The biggest names missing from World Cup 2026: Lewandowski, Szoboszlai, Kvaratskhelia...

With the 48 teams confirmed for the upcoming World Cup in Canada, Mexico, and the US, we also know all the nations who have missed out on participating at the tournament.

Sweden, Türkiye, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Czechia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Iraq claimed the last six spots in a dramatic round of qualification games that went right down to the wire.

That means huge nations are not competing, including Hungary, Poland, and former champions Italy.

With that in mind, here’s a look at the top 5 names who will not feature in North America...

Robert Lewandowski, Poland

Barcelona’s main striker will not play at the World Cup after Poland failed to make it past Sweden, thanks to a late, late goal from Arsenal’s Gyökeres, who smashed the ball into the roof of the net with moments to go.

Star names such as Zieliński, Cash, and Szymański will also miss out in a Poland team that is stacked with talent.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Georgia

The PSG superstar missed out after being thrown into the World Cup qualification group of death alongside Spain, Turkey, and Bulgaria.

They won just 1 game from 6, losing the other 5, and that was never going to be enough. While the winger has the talent to kick it with the best, the squad as a whole still has a lomng way to go.

Dominic Szoboszlai, Hungary

Troy Parrott’s hat-trick against Hungary sent the Republic of Ireland through to the playoffs, leaving Hungary without a World Cup dream fulfilled for 2026.

The Liverpool midfielder has had a strong season for his club this season despite a poor team performance overall, and now Szoboszlai has nothing but a holiday to look forward to this summer.

Nicolò Barrella, Italy

The Italians missed out on their third consecutive World Cup, with 2014 the last time we saw the Azzurri participate in the tournament.

It’s an incredibly tough time for the football-crazy nation who, despite their failure, still have a squad brimming with top-tier talent.

Pierre-Emile Højbjerg, Denmark

The former Spurs midfielder could not guide his side past the Czech Republic in the UEFA qualifiers after losing a tense game on penalties after extra-time could not separate them.

This means Højbjerg won’t feature, which is a huge blow for the player who was given the armband at Marseille just over a week ago.

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