Gigi Donnarumma, Robert Lewandowski, Victor Osimhen and the biggest stars who failed to qualify for the 2026 World Cup

For the third-straight World Cup, Italy have failed to qualify. Since triumphing at the 2006 tournament, the Azzurri have won just one match at the tournament (against England in 2014) and will now be forced to watch on from home yet again following March's penalty shootout loss to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

A whole generation of Italian players, including Sandro Tonali, Nicolo Barella and Alessandro Bastoni, are thus still waiting to make their mark on a global tournament, though perhaps the most famous of their number is goalkeeper Gigi Donnarumma. The reigning Yashin Trophy winner and Euro 2020 Player of the Tournament is regarded as one of the finest 'keepers of his generation, but the man who wowed fans when he made his AC Milan debut as a 16-year-old will now be into his 30s by the time he next gets a chance to qualify for his first World Cup.

Italy's failures should not be laid at Donnarumma's door, of course, but as one of the national team's leading lights, the Manchester City shot-stopper will have to stand tall and ensure he remains at the top level for another four years if the four-time champions are to finally make it back to the World Cup in 2030.

One of the greatest marksmen of the 21st century, Robert Lewandowski will not get the chance to improve on his World Cup finals record of two goals in seven games this summer after Poland came up short in the UEFA play-offs, losing 3-2 to Sweden in March. That defeat could yet bring the curtain down on Lewandowski's international career, too, as the 37-year-old hinted at retirement in the immediate aftermath.

Lewandowski's powers have been on the wane for a couple of years now, and it he could leave European club football behind this summer after being released by Barcelona. Still, he would have hoped to enjoy one last tournament appearance before entering the real twilight years of his illustrious career.

Georgia were one of the surprise packages at Euro 2024, and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia was the driving force behind their run to the last 16 with his dizzying runs and relentless work rate. But the Paris Saint-Germain winger won't be strutting his stuff on the grandest stage of all next summer.

Kvaratskhelia did score twice in World Cup qualifying, including in a 3-0 win over Bulgaria, but Georgia lost four of their remaining five fixtures and finished a distant third behind Spain and Turkey in Group E. A chastening 4-1 defeat away to Turkey marked the lowest point, and head coach Willy Sagnol has had to go back to the drawing board to lift his confidence-stricken squad, which simply doesn't contain any other players who can come close to matching Kvaratskhelia's level.

Nigeria will miss out on successive World Cups after suffering a shock African final play-off defeat to DR Congo. The Super Eagles were hot favourites to make it through to a final intercontinental play-off in March after seeing off Gabon, but DR Congo shattered their dreams after a gruelling contest that was ultimately decided on penalties.

The two teams played out a 1-1 draw in normal time, and Nigeria's attacking threat evaporated after Osimhen was withdrawn at the interval with a leg issue. DR Congo were unfortunate not to find a second goal, but luck shone on them in the shootout as they earned a 4-3 victory. 

It never should have come to this for what is undoubtedly a Nigerian golden generation. The absence of Osimhen will be an especially great shame when the World Cup kicks off, given the Galatasaray star is among the best strikers in the business. He scored eight goals in qualifying, but the rest of the Nigeria squad did not match his high standards.

The likes of Ademola Lookman, Alex Iwobi, Samuel Chukwueze, Calvin Bassey and Wilfred Ndidi all disappointed, and while things might have been different had Osimhen not missed three games due to injury, Nigeria have become far too reliant on the former Napoli man. He will be 30 by the time the next World Cup rolls around, which means his prime years will have gone to waste from a global perspective.

For the first time since Euro 2016, Denmark have failed to qualify for a major tournament as they were beaten on penalties by Czechia in the UEFA play-offs. They had been just minutes away from booking their spot back in November before conceding two late goals to Scotland, and they were made to pay in the most heart-breaking of circumstances four months later in Prague.

Christian Eriksen missed that Scotland game after falling out of favour in the aftermath of his departure from Manchester United. But after belatedly earning a move to Wolfsburg and impressing in the Bundesliga, he earned a recall for the play-offs, sparking hope of the 34-year-old playing at one more World Cup. It was not to be, however, with it now increasingly unlikely that fans will ever see the ex-Tottenham schemer playing at the very highest level again.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is one of the finest strikers of his generation to never play at the World Cup, and after Gabon's latest qualification failure, it's safe to say that the 36-year-old will retire without ticking that box. Gabon booked a spot in the CAF play-offs after finishing second in their group, just one point behind Cote d'Ivoire, and Aubameyang contributed seven goals to their cause, including a superb quadruple haul in a thrilling 4-3 victory away at Gambia.

The former Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund star, who is now enjoying a second spell with Marseille at club level, led the line again in Gabon's blockbuster semi-final tie against Nigeria. Gabon fought hard to force extra-time, with Mario Lemina equalising in the 89th minute, but that appeared to zap all their energy, and Nigeria eventually emerged as 4-1 winners, with Osimhen grabbing a brace. 

Gabon's search for a maiden World Cup appearance goes on, and their chances will surely only dwindle once they lose Aubameyang's services.

Bryan Mbeumo was born in central France and represented Les Bleus at Under-21 level, but in 2022, he switched allegiance to Cameroon, the land of his father. Three years on, there may be part of him that regrets that decision. 

Cameroon were embarrassingly beaten to automatic qualification for the 2026 World Cup by minnows Cape Verde, and were subsequently pitted against DR Congo in the CAF play-offs. Mbeumo played the full 90 minutes, alongside Manchester United colleague Andre Onana and Brighton's Carlos Baleba, but DR Congo won the contest 1-0, courtesy of a stoppage-time winner from Chancel Mbemba.

Mbeumo, who has only scored seven goals in 32 games for Cameroon to date, was guilty of missing a clear chance in the second half, and went viral for storming down the tunnel after the final whistle.

The Indomitable Lions have played at more World Cups than any other African nation (eight), but the current team doesn't hold a candle to those from the past. Turmoil away from the pitch has continually detracted from any progress in recent years, and the path forward looks anything but clear.

Serbia have failed to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 2014, and this failure will no doubt sting more than most. Head coach Dragan Stojkovic resigned after a dismal 1-0 home defeat to Albania in October, and Serbia were officially eliminated from the process after a 2-0 defeat to England at Wembley a month later.

England romped through as Group K winners with a perfect record, while Albania made the play-offs for the first time in their history. It was a nightmare campaign for Serbia and, more specifically, Dusan Vlahovic, who mustered only two goals and went completely missing in the double-headers against England and Albania.

The Juventus star has yet to prove himself as a top-class striker and questions remain over his future in Turin as he enters the final weeks of his Bianconeri contract. With only 16 goals to his name from 41 international games, he has done little to inspire Serbia either.

Group F was easily one of the most dramatic of the European qualification groups, with the top two only decided in the final round of matches. Portugal annihilated Armenia 9-1 to claim top spot, and Hungary were literally seconds away from nabbing the runners-up spot, only to be denied by Ireland's hat-trick hero Troy Parrott. 

The former Tottenham forward poked home from close range in the sixth minute of stoppage time to earn Ireland a 3-2 win in Budapest, sparking wild scenes of celebration in the away dugout. But in stark contrast, Hungary captain Dominik Szoboszlai was seen breaking down in tears.

Some Ireland fans may have seen that as karma, because the Liverpool star was spotted celebrating Hungary's second goal of the game by sticking his finger up his nose and wiggling it around in the direction of the benches, but few players had done more to drag their nation towards North America than Szoboszlai.

A World Cup berth would have been just reward for his return of five goal contributions from six matches, which included a stunning stoppage-time leveller against Portugal. Szoboszlai's Liverpool team-mate Milos Kerkez also impressed, but Hungary were undone by complacency in the end, and their wait for a 10th World Cup finals outing will now extend to 44 years. 

Alexis Sanchez has enjoyed a glittering career that has included successful spells at Barcelona, Arsenal and Inter, while he also shone for Chile at the 2014 World Cup. The diminutive forward, now at the ripe old age of 37, won't get the chance to grace that stage again, though.

Chile narrowly fell short of qualifying for both the 2018 and 2022 finals, but they were miles away this time around, finishing bottom of the CONMEBOL table with only 11 points from 18 games. A serious calf problem ruled Sanchez out of their first eight matches, and he was exiled from the squad entirely after the September appointment of new manager Nicolas Cordova.

Sanchez did feature in a 1-0 home loss to Argentina and a 2-0 reversal at Bolivia, but was a shadow of his old self. He has not officially retired from international duty, but Chile are embarking on a new era without their long-time talisman, for better or worse.

Benjamin Sesko played every minute of Slovenia's first four World Cup qualifiers, but didn't register a single goal or assist as the team amassed only three points from a possible 12. He then picked up a knee injury that left the Manchester United striker to watch on powerlessly from the sidelines as Slovenia were beaten 2-0 at home by Kosovo in November, ending their faint hopes of making it to next summer's tournament.

Slovenia haven't qualified since 2010, and it's difficult to see them ending that barren run anytime soon. Beyond Sesko, there is precious little quality to speak of in their outfield ranks, with only goalkeeper Jan Oblak capable of performing at a world-class level. Sesko puts in plenty of effort, but he's not a miracle worker; with no proper service he and Slovenia will continue to meander along for the foreseeable future.

When Keylor Navas came out of international retirement in May 2025, he did so with dreams of playing at his fourth World Cup. The three-time Champions League-winning goalkeeper may now be 39 and winding down his career in Mexico with Pumas, but he was immediately re-installed as Costa Rica captain for their qualifying campaign as they aimed to take advantage of the three best teams in CONCACAF being co-hosts and thus not being involved.

And while Navas only conceded six times in his six qualifying appearances, a lack of goals at the other end of the pitch saw Costa Rica win just one match on their way to finishing third in Group C behind Honduras and winners Haiti. That means for just the second time in the 21st century, Los Ticos will not be at the finals.

Few strikers have been more prolific than Serhou Guirassy across Europe over the past few seasons. Since the start of the 2023-24 campaign, the Borussia Dortmund frontman has netted 90 goals in all competitions at club level and finished as the joint-top scorer in last season's Champions League. Subsequently, Guinea were hopeful that he could carry that form into the international arena and fire them to their first World Cup.

Guirassy, however, came up massively short, as he scored just once during a qualifying campaign that saw Guinea finish fourth in their group behind Algeria, Uganda and Mozambique. They won just four of their 10 matches as Guirassy failed to produce anything of note in the final third.