Machine Learning in Football · 10
Who missed out
Forty-eight places — the biggest World Cup ever — and still some heavyweights are watching from home. Here are the strongest absentees, ranked on what they're worth, how good the numbers say they are, and what they've done before. Italy, four-time world champions, sit at the top.
The strongest absentees
Twenty teams that didn't make it
The highest-ranked nations missing from 2026, by FIFA world ranking. Each carries its squad's market value, a pre-tournament Elo built over 150 years of results, and its World Cup pedigree. Re-sort by ranking, money or Elo.
Stronger than teams who got in
The money that stayed home
The priciest squads that missed out, set against the most modestly-valued squads that qualified. Qualification is about your confederation and your group — not a global pecking order, so a far more valuable side can be left at home while a cheaper one books its place.
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