Robert Lewandowski, Gianluigi Donnarumma and 11 of the biggest stars at risk of missing the 2026 World Cup

Though not considered to be among Europe's heavyweights, Poland are international tournament regulars. They have made the last five European Championships and four of the last six World Cups, yet their participation in 2026 is under serious threat.

Even with Robert Lewandowski continuing to deliver the goods at the age of 37, Poland will have to beat Albania and then one of Sweden or Ukraine if they are to make it to North America, having finished second to the Netherlands in the group stage. With the veteran striker still leading the line for a prolific Barcelona team that could end the season with a La Liga and Champions League double, it would be a huge disappointment if he is unable to play at one last World Cup.

Lewandowski is also only 12 goals away from becoming the first player in Poland's history to score 100 times for the national team, with his tally of 88 already 40 clear of Wlodzimierz Lubanski in second in the nation's all-time rankings. Breaking that record at a World Cup would surely prove all the more special, but he needs to give himself the opportunity to go on and do that first.

Gianluigi Donnarumma has been capped 79 times by Italy since his debut in 2016, while he was their best player during their successful Euro 2020 campaign which saw them upset England to become European champions. Rather remarkably, though, he has never played at a World Cup.

Italy are at serious risk of missing a third-straight finals for the first time in their history. Their current streak of two successive absences is already their worst run and there would be uproar back home if they fumble qualification again, especially after the team that pipped them to top spot in their group was Norway. "I am upset and disappointed," was Donnarumma's blunt assessment in November having finished second.

The Azzurri, now coached by Gennaro Gattuso, will host Northern Ireland in the first round of the UEFA play-offs, with Wales or Bosnia-Herzegovina awaiting the winners. Surely Donnarumma and Italy won't let this chance slip, right?..

The rise of Arda Guler has been an interesting subplot in Real Madrid's whacky season, with the mercurial playmaker earning the trust of both Xabi Alonso and his replacement Alvaro Arbeloa to become far more of a regular fixture at the Bernabeu after featuring only sporadically under Carlo Ancelotti.

What's more, the 21-year-old already has significant experience at international level with Turkey, too, playing a starring role on their memorable run to the quarter-finals of Euro 2024, living up to their pre-tournament billing as 'dark horses'.

If a team featuring Guler, Juventus ace Kenan Yildiz, Inter playmaker Hakan Calhanoglu and Brighton's Ferdi Kadioglu are to reach the country's first World Cup since they finished third in 2002, they must overcome Romania in Istanbul and then either Slovakia or Kosovo. That seems a reasonable route considering they had to play European champions Spain in qualifying.

The seasons of Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyokeres were supposed to be both parallel and paradoxically on a collision course. They joined the Premier League's two title favourites, Liverpool and Arsenal respectively, while they were tipped to combine their incredible striking star power to fire Sweden to the World Cup.

And, well, the campaign hasn't quite panned out that way. Gyokeres hasn't particularly set the world alight for the Gunners, but he is their starting striker and they are more likely than not to win the Premier League. Over at Anfield, Isak was struggling to adjust even before fracturing his leg in December.

That injury will keep Isak out of Sweden's play-offs with Ukraine and then either Poland or Albania. They are fortunate to even be at this stage, only entering by virtue of winning Nations League C and having finished bottom of their qualifying group. With Graham Potter now in charge of the national team, Gyokeres is expected to lead the line alone. Isak is not the only high-profile absentee, with captain Dejan Kulusevski also still recovering from a complicated knee injury, though he is with the camp and will cheer his compatriots on from the sidelines.

Christian Eriksen is way past his best, that's no secret, but a World Cup would be better with him than without. Why? Because he's now reached that 'unc status' where if he pops up on your television during a random game this summer, you would immediately react with nostalgia above all else.

The playmaker has been starting World Cup matches since 2010 and it is a miracle he's still even playing following his cardiac arrest at Euro 2020. Denmark don't have the same firepower of yesteryear, with Manchester United flop Rasmus Hojlund and Brentford star Mikkel Damsgaard the other most notable names in their ranks, though like the aforementioned Poland, it's difficult to imagine a major tournament without them there. The Danes will host North Macedonia before a possible showdown with Czechia or the Republic of Ireland.

Troy Parrott is the Ireland player who became a national hero and international sensation with his bonkers hat-trick to beat Hungary and book their spot in the play-offs, so he is unlucky not to be the one singled out here.

Instead, the top-billing for Ireland remains Caoimhin Kelleher, who has cemented his status as one of the Premier League's finest goalkeepers this season. Sure, he performed excellently whenever called upon while Liverpool's back-up to Alisson Becker, but he needed to play regular football to prove he was more than the beneficiary of circumstance.

Brentford and Ireland can call upon one of the safest pairs of hands in the game. Getting to the World Cup, via Czechia and then Denmark or North Macedonia, would give him the chance to further elevate his standing.

Out to thwart Kelleher and Ireland is Bayer Leverkusen hitman Patrik Schick. Yep, he's still banging them in over in Germany, bagging 27 in all competitions last season and up to 15 so far this term. He, of course, boasts international tournament pedigree, too - that lob from the halfway line against Scotland at Euro 2020 was quite the welcome back to fans following the coronavirus lockdown.

Czechia have never qualified for a World Cup as an independent nation, despite featuring at every European Championship since their split from Slovakia. It's up to the likes of Schick, Tomas Soucek and Ladislav Krejci to end that miserable run having finished a sizeable six points adrift of Croatia.

Across the border, Slovakia are hoping to reach their second-ever World Cup. The Sokoli made their debut in 2010 in South Africa, reaching the last 16 before falling to the Netherlands.

On that occasion, they were led by an accomplished Napoli midfielder in Marek Hamsik, who now serves as the national team's assistant coach. This time around, they will again be hoping an accomplished Napoli midfielder can help guide the way, with Scudetto-winner Stanislav Lobotka bringing the star power.

Slovakia didn't really get close to Germany in the initial round of qualifying, and so will hope that play-offs against Kosovo and then one of Turkey or Romania will prove much kinder.

Harry Wilson is doing his utmost to go down as Premier League mid-table royalty, putting in some barnstorming performances for Fulham over the last couple of seasons. With his contract up in the summer, he could be due a massive payday if he plays his cards right. Taking Wales to the World Cup and lighting up North America would certainly give him more leverage at the negotiating table. 

The Red Dragons let a post-golden generation Belgium run away with their qualifying group, meaning they will now have to overcome Bosnia-Herzegovina and Italy or Northern Ireland over the next few days. There's no Gareth Bale or Aaron Ramsey to drag them to victory this time, with Wilson the closest player they now have to a game-changing attacker who can score out of nowhere.

We end with the only player on this list from outside the European play-off path. The Democratic Republic of Congo, featuring star names such as Yoane Wissa, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Noah Sadiki, have taken the long way round to try and reach a first World Cup since their only ever entry as Zaire all the way back in 1974.

They ran Senegal a close second in their initial qualifying group, securing instead a place in the gauntlet that is CAF's second round. They first beat Cameroon 1-0 thanks to a last-minute winner from Chancel Mbemba before seeing off Nigeria on penalties to book their place in the intercontinental play-offs.

DR Congo are heavy favourites to reach North America, as they will face one of New Caledonia or Jamaica on Tuesday with qualification on the line.