Many of the greatest players on the planet will strive to lead their teams to glory at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Kevin De Bruyne and Neymar are just some of the superstars to look out for when the tournament gets underway. However, several elite players will also be forced to watch the action unfold on TV after their teams failed to qualify. These are the top teams that will miss out on this year’s World Cup:
Italy
Roberto Mancini’s men won the European Championship last summer after beating England in a penalty shootout at Wembley in the final. It was a triumph built on defensive solidity, quality in midfield and the attacking brilliance of Federico Chiesa and Ciro Immobile. That made Italy one of the favourites to win the World Cup, but things went rapidly downhill for the Azzurri during the subsequent months.
The Italians picked up just one win from five World Cup qualifying matches after the Euros, which saw them finish second to Switzerland in their group. They were unbeaten, but they ultimately drew too many games, and that forced them into the playoffs. Mancini’s men were the heavy favourites in the spread betting to beat North Macedonia, but they slumped to a shock 1-0 defeat. Italy had 32 shots on goal in that game, but their finishing was wayward.
It means they will miss out on the World Cup, leaving stars such as Immobile, Nicolò Barella, Leonardo Bonucci and Gianluigi Donnarumma to watch it from afar. Italy are currently sixth in the world rankings, so they are easily the biggest team to miss out on this year’s showpiece, leaving Mancini with a major rebuilding job on his hands.
Colombia
The Colombians could only finish sixth in the World Cup qualifying group, with five wins, eight draws and five defeats from 18 games. They conceded just 19 goals in that time, but a lack of firepower proved to be their undoing. Los Cafeteros only managed to find the back of the net 20 times in qualifying, at a rate of 1.11 goals per game, and that cost them dearly.
That is surprising, as they boast talented strikers such as Atalanta duo Duvan Zapata and Luis Muriel. However, Colombia were beset by injuries. Muriel managed just nine appearances, scoring three goals in the process, while Zapata barely featured and only scored once. Miguel Borja of River Plate was Colombia’s top scorer, with four goals, while Liverpool star Luis Díaz chipped in with three and veteran playmaker James Rodríguez scored twice, but it was not enough to send Colombia to the World Cup.
Sweden
The Swedes went to the quarter-finals of the last World Cup, where they lost 2-0 to England. They were expected to qualify for this year’s tournament without too much trouble, but they suffered a late meltdown during qualifying. Everything was looking rosy when Sweden beat Spain in September 2021 to seize control of their group. They subjected the Spaniards to their first World Cup qualifying defeat in 28 years, and their destiny was in their hands.
However, it all fell apart after that. They lost three of their final five group stage games, including a very damaging 2-0 defeat to Georgia, and that saw them finish second. They did well to beat the Czech Republic in the first round of the playoffs, but Sweden then lost 2-0 to Poland. They have slipped down to 25th in the FIFA world rankings, making them the third highest-ranked team after Italy and Colombia to miss out.
Peru
Peru came within an inch of securing automatic qualification for the World Cup. They won their final two group stage games, which saw them leapfrog Colombia in the standings, but they ultimately finished a single point behind Ecuador. That forced them into an intercontinental playoff against Australia.
The Peruvians were the overwhelming favourites to beat the Socceroos, but they were thwarted in an intense clash. It finished 0-0 after extra-time, and the match went to penalties. In the dying stages of the game, Australia brought on Andrew Redmayne to replace Mathew Ryan in goal, and Redmayne’s antics helped his team secure a 5-4 victory in the shootout.
Egypt
Lots of talented African teams are missing out on the tournament, including a Nigeria side featuring the likes of Victor Osimhen and Wilfred Ndidi and an Algeria team led by Riyad Mahrez. However, Egypt may well be the biggest miss, as it deprives the tournament of a genuine superstar in Mohamed Salah.
The Liverpool forward carried a nation’s hopes on his shoulders, but he was ultimately unable to fire the Pharaohs into the tournament. Egypt suffered a penalty shootout defeat to Senegal – the same team that beat them in the Africa Cup of Nations final – meaning Salah will join elite forwards such as Osimhen, Erling Haaland and Zlatan Ibrahimović in missing the tournament.
The Rest
The European qualifying section was extremely competitive, and several talented teams will be disappointed to miss out. That includes the Czech Republic, who impressed at the Euros, but who could not beat Sweden in the playoffs. Patrik Schick and Tomás Souček are among the big names that will not feature. Ukraine will also be conspicuous by their absence, along with Austria and Hungary.
There were no great surprises in Asia or North America, with the top teams in each region securing berths at the World Cup. Chile are another big South American team that could not work their way out of a strong qualifying group, so the likes of Alexis Sánchez and Arturo Vidal will not have the chance to light up the tournament.
You could create a very strong team of players that will not be in Qatar. The temptation would be to pack it out with Italians, but even if we only select five Azzurri stars, you could put together a team capable of lifting the trophy: Jan Oblak, Andy Robertson, David Alaba, Bonucci, Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Marco Verratti, Naby Neïta, Martin Ødegaard, Salah, Haaland and Díaz.