The worldcup is now knocking but…. of the world’s top football stars will miss the 2026 FIFA World Cup due to serious injuries, being overlooked by their national team coaches, or their countries failing to qualify.
The 48-team tournament will be hosted by Mexico, the United States, and Canada, and will kick off on Thursday, June 11, 2026, with a Group A clash between Mexico and South Africa at the Estadio Azteca.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Georgia)
The Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) winger has never featured at a World Cup and will miss this year’s edition after Georgia failed to qualify.
His last major international appearance came in the Round of 16 at Euro 2024.
Robert Lewandowski (Poland)
Lewandowski hinted at retiring from international football in March after Poland failed to qualify for the World Cup.
The striker has made 165 appearances for Poland and scored 89 goals since 2008. He has only played in two World Cups, helping his country reach the Round of 16 in Qatar in 2022.
Gianluigi Donnarumma and Sandro Tonali (Italy)
Italy’s failure to qualify for the World Cup for the third consecutive time means some of the Azzurri’s biggest stars, including goalkeeper Donnarumma and midfielder Tonali, will miss the tournament.
Italy have now become the first former champions to miss three straight World Cups. Their last appearance was in Brazil in 2014.
Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman (Nigeria)
After Italy, Nigeria is another major football nation that will not participate in the 2026 World Cup.
Their absence means fans will miss watching Lookman, who was named the best player at AFCON 2025, and Osimhen, one of Africa’s deadliest strikers.
Nigeria has now failed to qualify for the World Cup twice in a row for the first time in 36 years.
Hugo Ekitike (France)
Ekitike’s dream of playing in his first World Cup was shattered after suffering a leg injury while playing for Liverpool against PSG in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals at Anfield in April.
The injury is expected to keep him out until January 2027. Before getting injured, he had scored 17 goals for Liverpool.
Estevao Willian and Rodrygo Silva (Brazil)
Estevao, 19, was expected to feature in his first World Cup before a thigh injury suffered while playing for Chelsea in April ended his hopes. He joined Chelsea from Palmeiras in May 2024 and scored eight goals while providing four assists.
Rodrygo, a Real Madrid forward, featured for Brazil at the 2022 World Cup. He will miss this year’s tournament after suffering a right knee injury while playing for Madrid in March and is expected to remain sidelined until the end of 2026.
Xavi Simons (Netherlands)
Simons will not be part of the Netherlands squad after sustaining a knee injury while playing for Tottenham Hotspur against Wolves in the English Premier League.
This year’s World Cup would have been his second appearance after featuring in Qatar in 2022. He has earned 34 caps for the Netherlands and played in several international friendlies in March.
Bryan Mbeumo (Cameroon)
Cameroon’s failure to qualify for the World Cup surprised many, considering they hold Africa’s record for the most World Cup appearances (eight).
Mbeumo has enjoyed an impressive season at Manchester United, scoring 10 goals and providing three assists in all competitions.
England’s Cole Palmer and Phil Foden were overlooked by their coach, just as Joao Pedro, Richarlison Andrade (Brazil), and Eduardo Camavinga (France) were also left out.
Jan Oblak (Slovenia) and Dominik Szoboszlai will miss the World Cup after their countries failed to qualify.
Fermin Lopez (Spain), Serge Gnabry (Germany), Takumi Minamino, Kaoru Mitoma (Japan), Eder Militao (Brazil), Matthijs de Ligt (Netherlands), Marc-Andre ter Stegen (Germany), and Mohammed Kudus (Ghana) are also recovering from various injuries.
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