World Cup 2026: The best XI of players missing the tournament | OneFootball

The best XI of players absent from the 2026 World Cup

Bryan Mbeumo/@L'Equipe

Several global football stars will be missing from the 2026 World Cup, set to take place from June 11 to July 19, 2026, across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

BBC Sport has compiled a best XI of players who will miss out on the summer spectacle due to their national teams failing to qualify for the tournament.

The British outlet selected Jan Oblak, the Slovenian goalkeeper from Atletico Madrid, to stand between the posts. Oblak, who has made 381 La Liga appearances since joining the Spanish capital club in 2014, will be a notable absentee.

The defense is comprised of Willi Orban (Hungary – RB Leipzig), Nikola Milenkovic (Serbia – Nottingham Forest), Ola Aina (Nigeria - Nottingham Forest), and Milos Kerkez (Hungary – Liverpool).

Cameroon duo Bryan Mbeumo (Manchester United) and Carlos Baleba (Brighton) anchor the midfield alongside Dominik Szoboszlai (Hungary - Liverpool) and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Georgia – PSG).

The attack is led by a potent partnership between Guinea's Serhou Guirassy (Dortmund) and Nigeria's Victor Osimhen (Galatasaray).

Here is the BBC's best XI of absentees: Jan Oblak (Slovenia); Ola Aina (Nigeria), Willi Orban (Hungary), Nikola Milenkovic (Serbia), Milos Kerkez (Hungary); Bryan Mbeumo (Cameroon), Dominik Szoboszlai (Hungary), Carlos Baleba (Cameroon), Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Georgia); Serhou Guirassy (Guinea), Victor Osimhen (Nigeria).