss to Bosnia and Herzegovina on Tuesday.
With Italy leading 1-0 in the 41st minute, Bastoni made a wild lunge at Amar Memić, taking the Viktoria Plzen attacker to ground. The referee immediately produced a red card for a last-man-back foul and Bastoni hit the shower’s early. A little over 90 minutes later, Bastoni and Italy’s World Cup dreams went up in smoke.
The backlash against Bastoni from fans and the Italian media was swift with both the player and his wife forced to make their social media accounts private. It seems unlikely that his sending off will be forgotten any time soon. Perhaps a move abroad is exactly what Bastoni needs right now.
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Centre-back: Illia Zabarnyi (Ukraine)
Ahead of Ukraine’s UEFA Pathway B semifinal against Sweden last week, manager Sergei Rebrov didn’t hide how massive the game was for his war-ravaged nation.
“We have to do something for our people,” the former Tottenham Hotspur striker said. “They deserve this. I’m sure our players will fight on the pitch, show character, show everything just to be there. It’s really important to our country just to be represented at the World Cup.”
But Ukraine’s World Cup drought would hit 20 years with a 3-1 loss to Graham Potter’s side in Valencia on a hat-trick from Arsenal’s Victor Gyökeres. With the Ukrainian squad ravaged by injury and suspension, the moment became too big with the likes of Roma’s Artem Dovbyk and Ruslan Malinovskyi of Genoa unavailable. Even with the odds against them, Illia Zabarnyi gave it his all.
The Paris Saint-Germain defender played the full 90 minutes, winning a tackle and making two interceptions. Zabarnyi’s important stature with the national side has been part of a remarkable rise for the Kyiv native, who is in his first season in Ligue 1 after three years in the Premier League with Bournemouth.
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Left-back: Neco Williams (Wales)
Wales’ World Cup dream ended in the most agonizing of fashions in the UEFA Pathway A semifinal against Bosnia and Herzegovina last week. After a cagey first half, the Dragons opened the scoring through Leeds winger Dan James in the 51st minute. With Craig Bellamy’s side seemingly en route to the final, the ageless Edin Dzeko forced extra time with an 86th-minute equalizer. When extra time solved nothing, Bosnia and Herzegovina won the match 4-2 on penalties, sending the partisan crowd in Cardiff home in despair.
After the match, Bellamy focused on the positive.
“We’ve got a home nations Euros coming up, what an incredible time,” Bellamy said of the tournament set to be co-hosted by Wales, England, Scotland and Ireland. “We wanted to be in a World Cup this summer, but the future is very bright. There are some good years ahead for Wales. I’m disappointed for the players we couldn’t get back-to-back World Cups because we are a good team.”
Neco Williams will undoubtedly be part of that future. The 24-year-old Nottingham Forest left-back played in every single one of Wales’ World Cup qualifiers, including in all 120 minutes of the Bosnia and Herzegovina defeat. Williams will now turn his attention to a two-front battle at the City Grounds. Forest will look to stay in the Premier League (they are currently only three points above the drop zone) and earn their first European silverware since 1980 as they gear up for a Europa League quarter-finals tie with Porto.
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Winger: Bryan Mbeumo (Cameroon)
Bryan Mbeumo has been a key figure in Manchester United’s resurgence this season, scoring nine Premier League goals and adding three assists in his first campaign at Old Trafford following a £71 million move from Brentford. But he will be one of the members of the Red Devils squad expected to return for summer training early after Cameroon missed out on its second World Cup in three tournaments.
Drawn into CAF Group D, the Indomitable Lions were widely expected to emerge from the sextet as victors, but ended up as runners-up to an unheralded Cabo Verde side set to play in its first-ever World Cup. What went wrong for Cameroon? The Indomitable Lions lost just a single match in qualifying (to Cabo Verde), yet they only won five of their 10, thanks to draws in games that needed to be victories - a scoreless draw with minnows Eswatini looms large. For his part, the 26-year-old Mbeumo had four goals in qualifying.
As runners-up in the group, Cameroon still advanced to a four-team playoff to represent the CAF in the intercontinental playoffs. In November, the Indomitable Lions lost that match, 1-0 to DR Congo, thanks to a stoppage-time goal by Lille’s Chancel Mbemba. Congo would go on to earn a World Cup berth by defeating Jamaica.
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Midfielder: Sandro Tonali (Italy)
An important summer is on the horizon for Sandro Tonali and as much as he would love to play in his first World Cup, a couple of months off might be what he needs to determine a path for his future. The 25-year-old Brescia youth product was instrumental in Italy’s 2-0 victory over Northern Ireland in the UEFA Pathway A semi last week, scoring one goal and setting up Moise Kean for the other. He also scored the Azzurri’s lone goal in the 4-1 spot-kick loss to Bosnia and Herzegovina on Tuesday.
Tonali will now return to Newcastle to play out the string. With seven matches remaining in the season, the Magpies sit 12th in the table. While a return to Europe next season is still mathematically possible, it appears unlikely. Eddie Howe’s side trails Chelsea by six points for the final guaranteed European place, but there are five teams in between them.
But back to the summer where Tonali could be one of the hottest names in the transfer market. There have been reports over the past several weeks that Tonali would be interested in a move back home, though that could prove to be easier said than done with Serie A sides unable to match the financial might of clubs in England. Tonali is believed to be of great interest to both Manchester United and Manchester City.
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Midfielder: Carlos Baleba (Cameroon)
There are few teams in Europe who possess the recruiting prowess of Brighton. Unable to flex the financial muscle of an Arsenal or Chelsea, the key to the Seagulls’ team-building is getting their hands on a player quickly and then selling them for a monster profit. The proof is in the pudding.
Alexis Mac Allister was signed at 20 for a modest sum before being sold to Liverpool four years later after winning a World Cup. The same was done with the likes of Yves Bissouma, Joao Pedro and Marc Cucurella. The poster child for this system is Moises Caicedo. Purchased for £4 million from Independiente del Valle in 2021, Caicedo was sold to Chelsea three years later for a mouth-watering fee that could rise to £115 million.
The next player in line for a monster sale is likely to be Carlos Baleba. Last summer, Manchester United was quoted a £100-million price tag for the 22-year-old Douala native, who joined Brighton in 2023 from Lille. While that price was enough to keep the Red Devils at bay, it might have been cheap compared to Baleba’s value after a strong World Cup. Of course, that remains a hypothetical with the Indomitable Lions missing out.
First capped in 2024, Baleba has now made 15 appearances for Cameroon. He played in six of the team’s 11 World Cup qualifiers, including the playoff loss to DR Congo. Baleba last featured in Cameroon’s 2-0 January defeat Morocco in the African Cup of Nation quarter-finals.
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Midfielder: Victor Froholdt (Denmark)
This summer’s World Cup could have been a coming-out party for Victor Froholdt. The 20-year-old Copenhagen youth product is starring in his first season in the Primeira Liga and has played a key role in Porto’s comfortable lead atop the table. Still alive in both the Europa League and the Taca de Portugal, Francesco Farioli’s side is dreaming of a treble come May.
Making his senior debut for Denmark last year, Froholdt has emerged as a regular starter for Brian Riemer. The Copenhagen native scored his first international goal in a 6-0 thrashing of Belarus in a World Cup qualifier last fall. Froholdt played all 90 minutes in Denmark’s 4-0 win over North Macedonia in the UEFA Pathway D semifinal last week.
Starting Denmark’s final against Czechia on Tuesday, Froholdt saw his aspirations for a trip to North America in June come to an abrupt halt. While Denmark came back twice to pull level, including once in extra time, the Danes would ultimately fall 3-1 on spot kicks. Froholdt played 71 minutes in the defeat, making way for the veteran Christian Eriksen.
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Striker: Robert Lewandowski (Poland)
The greatness of Robert Lewandowski isn’t in doubt. The 37-year-old Warsaw native has done it all at the club level. He’s won league titles in Poland and Spain and claimed 10 Bundesliga titles with Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich, with whom he also won a Champions League crown. His 312 league goals in Germany are second only to the legendary Gerd Muller’s 365.
One of the finest strikers in history, Lewandowski’s exploits haven’t carried over to the World Cup, which is why Poland’s 3-2 loss to Sweden in Tuesday’s UEFA Pathway A final on Victor Gyökeres‘s 88th-minute goal was so bitter. At his advanced age (for a footballer, obviously), this summer’s tournament was most likely the last kick at the can for the Barcelona man, who has 11 league goals this season, to change his narrative at the World Cup. As it stands, his stats at the tournament belie his stature.
Poland’s all-time leading goal scorer with 89 goals, Lewandowski has appeared at two World Cups, at Russia 2018 and in Qatar in 2022. In seven World Cup games over the two tournaments, Lewandowski has two goals, both scored in 2022. The chances of Lewandowski competing in 2030 at 41 looks remote.
As he left the pitch on Tuesday, Lewandowski, like many of his teammates, was in tears. He spent quite some time lingering on the pitch and acknowledging the Polish supporters. After the match, he posted a photo on Instagram of himself holding his captain’s armband. The accompanying song? Andrea Bocelli’s “Time to Say Goodbye.”
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Striker: Victor Osimhen (Nigeria)
For the first time since their World Cup debut in 1994, Nigeria has missed consecutive tournaments. What that means is that Galatasaray hitman Victor Osimhen has yet to play in world football’s biggest tournament. Now 27, Osimhen was terrific at the African Cup of Nations earlier this year and is only three goals away from holding the Super Eagles’ all-time goal-scoring mark, but a World Cup appearance is something he still desperately desires.
Nigeria was drawn into a very winnable CAF Group C alongside lesser powers like Zimbabwe, Lesotho and Rwanda, as well as the more formidable South Africa and Benin. But the Super Eagles encountered the same problem that proved to be Cameroon’s undoing. Settling for five draws in their 10 matches, Nigeria finished as runners-up to the Bafana Bafana by a single point, ahead of Benin on a superior goal difference. Osimhen had four goals in qualifying, including a hat-trick in a 4-0 win over Benin on the final matchday.
The Super Eagles advanced to the four-team bracket for the intercontinental playoff spot where they came up against Gabon in the semi. With Nigeria leading 1-0, Mario Lemina forced extra time with an 89th-minute equalizer. In the additional half-hour, the Super Eagles scored three goals, including an Osimhen brace, to advance by a score of 4-1.
Congo awaited in the final. With the match tied at 1-1, Nigeria manager Eric Chelle made the decision to lift Osimhen at halftime, bringing on Sevilla’s Akor Adams. Osimhen was clearly fighting a leg issue and while it was an unpopular decision with many Super Eagles supporters to sub off his best player, it was ultimately the right one with Osimhen in tears over the pain at the halftime whistle. Congo would go on to prevail 4-3 on penalties to earn the playoff spot.
