The FIFA World Cup is the stage for the game’s best players to perform in the biggest tournament of all and chase the glory of lifting football’s most prestigious trophy, but some superstars will be watching from home after missing out on a place in their nation’s squad. Some have had the misfortune of sustaining an injury that has ruled them out, while others have had to overcome the shock of being overlooked by their national team coach.
So with the 2026 men’s World Cup set to kickoff on Thursday, who are the big names that are missing out?
The Real Madrid defender is regarded as one of the best attacking fullbacks in the world, and his ability from set pieces and crosses was a major factor in Real’s move to sign the former Liverpool right back 12 months ago. But after a season disrupted by injury and poor form at the Bernabéu, the 27-year-old has failed to make the England squad, with manager Thomas Tuchel selecting Reece James, Djed Spence and Tino Livramento as his right back options.
The Chelsea forward enjoyed a successful first season at Stamford Bridge following his move from Brighton & Hove Albion last summer, scoring 20 goals in all competitions for the Blues, but he has been overlooked by Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti. Having failed to score in eight senior appearances for the Seleção, João Pedro wasn’t selected, with Brentford’s Igor Thiago and Brazil’s injury-hit talisman Neymar making the cut instead.
The Real Madrid fullback made just 23 appearances for his club last season due to a series of injuries, but had looked set to sneak into the Spain squad after playing in the final three LaLiga games of the campaign following a foot injury. But La Roja coach Luis de la Fuente opted against selecting the 34-year-old due to concerns over his match fitness, despite calling the defender a “crucial figure” in the national team squad.
The Manchester United defender has missed out on a third successive World Cup with England despite enjoying a fine season at Old Trafford that earned the 33-year-old a new contract at the club. Tuchel said in March that Maguire was his “fifth-choice” center back, but even though that comment signaled likely disappointment for the United player, he claimed to be “absolutely shocked” when he was told of his omission from the World Cup squad.
Cole Palmer | 24 | England | Forward
The Chelsea forward missed almost three months of last season with a groin injury that reduced his impact at Stamford Bridge and saw him score just 11 goals and register three assists in all competitions. Despite his difficult club season, Palmer’s absence from the England squad is a surprise due to his mercurial ability and track record of delivering on the big occasion by scoring in the Euro 2024 final and last summer’s FIFA Club World Cup final for Chelsea against Paris Saint-Germain.
The Liverpool forward seemed certain to earn a place in Didier Deschamps’s France squad, but a serious Achilles tendon injury sustained in April ended his season and ruled him out of action until the early months of 2027. Ekitike, 23, scored 17 goals in 45 games in all competitions for Liverpool following his £79 million transfer from Eintracht Frankfurt last summer, and his form at Anfield saw him break into the France team for the first time.
Spain travel to the World Cup without a single Real Madrid player in their squad, and few would have anticipated the absence of the former AFC Bournemouth defender from the European champions’ squad. But the 21-year-old has been omitted, and he sparked controversy by reposting a social media image of him being in LaLiga’s team of the season, seemingly questioning De la Fuente’s decision.
Estêvão | 19 | Brazil | Forward
After bursting onto the scene with Palmeiras in last year’s FIFA Club World Cup, Chelsea winger Estêvão was expected to be a breakout star with Brazil this summer. But the 19-year-old sustained a hamstring injury while playing for his club in March, and the severity of the damage meant that he had to be ruled out of Ancelotti’s World Cup plans.
Phil Foden | 26 | England | Forward
The Manchester City forward has struggled to replicate his club form in an England shirt, scoring just four goals in 49 appearances for his country. But with the 26-year-old also falling out of favor at City this season, being named in Pep Guardiola’s starting team in just over half of the games in all competitions, a combination of poor club form and historical underperformance with England made his non-selection an easy decision for Tuchel.
The Real Madrid midfielder played in the World Cup final for France against Argentina at Qatar 2022, but he has failed to make Les Bleus squad this summer. Deschamps cited Camavinga’s “difficult season with injuries” as justification for his omission, but France also have an abundance of riches in midfield, so the 23-year-old paid the ultimate price for his poor campaign at the Bernabéu.
The Bayern Munich teenager looked set to be one of the breakout stars of this World Cup, but suffered the heartbreak of being ruled out of the tournament with a muscle injury sustained while training with Julian Nagelsmann’s squad at their U.S. base in North Carolina on Friday.
The forward has scored nine goals and registered seven assists in his debut season at Bayern and had just recovered from injury to make the Germany squad. But he will now be forced to watch from home after flying back to Munich to start his recovery.
Marc-Andre Ter Stegen | 34 | Germany | Goalkeeper
The Barcelona goalkeeper has missed out on the Germany squad following a nightmare season in LaLiga. A January loan move to Girona was designed to help the 34-year-old return to action following a series of injury problems, but a torn hamstring restricted him to just two appearances for his new club, and he was unable to either save them from relegation or revive his World Cup hopes.
Rodrygo | 25 | Brazil | Forward
The Real Madrid winger looked set to be a guaranteed starter for Brazil under his former Madrid coach Ancelotti. But a cruciate ligament injury sustained in March is expected to keep the 25-year-old sidelined until well into the 2026-27 season, so his summer will be spent attempting to regain fitness rather than helping Brazil’s bid to win a sixth World Cup.
