It should be noted that in the FIFA 2022 World Cup, there are five top nations that will not be participating. The countries mentioned below will not have players of world-class caliber, who will not be a part of the later extravaganza in 2022.
5. Nigeria
The away goals rule came into play as Ghana advanced with a 1-1 draw in the second leg, after a goalless draw in the first leg.
Some players like Kelechi Iheanacho and Ademola Lookman will be absentees in the World Cup in Qatar. Nigeria, the country ranked third highest in Africa, is ranked 30th in the FIFA rankings.
4. Chile
Chile, one of the major omissions from the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2022, missed out on qualifying for the final bus to the Copa America 2016. Their campaign was bitterly disappointing as they finished in fifth place, only managing to win five out of their 18 matches. This is the second consecutive time that the nation has failed to qualify for the World Cup.
Chile could only manage a seventh-place finish in the World Cup, thereby failing to qualify. Some notable absentees from the country will be players like Ben Brereton and Alex Vidal, similar to Alexis Sanchez.
3. Republic of Colombia
Colombia, the second prominent South American country, did not succeed in qualifying. In the CONMEBOL qualifiers, the team ended up outside the top five positions in the final standings. The champions of the 2001 Copa America had a bittersweet experience, as they came very close to securing the final qualification spot, with only one point separating them from Peru.
Juan Cuadrado and James Rodriguez, notable absentees, will not be present in the country’s World Cup. However, they made it to the quarter-final in the 2014 edition and the last 16 in 2018. Colombia is the fourth-best nation in South America and ranks 17th in the FIFA men’s world rankings.
2. Kingdom of Sweden
Sweden, one of the major European nations, will not be part of the grand tournament later this year, after failing to qualify for the World Cup FIFA 2022. They lost the deciding tie against Poland with a score of 0-2, but managed to beat the Czech Republic in the penultimate fixture. The outfit made it to the playoffs after finishing second in their qualifying group.
Some of the major names from the country that will not be part of the World Cup are Dejan Kulusevski and Emil Forsberg, along with Victor Lindelof. The Swedish men’s national team ranks 19th in the world rankings and will miss out on qualification as the second-highest team from Europe.
1. Italia
Despite being heavy favorites, Italy lost 1-0 to North Macedonia thanks to a goal in injury time by Aleksandar Trajkovski. The Azzurri finished second in their qualifying group, securing a spot in the playoffs. The reigning European champions and four-time winners of the prestigious tournament could not secure qualification for the second time in a row. Italy, by far the biggest team, will not be playing at the FIFA World Cup 2022.
There are plenty of world-class Italian players such as Marco Verratti, Jorginho, and Ciro Immobile who will be absent from the World Cup tournament in Qatar. There is a potential mouth-watering tie between Portugal and Italy that could not take place as a final playoff result. That was a huge blow to the dreams of the Italians, after failing to make it to the World Cup in 2018.
