All 48 teams for the 2026 Fifa World Cup in North America have been finalised after the final round of qualifiers.
While it was a moment to celebrate for those who made the cut, many teams and star players have missed the chance to feature in the biggest tournament in the world.
We take a look at all the top names who will not feature at the 2026 Fifa World Cup.
Robert Lewandowski (Poland)
There was heartbreak for Barcelona and Poland star striker Lewandowski as he could not prevent a 3-2 defeat in Stockholm against Sweden in their Uefa play-off final.
At 37, this was most likely the last chance for one of the most prolific scorers of the past decade to appear again at a World Cup.
Poland manager Jan Urban was distraught after failing to secure a World Cup berth.
"I feel so helpless, because it's hard to explain. After such an encounter, where it still hurts a lot, knowing that you played a good match. I think that our game surprised them," he said.
"We did it twice, but at the end of the game their fans in the stands carried them."
Sandro Tonali (Italy)
The Newcastle United midfielder was on fire as he powered Italy past Northern Ireland in their qualifier semi-final.
A return to the finals after a decade was within touching distance. But one of the best midfielders in Europe will have to watch the World Cup from home after Gennaro Gattuso's team suffered a shocking penalty shoot-out defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina in the play-off final.
Gianluigi Donnarumma (Italy)
The Manchester City goalkeeper is, like Tonali, one of the best in the world in his position. But he, too, will not be seen when the World Cup kicks off in the summer.
In the clash against Bosnia-Herzegovina, Donnarumma thwarted efforts from Ivan Basic and Nikola Katic but could not stop Haris Tabakovic from leveling. Italy and Donnarumma then saw their World Cup dreams evaporate in the shoot-out.
Rasmus Hojlund (Denmark)
The Napoli striker, on loan from Manchester United, missed from the penalty spot as the Czech Republic qualified for the World Cup for the first time in 20 years after defeating Denmark 3-1 on penalties following a 2-2 draw after extra time.
In the shoot-out, Hojlund smashed his attempt against the bar before teammate Anders Dreyer's effort was saved and Mathias Jensen's shot went over.
Bryan Mbeumo (Cameroon)
The Manchester United star saw his World Cup hopes wash away in the Rabat rain last year.
Mbeumo cut a forlorn figure during a stoppage-time defeat to DR Congo, following of a 91st-minute winner from Chancel Mbemba.
More international heartbreak followed as Cameroon exited the Africa Cup of Nations in the quarter-finals against hosts Morocco earlier this year.
Dominik Szoboszlai (Hungary)
Hungary wasted a golden chance to qualify for the World Cup with a stunning defeat to Republic of Ireland. They only needed a draw in Budapest to advance to the finals.
The Liverpool star said the 3-2 defeat, after leading 2-1, was difficult to accept.
“It was very tough. I never felt more sad. I wasn’t angry, I was sad; more sad than ever before. I owe them a World Cup,” the Liverpool midfielder said.
Victor Osimhen (Nigeria)
Nigeria will be smarting from their failure to land a spot in the finals.
After failing to qualify directly to the showpiece event, Nigeria were sent to the play-offs. There, Nigeria beat Gabon in the semi-final but lost to DR Congo on penalties in the final late last year.
Galatasaray star Osimhen said it will take time to recover from the loss.
"Really disappointing," Osimhen said. "It is not how we thought it would be, but life has happened and I think we have moved on, but the painful memory still lingers."
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Georgia)
The Paris Saint-Germain winger was in top form last year, helping the Parisians to a thumping 5-0 win in the Uefa Champions League final over Inter Milan, scoring the fourth goal.
But it was a different story with the national team as Georgia had a horror run in the qualifiers, losing four of the last five fixtures to finish third behind Spain and Turkey in their group.
