In just a few days, the world's largest football competition will begin, with some of the best players on the planet competing for the World Cup.
Almost all of the best players in the world, with a few exceptions missing the tournament in Qatar. Some massive countries, such as Italy, the Netherlands, and Colombia, have been completely excluded, while others have been cruelly injured.
The World Cup will be won by Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, but Erling Haaland and Mohamed Salah will be watching from home. But who else makes our illustrious XI of Qatari absentees?
Gianluigi Donnarumma, goalkeeper
Italy failed to qualify for the World Cup this year after losing to North Macedonia in their home play-off semi-final. The Italians have now failed to qualify for the World Cup for the second time in a row, despite winning the Euros just a year ago.
Even though Donnarumma was named the best goalkeeper in the world, he will not be able to show off his skills this winter.
RB: Reece James
With players desperate to impress ahead of the World Cup, there is always the risk of injury, which James felt firsthand when he hobbled off against AC Milan in October with a knee injury. There were slim hopes that the right-back could maintain his fitness, but Gareth Southgate called the Chelsea star to inform him that he would not be flying to the Middle East this week.
James appeared to be first-choice at right wing-back as well, during a barnstorming campaign for the Blues, whose form has dwindled since the 22-year-old was injured.
David Alaba, CB
Austria is one of those countries where hope can kill you, having qualified for seven World Cups in their history but not competing since 1998. It means that, despite his undeniable talent, Alaba will almost certainly never play in the tournament.
The 30-year-old has won multiple league titles and European trophies during his career with clubs such as Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.
Milan Skriniar, CB
Qualifying from Europe is always difficult for countries that are not considered the best of the best, and Slovakia is one of them. Unfortunately for Skriniar, who is regarded as one of Europe's best center-backs, this means that the World Cup may never come for the Inter Milan star.Nonetheless, they may consider themselves unlucky this year for failing to qualify for Qatar after finishing third in a group that also included Croatia, Russia, and Slovenia.
Andy Robertson, LB
Scotland came so close to qualifying for the World Cup this year, but were defeated by Ukraine in the play-off semi-finals after losing only once in their group. It was a cruel fall at one of the final obstacles, particularly for Robertson.
The left-back, who has won nearly everything with Liverpool, will be watching from home, where he may have to choose between England and Wales, who play each other next week.
Paul Pogba, CM
Pogba has had a rollercoaster year, leaving Manchester United for Juventus on a free transfer before injuries reared their ugly head once more. Fitness problems have plagued the midfielder all season, and a serious one struck just days into his second spell in Turin.
The Frenchman tore his meniscus and had surgery, ruling him out of contention for Didier Deschamps' side and any chance of repeating his magical performances in Russia four years ago.
N'Golo Kante, CDM
It would be impossible to add Pogba to this team without Kante's prowess next to him, a winning midfield duo that was the catalyst for France's World Cup success in 2018. Chelsea and France have both felt his absence, with both seeing results suffer as a result of his ongoing injuries, which threaten to derail the latter stages of his career.
It remains to be seen whether Kante can overcome his fitness issues, but the World Cup will be a poorer showing as a result of the midfield dynamo's absence.
Marco Verratti is the CM.
Verratti, one of the world's most prominent midfielders over the last decade, has only played in one World Cup in his career, in 2014. And the Italians failed to qualify from a group that included England, Costa Rica, and Uruguay.
At the age of 30, the PSG star's chance to actually light up one of these tournaments is slipping through his fingers.
Mohamed Salah, RW
While Egypt is consistently one of the top teams in the African Cup of Nations, that success has not translated to the world stage, where the Pharaohs have yet to win a World Cup match. They had a chance in 2018 when they qualified for the Russian tournament, but Salah was unable to lead them to the Qatar tournament.
It means that arguably the nation's best-ever player, who will be 34 when the 2026 competition begins, may never have the opportunity to win a World Cup with Egypt.
Erling Haaland, ST
Norway is another country that will always struggle to qualify for the World Cup, but they gave it their all this year, narrowly losing out to Turkey in the final.
It's a crushing blow for a player like Haaland, who dreams of winning all the big prizes. But it's difficult to imagine Pep Guardiola not secretly gleeful at the prospect of wrapping his star striker in cotton wool as Manchester City looks to reenergise and reclaim the Premier League title from Arsenal when the tournament concludes.
Timo Werner, LW
Werner may not have shone in the Premier League, but his contribution to the Germany squad cannot be overstated. Despite the fact that Hansi Flick had a plethora of attacking options at his disposal, including Leroy Sane, Julian Brandt, and Jamal Musiala, Werner was always one of the first names on the team sheet.
However, due to a late injury, the RB Leipzig forward will be unable to play after tearing his ankle against Shakhtar in the Champions League, just after rediscovering his golden touch in the Bundesliga. The 26-year-old has 55 appearances for Die Mannschaft, scoring 24 goals, and his departure will be a huge blow to Flick.
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