Top 7 Countries That Missed Consecutive FIFA World Cups

Italy will not play at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after another painful qualifying exit, extending a worrying trend among some of football’s biggest countries.

NOP NIGERIA reports that Italy were eliminated after a 4-1 penalty shootout defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina following a 1-1 draw after extra time. The result means the four-time champions will miss the World Cup for the third consecutive edition.

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Italy’s absence highlights a broader pattern in international football where giants in the game have endured spells outside the global showpiece.

The Super Eagles of Nigeria are currently experiencing a similar cycle. After debuting in 1994 and appearing in 1998 and 2002, the Super Eagles missed the 2006 tournament. They returned for 2010, 2014 and 2018 but have now failed to qualify for the 2022 and 2026 editions.

England also endured a shock absence in the 1970s. After regular appearances and a triumph in 1966, England failed to qualify for the 1974 and 1978 tournaments before returning in 1982.

France missed consecutive World Cups twice. They failed to reach the 1970 and 1974 editions and later missed the 1990 and 1994 tournaments. Since winning the trophy in 1998, France have qualified for every World Cup up to 2026.

Senegal reached the quarter-finals on debut in 2002 but failed to qualify for the next three tournaments in 2006, 2010 and 2014 before returning in 2018 and securing places at the 2022 and 2026 finals.

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The Netherlands missed four straight tournaments between 1958 and 1970 and later failed to qualify for the 1982 and 1986 editions.

Two-time champions Uruguay also missed back-to-back tournaments in 1978 and 1982 and again in 1994 and 1998 before re-establishing themselves as regular qualifiers.