The 10 Top Players Who May Never Play At A World Cup

The World Cup is the pinnacle of international soccer, but many great players never reach it.

There are different reasons why. The lottery of birth means a player may represent a small nation or one that rarely (or never) qualifies for the final stage of the tournament. A player may not be picked or struck down by injury.

Or, like the Italian player in this list, their country may suffer from a historically bad run and fail to qualify just as that player enters their prime.

From 2026, the men’s World Cup will be expanded to 48 teams (from the current 32), giving players like the ones in this list a better chance of qualifying. Teams from Africa and Asia will see the biggest increase in their allocation of places, while European teams will receive three additional spots.

Making the World Cup a biennial competition would have also increased the chances for more players. But that flawed idea seems to have disappeared, at least for now.

This list of current players excludes those who have made a final World Cup squad, even if they didn’t see any minutes on the field. This list is also not exhaustive and by its nature subjective – it is not impossible (though very unlikely) that all these players could yet make a World Cup.

With those caveats, here are 10 top players who may never play at a World Cup finals.

Erling Haaland (Norway)

Opposition defenders will be happy Erling Haaland and Norway didn’t make it to this year’s tournament. The Manchester City striker is a goalscoring machine but cannot show off his skills in Qatar after Norway finished behind Turkey and Netherlands in its qualifying group.

Haaland is only 22 and, along with international teammate Martin Ødegaard (another who could make this list), should have at least two more opportunities to reach a finals. Time may be on his side but history is not – Norway has reached the World Cup only three times, most recently in 1998.

Wilfried Zaha (Ivory Coast)

Zaha has “no regrets” about choosing to represent Ivory Coast having previously represented England, even if it means missing out on a World Cup. Ivory Coast has qualified three times (before Zaha made the switch) and will be hopeful of making 2026 with the additional spots available to African countries. Zaha will be in his 30s by then and likely not the same attacking force he is now.

Sébastien Haller, the Borussia Dortmund striker who recently returned to training following surgery for testicular cancer, is another eyeing 2026 with Ivory Coast.

Jan Oblak (Slovenia)

Regarded as one of the world’s best goalkeepers, Oblak captains the Slovenia national team. At 29, the Atlético Madrid player could potentially play in two more qualifying campaigns.

Slovenia has twice qualified for the World Cup, in 2002 and 2010. The second tournament came too soon for Oblak, who made his debut the previous year aged 16. During this campaign, Slovenia finished fourth in a tricky group with Croatia, Russia and Slovakia.

Jorginho (Italy)

Midfield maestro Jorginho made his Italy debut in 2016 and would have likely been included in the squads for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups had Italy qualified. But the four-time champion suffered shock play-off defeats to Sweden (2018) and North Macedonia (2022). The 2018 finals were the first Italy had missed since 1958.

Jorginho will be 34 by the next World Cup. Even if he doesn’t make it though, he has at least tasted success with his national team as was part of the Euro 2020 winning squad. He was named in the team of the tournament.

David Alaba (Austria)

The versatile Real Madrid player has collected a host of honors, including three Champions League titles, but may have missed his last chance to play a World Cup. Austria finished fourth in the most recent qualifying stage and has not reached the finals since 1998.

Marcel Sabitzer, of Bayern Munich, is a couple of years younger than Alaba and has a chance if Austria qualify in 2026.

Andrew Robertson (Scotland)

The flying Liverpool left-back has won the Premier League and Champions League with Liverpool and has probably one more opportunity to captain his national team to a World Cup. Seeking to make its first finals since 1998, Scotland produced an impressive campaign but lost a play-off semi-final to Ukraine.

Robertson will be 32 for the 2026 tournament and will hope the likes of Arsenal’s Kieran Tierney and Aston Villa’s John McGinn help him reach it.

Yves Bissouma (Mali)

Mali has never qualified for a World Cup but came close this time. The West African nation reached the third qualifying round before losing 1-0 over two legs to Tunisia. Bissouma, who plays for Tottenham Hotspur, has represented Mali in the African Cup of Nations.

Liverpool’s Naby Keïta, who plays for Guinea, is another all-action Premier League midfielder who may never play at a World Cup.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Georgia)

Kvaratskhelia has been in such electric form for Napoli that he has inspired comparisons with Diego Maradona. The left winger has six goals and seven assists in 12 Serie A appearances this season, helping take Napoli to the top of the table.

It will be difficult, however, for the 21-year-old to produce the iconic World Cup moments Maradona managed. His national team, Georgia, made its first appearance in the qualifying for the 1998 World Cup after becoming independent. For this year’s tournament qualifiers, Georgia finished fourth in its group.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon)

At 33, Aubameyang is the oldest player on this list and the least likely to play at a World Cup. The striker, now with Chelsea, has enjoyed an impressive club career at Borussia Dortmund, Arsenal and Barcelona.

In May, he announced his retirement from international soccer. He is the top goal scorer for Gabon – which has never qualified for a World Cup – netting 30 times in 72 appearances over 13 years.

Duván Zapata (Colombia)

The Atalanta striker has come closer to the World Cup than any player on this list. He was named in Colombia’s preliminary squad for the 2018 finals but did not survive the final cut. He has, however, represented his country in the Copa America.

Now 31, and with Colombia failing to qualify this year, Zapata looks unlikely to ever play at a finals.