Donnarumma, Lewandowski, Osimhen, Kvaratskhelia headline best XI missing the 2026 World Cup | OneFootball

A 26-man shortlist and a 4-3-3 best XI of players from nations absent from the 2026 World Cup features goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma and a front three of Victor Osimhen, Robert Lewandowski and Khvitcha Kvaratskhelia.

According to L'Équipe, five of the 26 have played for or currently play at Napoli, namely Frank Zambo Anguissa, Osimhen, Kvaratskhelia, Piotr Zielinski and Rasmus Höjlund.

Donnarumma, 27, the Euro 2021 winner, must wait for a first World Cup after Italy’s latest play-off defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina, 1-1 then 1-4 on penalties. He also featured at Euro 2024, and previously lived Italy’s play-off exits to Sweden in 2017 and North Macedonia in 2022.

Matty Cash played at the last World Cup in 2022 but Poland fell 2-3 in Sweden on Tuesday. Illia Zabarnyi, signed by PSG from Bournemouth for €63m, has two Euros behind him yet Ukraine lost their semi-final in Sweden, 1-3.

Alessandro Bastoni was sent off in Zenica and Federico Dimarco struggled as Italy went out. Both Euro 2021 winners still await a debut at this tournament.

Anguissa missed Cameroon’s 0-1 play-off loss to the DR Congo with a hamstring injury, so a second World Cup will have to wait until he is 34. Sandro Tonali scored and assisted against Northern Ireland, then Italy fell in Bosnia on penalties. Dominik Szoboszlai, 25, captains a Hungary side without a World Cup since 1986.

Osimhen’s wait goes on after Nigeria’s eliminations by Ghana in 2022 and the DR Congo last November, 1-1 and 2-3 on penalties, when he went off injured at half-time. Lewandowski, Poland’s 89-goal record scorer with 715 in his career, will miss a third World Cup after that defeat in Sweden. Kvaratskhelia led Georgia to Euro 2024 but qualifying saw them finish behind Spain and Türkiye.

Source: L'Équipe