World Cup 2026: Nigeria, Cameroon, Serbia… The big absentees from the tournament | OneFootball

The major absentees from the 2026 World Cup

Cameroon/@camerfoot

145 nations will not feature at the upcoming 2026 World Cup with only six spots left to fill for the final line-up of the next edition, set to be staged in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Forty-two teams have already punched their tickets for the tournament's final stage, including nine African sides: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Cape Verde, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Senegal, and South Africa.

While four nations—Cape Verde, Jordan, Uzbekistan, and Curaçao—are set to make their tournament debuts, several football powerhouses have been left out of the party.

Serbia, Greece, and Hungary failed to secure qualification from Europe, just as Nigeria, missing out for the first time after seven consecutive appearances since 1994, and Cameroon, quarter-finalists in 1990, have in Africa.

In terms of population, China and India are the world’s largest countries, but neither will be present at the World Cup. Trinidad and Tobago, Costa Rica, and Honduras also miss out after falling short in the CONCACAF qualifiers.

Finally, it’s worth noting the absence of Venezuela, Peru, and Alexis Sanchez’s Chile, all of whom crashed out in the CONMEBOL qualifiers.