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12 football stars who have missed out on the 2026 World Cup – including Man Utd pair
The 2026 World Cup is just around the corner and a number of big names will be missing from next summer's tournament after their national teams failed to qualify
The 2026 World Cup is just around the corner, and the tournament's line-up is starting to take shape. 32 teams have already secured their places in the USA, Canada and Mexico after successful qualification campaigns.
Fear not, England supporters, as the Three Lions are among those who have qualified. Other football heavyweights such as Argentina, Brazil, France and Portugal are also set to compete in the World Cup.
The expanded World Cup format has allowed several smaller nations, including Uzbekistan, Cape Verde, Paraguay and others, to qualify. 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 of them:.
Manchester United's £74m summer signing, striker Benjamin Sesko, has been one of Slovenia's most promising players for several years. Despite his undeniable talent, he hasn't been able to help Slovenia reach the World Cup, reports the Mirror.
Their campaign has been dismal, failing to win any of their first five matches. If they lose to Sweden, who are yet to secure a victory, on Tuesday evening, Slovenia could end up at the bottom of their group.
Manchester United will have several players remaining at home during the World Cup, following Cameroon's failure to qualify. This means both goalkeeper Andre Onana - currently on loan at Trabzonspor - and Bryan Mbeumo will be absent next summer.
Cameroon faced DR Congo on Thursday in a bid to secure a place in the playoff final, but were thwarted by former Newcastle defender Chancel Mbemba who clinched a late victory for his team.
Meanwhile, Liverpool stars Dominik Szoboszlai and Milos Kerkez will also be spectators during the World Cup. Hungary seemed well-positioned to secure at least a playoff spot after taking a 2-1 lead in their decisive match against Republic of Ireland.
However, they suffered a collapse in Budapest, with Troy Parrot's hat-trick turning the game around. This resulted in Hungary finishing third in their group and losing their potential World Cup spot, meaning Liverpool duo Szoboszlai and Kerkez will not participate in the tournament.
Nigeria, who missed the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, will now miss a second consecutive tournament. They reached the play-off final where they faced DR Congo.
Despite Frank Onyeka giving Nigeria an early lead, the team ultimately lost on penalties. This defeat means that several stars will be absent from the tournament, including Galatasaray's Victor Osimhen, Fulham's Alex Iwobi and Atalanta's Ademola Lookman.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is a name well-known to Premier League fans. The Gabonese forward had a remarkable stint with Arsenal before moving on to Barcelona and Chelsea, as well as playing in Saudi Arabia.
Gabon has never participated in a World Cup and their latest attempt ended harshly. They faced Nigeria in this international window and found themselves trailing 1-0.
Former Southampton player Mario Lemina scored late in the game to force extra-time, but Nigeria managed to net three goals to secure a dramatic victory.
Dusan Vlahovic and Aleksandar Mitrovic of Serbia were part of England's qualifying group. Serbia narrowly missed out on at least securing a playoff spot.
Their 2-1 victory over Latvia in their final match saw them finish just one point behind Albania for second place.
Their failure to qualify means that several talented forwards, including Juventus' Dusan Vlahovic and Aleksandar Mitrovic, will not be playing next summer.
Daily Star Sunday
The 2026 World Cup is just around the corner and a number of big names will be missing from next summer's tournament after their national teams failed to qualify
The 2026 World Cup is just around the corner, and the tournament's line-up is starting to take shape. 32 teams have already secured their places in the USA, Canada and Mexico after successful qualification campaigns.
Fear not, England supporters, as the Three Lions are among those who have qualified. Other football heavyweights such as Argentina, Brazil, France and Portugal are also set to compete in the World Cup.
The expanded World Cup format has allowed several smaller nations, including Uzbekistan, Cape Verde, Paraguay and others, to qualify. 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 of them:.
Manchester United's £74m summer signing, striker Benjamin Sesko, has been one of Slovenia's most promising players for several years. Despite his undeniable talent, he hasn't been able to help Slovenia reach the World Cup, reports the Mirror.
Their campaign has been dismal, failing to win any of their first five matches. If they lose to Sweden, who are yet to secure a victory, on Tuesday evening, Slovenia could end up at the bottom of their group.
Manchester United will have several players remaining at home during the World Cup, following Cameroon's failure to qualify. This means both goalkeeper Andre Onana - currently on loan at Trabzonspor - and Bryan Mbeumo will be absent next summer.
Cameroon faced DR Congo on Thursday in a bid to secure a place in the playoff final, but were thwarted by former Newcastle defender Chancel Mbemba who clinched a late victory for his team.
Meanwhile, Liverpool stars Dominik Szoboszlai and Milos Kerkez will also be spectators during the World Cup. Hungary seemed well-positioned to secure at least a playoff spot after taking a 2-1 lead in their decisive match against Republic of Ireland.
However, they suffered a collapse in Budapest, with Troy Parrot's hat-trick turning the game around. This resulted in Hungary finishing third in their group and losing their potential World Cup spot, meaning Liverpool duo Szoboszlai and Kerkez will not participate in the tournament.
Nigeria, who missed the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, will now miss a second consecutive tournament. They reached the play-off final where they faced DR Congo.
Despite Frank Onyeka giving Nigeria an early lead, the team ultimately lost on penalties. This defeat means that several stars will be absent from the tournament, including Galatasaray's Victor Osimhen, Fulham's Alex Iwobi and Atalanta's Ademola Lookman.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is a name well-known to Premier League fans. The Gabonese forward had a remarkable stint with Arsenal before moving on to Barcelona and Chelsea, as well as playing in Saudi Arabia.
Gabon has never participated in a World Cup and their latest attempt ended harshly. They faced Nigeria in this international window and found themselves trailing 1-0.
Former Southampton player Mario Lemina scored late in the game to force extra-time, but Nigeria managed to net three goals to secure a dramatic victory.
Dusan Vlahovic and Aleksandar Mitrovic of Serbia were part of England's qualifying group. Serbia narrowly missed out on at least securing a playoff spot.
Their 2-1 victory over Latvia in their final match saw them finish just one point behind Albania for second place.
Their failure to qualify means that several talented forwards, including Juventus' Dusan Vlahovic and Aleksandar Mitrovic, will not be playing next summer.
Daily Star Sunday