The 2026 World Cup will once again bring some of football’s most historic national teams back onto the sport’s biggest stage, while at the same time leaving several famous names on the sidelines. For some countries, the absence is only temporary, but for others it has become a long-running footballing wound. The most striking omission remains Italy. The four-time world champions will miss a third consecutive World Cup, having last appeared in Brazil in 2014. It marks one of the deepest crises in the history of the Squadra Azzurra, especially considering that only two decades ago they were at the summit of world football. The 2026 World Cup will also be without several nations that featured in Qatar in 2022. Denmark, Poland, Wales, Cameroon, Serbia and Costa Rica all failed to secure qualification and will miss this tournament after their last appearance. Nigeria, Russia and Iceland will be absent for a second straight World Cup, having last competed in Russia in 2018.
The drought has lasted even longer for Slovakia and Slovenia, who will miss a fourth consecutive World Cup since their last appearances in South Africa in 2010. Greece and Chile will each extend their absence to three tournaments, with both nations last participating in Brazil in 2014. Among the most notable long-term absentees are Romania and Ireland. Romania will miss a seventh consecutive World Cup, having last qualified for France 1998. Ireland, whose most recent appearance came in 2002, will now have watched six straight tournaments from home.
