World Cup 2026: The best XI of players missing the tournament

The best XI of players absent from the 2026 World Cup

Bryan Mbeumo/@L'Equipe

Several global football stars will be missing from the 2026 World Cup , set to take place from June 11 to July 19, 2026, across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

BBC Sport has compiled a best XI of players who will miss out on the summer spectacle due to their national teams failing to qualify for the tournament.

The British outlet selected Jan Oblak , the Slovenian goalkeeper from Atletico Madrid, to stand between the posts. Oblak, who has made 381 La Liga appearances since joining the Spanish capital club in 2014, will be a notable absentee.

The defense is comprised of Willi Orban (Hungary – RB Leipzig), Nikola Milenkovic (Serbia – Nottingham Forest), Ola Aina (Nigeria - Nottingham Forest), and Milos Kerkez (Hungary – Liverpool).

Cameroon duo Bryan Mbeumo (Manchester United) and Carlos Baleba (Brighton) anchor the midfield alongside Dominik Szoboszlai (Hungary - Liverpool) and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Georgia – PSG).

The attack is led by a potent partnership between Guinea's Serhou Guirassy (Dortmund) and Nigeria's Victor Osimhen (Galatasaray).

Here is the BBC's best XI of absentees: Jan Oblak (Slovenia); Ola Aina (Nigeria), Willi Orban (Hungary), Nikola Milenkovic (Serbia), Milos Kerkez (Hungary); Bryan Mbeumo (Cameroon), Dominik Szoboszlai (Hungary), Carlos Baleba (Cameroon), Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Georgia); Serhou Guirassy (Guinea), Victor Osimhen (Nigeria).