This article was automatically translated from HIBAPRESS, the Arabic version:
Hibapress-Rabat-Fifa
David Alaba, Nicolò Barella, Martin Ødegaard and Andy Robertson are among the players who aim for a long -awaited participation in the tournament.
THE European qualifications resume this month
Many large stars are looking for a first participation in the FIFA World Cup ™
Martin Ødegaard has not yet participated in any major tournament
The FIFA World Cup 26 ™ will welcome 48 teams, against 32 before: this means that 16 European nations, three more than before, will be qualified for the world tournament organized in Canada, the United States and Mexico. Some stars of the old continent who have never played the World Cup are therefore very likely to achieve it.
David Alaba Austria
If he played for two of the biggest European clubs, FC Bayern München and Real Madrid CF, amazing in total more than 30 trophies, David Alaba has never participated in a World Cup. Today aged 32, the legendary defender perhaps lives on his last chance to remedy it, while his selection is waiting to reconnect with the World Cup since France 1998.
Austria finished third in its qualification group for South Africa 2010 (for the first Alaba campaign) and Brazil 2014, then fourth for Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022. For this last tournament, the Austrians participated in a barrage semi-final, thanks to their successes in the UEFA nations, before tilt 2-1 in Cardiff.
Nicolò Barella Italy
After revealing himself with Cagliari in 2017, the versatile midfielder is silent at Inter Milan and he has now honored more than 50 Italian team selections, with which he won Euro 2020. However, he has not yet demonstrated his talent in a World Cup, the fault with two successive dams in dams.
The first intervened before Russia 2018, when the Azzurri lost 1-0 against Sweden on two rounds, causing the absence of Italy at the World Cup for the first time in 60 years. Four years later, the story was repeated when the Northern Macedonia knocked out the quadruple world champions by winning 1-0 in Palermo.
Hakan çalhanoğlu
Türkiye
Barella is often aligned in inter -annual midfielder by çalhanoğlu, the captain of the Turkey team who has become one of the best remote play leaders in European football. Despite all his successes accumulated in Lombardy, both in Inter and at AC Milan, he has never participated in a World Cup either.
Turkey has only reached two final phases: Switzerland 1954 as well as Korea/Japan 2002, where it made a sensational route to win third place. But since the first selection of çalhanoğlu in 2013, the Turks have finished twice fourth in their qualification group, before falling in the semifinals of dams against Portugal on the road to Qatar 2022.
Alejandro Grimaldo Spain
Eight short months: it is the delay between the first selection of Alejandro Grimaldo and his title of European champion with Spain-while playing a key role in the invincibility season of Bayer Leverkusen, author of the double championship cup in Germany in 2023/24.
The left piston was summoned for the first time with La Roja in November 2023: he has never played a qualification match for the World Cup. Despite competition from Marc Cucurella and Alejandro Balde, the one who will celebrate his 30th anniversary in September necessarily hopes to discover the world scene in 2026.
Lukáš Hrádecký Finland
Qualification for the 2026 World Cup is not only a personal objective for the Finnish captain Lukáš Hrádecký, but also a national objective. The Nordic nation has never disputed a final phase, but it hopes to put an end to this absence thanks to its 35 -year -old goalkeeper.
Omnipresent in the national team for almost 15 years, Hrádecký has accumulated 97 selections by participating in particular in the last three qualification campaigns for the World Cup. However, despite the imposing presence of the Bayer Leverkusen porter, Finland never finished higher than third place during the playoffs.
Jan Oblak Slovenia
Icon of Atlético de Madrid, Jan Oblak has long been considered one of the best goalkeepers in Europe. In addition to his five Zamora trophies, which rewards the porter whose goal rated goals conceded by match is the weakest in the Spanish championship, the Slovenian finished third in the Prix The Best – goalkeeper of FIFA 2020, before being appointed player of the 2020/21 season of the Spanish Liga.
Oblak honored his first selection two years after the last participation of his nation in the World Cup, on the occasion of South Africa 2010. Since then, Slovenia has lacked the checkwoman for Brazil 2014, then finished fourth on the Russian path 2018 then Qatar 2022. The Slovenes have however qualified for Euro 2024 (where Oblak arrested a Cristiano penalty Ronaldo in the round of 16), which must revive their hopes for the 2026 World Cup.
Martin Ødegaard Norway
If he is only 26 years old, Martin Ødegaard has been evolving for already 10 years in a team from Norway, of which he is both the captain and one of the sources of inspiration, for a nation that has been waiting for his return to the world stage for 28 years.
Ødegaard did not participate in the Scandinavian course in qualifying for Russia 2018, where they finished in fourth place. However, he played the ten qualifying matches for Qatar 2022, where Norway let a place escape during the final day. Now, accompanied by players like Erling Haaland, Oscar Bobb and Antonio Nusa, he hopes to cross all the stages until the 2026 World Cup.
Andy Robertson Scotland
Like Austria, Norway and Turkey, Scotland remains on seven qualification campaigns without success. This prolonged absence means that, despite all its club successes with Liverpool, Andy Robertson has not yet experienced the most beautiful world competition.
During the qualifiers for Russia 2018, the Scots only lost two matches (the only ones in which Robertson did not participate), which did not prevent them from finishing in third place, at eight points from England (1st). Robertson inherited the captain’s armband before the start of the qualifications for Qatar 2022, where his dreams flew after a 3-1 defeat against Ukraine in the dam semi-final.
Tomáš Souček Czech Republic
The Czech Republic has been absent from the World Cup for 20 years and hopes to live a new world adventure in North America under the orders of its captain Tomáš Souček.
The 29-year-old midfielder honored his first selection during a match against Norway (1-1) in the 2018 Russia qualifications that the Czechs finished in third place. Four years later, Souček perfectly launched the qualifiers for Qatar 2022 by scoring a hat-trick (against Estonia), which none of his compatriots had succeeded in this competition from Milan Baroš in 2009, against Saint-Marin. His selection ended again third, but played the dams thanks to his results in the Nations League, to finally bow to Sweden.
Andriy Yarmolenko Ukraine
In 2025, there was almost no more active footballer who started his international career in the 2000s. This is the case of Andriy Yarmolenko, the Ukrainian legend who honored his first selection in 2009. He remains an essential player in yellow and blue, whose records of number of goals and selections.
At 35, he played no less than 29 qualifying matches for the World Cup, plus six dam matches. It is on this last obstacle that Ukraine fell on the road to South Africa 2010, Brazil 2014 and Qatar 2022. The Ukrainians have the sad record for having participated in five editions of the dams without leaving it.
