We now know the 48 teams that will compete at this summer's World Cup. But some notable players will be missing in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

The lineup for World Cup 2026 is confirmed following the conclusion of the high-stakes European and intercontinental playoffs. Both Iraq and DR Congo were the last two countries to punch their ticket, with Sweden, Turkey, Czech Republic and Bosnia and Herzegovina completing the lineup.

But these nations' joy is paralleled by the despair of others, with some massive names seeing their dreams of participation squashed. The biggest of the absentees is undeniably Italy, who will now miss their third consecutive tournament.

Mirror Football takes a look at the most noteworthy players who won't star at the World Cup thanks to their country not qualifying, including a legendary striker and one of the PremierLeague's finest midfielders.

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Robert Lewandowski

Sweden's participation this summer comes at the expense of Poland, who were downed in a playoff final on Tuesday 3-2. This means their iconic frontman Robert Lewandowski will miss out.

Having made a name for himself on the European stage with Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich, Lewandowski is undeniably one of the finest forwards of his generation. He has bagged almost 700 goals to date and is still strutting his stuff for Barcelona at the age of 37.

Sadly, Poland's all-time record scorer cannot add to his 89 international goals in the summer. He even hinted on social media that this could be his final match for his country with a caption-less Instagram post accompanied by the song Time To Say Goodbye by Andrea Bocelli.

Victor Osimhen

Nigeria were eliminated from World Cup contention by DR Congo in November after a heartbreaking penalty shoot-out loss. This means their star striker Victor Osimhen is another top marksman who will be absent in North America.

Osimhen has become a serial winner since leaving Lille for Napoli in 2020. His 26 Serie A goals helped his side win the Scudetto in 2023.

Even after leaving Italy behind for Galatasaray, he contributed to a domestic double last season before being sold to the Turkish club for £62million in the summer.

Gianluigi Donnarumma

Italy's agonising defeat at the hands of Bosnia on Tuesday marked a dark day for the national team. The four-time champions have not qualified for a World Cup since 2014.

This seems inconceivable when their squad is considered, as Newcastle star Sandro Tonali and Inter ace Nicolo Barella are among the finest midfielders in Europe. Perhaps their brightest star is goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, however.

ManchesterCity's towering shot-stopper won the Champions League last season with Paris Saint-Germain before his Premier League move and remains one of the world's best in his position.

Hungary's path to World Cup qualification failure was perhaps one of the more dramatic. They entered their final UEFA Qualifying Group F match against the Republic of Ireland in November needing only a draw and were 2-1 up until the 80th minute.

Troy Parrott's already iconic first goal levelled the match before the striker grabbed a 96th-minute winner to complete his hat-trick and send his nation to the playoffs. Dominik Szoboszlai was on the receiving end of this blow.

Liverpool's Szoboszlai has been a player rejuvenated this season, with his long-range strikes and brilliant passing range making him one of the English top-flight's most in-form midfielders.

Rasmus Hojlund

Denmark's hopes came to an end via spot-kicks on Tuesday with Czechia advancing to the World Cup. On-loan Manchester United ace Rasmus Hojlund missed from 12 yards.

Hojlund, who has been thriving on loan at Napoli this season, was the first from his nation to step up and he smashed his effort off the bar. His team-mates Anders Dreyer and Mathias Jensen also failed to convert.

The 23-year-old has yet to feature at a World Cup, as when Denmark qualified for the 2022 edition in Qatar, the manager opted for more senior strikers rather than Hojlund.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia

Georgia impressed at Euro 2024 and many would have expected them to at least compete in the upcoming World Cup. But they were placed in a qualifying group alongside Spain and Turkey and finished third.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has developed into one of the finest wingers in Europe and he was a crucial piece of PSG's Champions League-winning puzzle last year.

But the 25-year-old won't get to show off his silky skills and fear-inducing wing-play in North America with his country falling short last year.

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