With 2026 event done and dusted, attention will soon shift to next World Cup
Established sides among those to have sat out recent editions
Centenary only adds to allure of next instalment
This year’s FIFA World Cup™ was the biggest and most inclusive yet, as the first 48-team instalment, yet a fair few big names still found themselves watching on from afar. These included former champions and finalists, as well as several other stalwarts, all of whom will have their sights firmly set on the 2030 tournament.
FIFA shines the spotlight on ten countries with a rich World Cup heritage who will be hell-bent on shaking off recent struggles and returning to football’s ultimate stage as soon as possible.
The Azzurri sit joint-second in the World Cup’s all-time trophy standings with four titles but have now remarkably missed out three times on the spin – an unprecedented streak for a nation that had participated in 18 of the 20 previous editions. Despite finishing behind Norway in the qualifiers for this year’s competition, the Italians would still have been confident of sealing their spot via the play-offs. However, after easing through to the final, Gennaro Gattuso’s side were shocked by Bosnia and Herzegovina in a penalty shootout.
All this means that the 1934 and 1990 hosts have not dined at international football’s top table since being eliminated at the end of the group phase in 2014. The two-time European champions will now seek to demonstrate that they can once again craft a cohesive team out of the undeniable individual talent at their disposal as they attempt to finally put their qualifying woes behind them ahead of the 2030 tournament.
The Danes only made their bow at FIFA’s flagship men’s event in 1986, but have since become relative regulars, featuring at six instalments overall and advancing to the quarter-finals in 1998. De Rød-Hvide were a whisker away from contesting this year’s competition, first squandering the opportunity to clinch direct qualification when they were beaten by Scotland in their Group C curtain-closer (despite having been level with nine minutes of normal time remaining) and then succumbing on penalties against Czechia in the play-off decider.
This added insult to injury following a disappointing showing at Qatar 2022, where the UEFA EURO 1992 winners unceremoniously crashed out at the first time of asking. However, if Brian Riemer can get a tune out of a high-calibre squad, especially when the pressure is on, their prospects of an immediate return to the global extravaganza appear favourable.
The Poles have taken part in the World Cup on no fewer than nine occasions, twice plundering bronze: in 1974 and 1982. The Orły progressed to the knockout rounds for the first time since 1986 four years ago but proved unable to back that up. They fell at the final hurdle on the road to this year’s tournament, suffering a 3-2 play-off final reverse at the hands of Sweden after having been pipped to first place in Group G by the Netherlands.
Looking ahead to 2030, a root-and-branch reboot may be on the cards, as the days of the team being built around superstar striker Robert Lewandowski are surely numbered given that his 38th birthday is fast approaching. The country boasts promising crops of players in several age groups, so there will be a string of contenders not just to fill the formidable frontman’s sizeable shoes but to step into the breach in various positions.
The Magyars are historic World Cup powerhouses, having appeared at nine editions in total and made it all the way to the final twice. However, having last been involved way back in 1986, the 1938 and 1954 silver medallists are currently in the midst of the longest exile from the highest level of the global game out of any team on this list.
The outcome of the 2026 preliminaries will have been a particularly bitter pill to swallow for the Hungarians, who were on course for a play-off berth before a dramatic final-matchday defeat at home to the Republic of Ireland. However, fans from the land that gave the world the likes of Ferenc Puskas can take heart from the team’s fortunes at continental level, where they have graced – and held their own at – three showpiece tournaments in succession. The next challenge is to display the same sort of consistency en route to the greatest competition of all.
The Tricolorii’s credentials at the global spectacle comprise seven campaigns, capped by an unforgettable run to the quarter-finals in 1994. Back then, a golden generation of players including Gheorghe Hagi, Gheorghe Popescu and Florin Raducioiu won hearts and minds at home and beyond. Fast-forward 32 years, however, and the Eastern Europeans have only taken their place at the World Cup once since, which came in France at the very next instalment.
In the race to reach this year’s event, the Romanians finished third in their group but benefited from a reprieve, entering the play-offs through the UEFA Nations League route. Their dreams were then duly dashed again when they were edged out 1-0 away to Türkiye in the semi-finals. In spite of this frustration, recent years have seen green shoots emerging, and belief will be high that the legendary Hagi – back at the helm for a second stint in charge – can discover the right blend of squad depth and attacking firepower to take the nation back to the biggest stage.
The Super Eagles have soared into the last 16 at half of the six World Cup tournaments that they have contested, namely in 1994, 1998 and 2014, but have been absent from the last two editions.
The three-time continental champions were runners-up to South Africa in Group C of CAF qualifying for this year’s extravaganza. That was enough to earn a spot in the second round, which determined who would go through to the intercontinental play-offs. Having got the better of Gabon 4-1 after extra time, however, Eric Chelle’s charges came unstuck against Congo DR in a penalty shoot-out following a 1-1 draw in the decider.
Nevertheless, with the country’s vast footballing production line, Nigeria’s potential remains enormous. Making it to the 2030 showpiece will therefore hinge less on ability than on stability in the shape of a robust structure that paves the way for reliable performances.
The Cameroonians are among Africa’s most seasoned sides at FIFA’s marquee men’s competition, of which they have graced eight instalments. That tally – a CAF record – is a badge of pride for Les Lions Indomptables, who also blazed a trail in 1990 as the first country from the continent to roar through to the quarter-finals. In the battle for a berth in North America, the five-time CAF Africa Cup of Nations winners had to settle for second in qualifying Group D – behind Cabo Verde – before losing out 1-0 against another of the tournament’s subsequent surprise packages, Congo DR, in the play-offs. This came as a significant setback to a team who must have felt that they had got back on track by featuring at Qatar 2022 after having failed to make the grade en route to Russia 2018.
With 2030’s centenary iteration on the horizon, Cameroon will be itching to recapture their dependability of old in order to replicate previous purple patches. As is the case for neighbours Nigeria, there is no shortage of talent, but the FIFA Confederations Cup 2003 finalists have blown hot and cold as of late, making it difficult to build up a solid foundation – or a real head of steam.
The Chileans have been part of the fray at nine World Cups to date and even have a medal to their name, having claimed third place on home soil in 1962. More recently, a glittering group headed by Alexis Sanchez, Arturo Vidal and Claudio Bravo embarked on back-to-back runs to the Round of 16 in 2010 and 2014, but this has been followed by a long spell in the wilderness.
Indeed, not only have Chile been consigned to sitting out the last three tournaments at the pinnacle of the game but they propped up the standings in the CONMEBOL qualifiers for the recently concluded edition, with a paltry two wins in 18 fixtures. La Roja will be hoping that this was a case of hitting rock bottom and that a change of the guard can help them bounce back with a vengeance as they vie to book a ticket to the 2030 showpiece.
La Blanquirroja have bagged top-eight finishes in two of their five campaigns at FIFA’s flagship men’s competition, having progressed to the quarter-finals in 1970 and the second group phase in 1978. Their return to the event in 2018 – after a 36-year absence – was greeted with much fanfare, but they have fallen short on both occasions since.
In the latest preliminaries, the Inca nation wound up ninth out of ten teams, having mustered just two victories and six goals in 18 matches. It will come as little surprise, then, that retooling in attack will be one of the priorities in the bid to reach the 2030 spectacle. The Peruvians will have to move on from several long-serving mainstays with a view to firing on all cylinders again up front – yet without sacrificing the collective approach and defensive organisation that underpinned their previous resurgence and that have long been their hallmark.
The Central Americans have been present at the World Cup more often than not since impressing on their debut in 1990. Their highlight came in 2014, when they went undefeated in group action to top their section ahead of Uruguay, Italy and England and then ground past Greece via a shoot-out in the last 16 before paying the penalty themselves against the Netherlands following a goalless draw in the quarter-finals.
Funnily enough, it was another scoreless stalemate – this one at home to Honduras – that put a nail in the Costa Ricans’ coffin in the final round of the Concacaf qualifiers for this year’s extravaganza. That result left the three-time confederation champions languishing third in their group on seven points, denying them a spot even in the intercontinental play-offs. Los Ticos are now looking to usher in a new generation while living up to their billing as one of their region’s leading forces – not for nothing have they lined up at five of the last seven tournaments on football’s most prestigious stage.
Sources: FIFA Official
