Top 20 ranked
©TM/IMAGO
With the return of the international break comes a renewed interest in the 2026 World Cup and what nations can step towards qualifying for next year’s tournament in North America. So far, 28 of the 48 nations that will take part in the competition have already booked their spot, with the likes of England, Argentina and Brazil joining the three host nations as confirmed participants. But that leaves another 20 spots up for grabs between now and the conclusion of the qualification process next March. So which nations will be the most keen on qualifying for the World Cup next year? Today at Transfermarkt we’ve flicked through the history books to put together a list of the national teams that have gone the longest stretch of time since their last World Cup. And there are certainly some big hitters among the top 20.
The longest stretches since last World Cup
When we pull together the 20 nations that have gone the longest period of time since qualifying for the World Cup, we get a list like the one shown below. Just creeping into the top 20, both Ukraine and the Czech Republic have gone 19 years since their last World Cup appearance, dating back to 2006. They’re followed closely by the Republic of Ireland and Türkiye, each at 23 years, having last qualified in 2002. A larger group – Norway, Romania, Jamaica, Austria, Scotland, and Bulgaria – all share a 27-year drought, stretching back to their appearances in France 1998. Bolivia’s absence spans 31 years since the last World Cup in the United States in 1994, while the United Arab Emirates haven’t featured since Italy 1990, a 35-year gap.
Moving up, the 39-year mark is shared by Iraq, Northern Ireland, and Hungary, all of whom last appeared at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. Kuwait and El Salvador have both endured 43 years of waiting since Spain 1982; two nations that once made surprise appearances but have struggled to recapture that success. Haiti, with 51 years since their sole appearance in 1974, and Israel, with 55 years since 1970, round out the middle of the list as examples of teams that once reached football’s biggest tournament but have since struggled to match that high. At the very top sits Cuba, whose drought stands at an extraordinary 87 years, having not appeared since the third ever World Cup in France in 1938. That makes them the nation with the longest ongoing absence from the World Cup.
Which nations have the best chance of ending their wait?
While none of the 20 nations featured on this list have achieved qualification for the forthcoming tournament, a number are certainly still within grasp of reaching next year’s competition in North America. Among the European nations, Scotland, Ukraine, Türkiye, Hungary and the Czech Republic sit second in their qualification groups, while Norway and Austria actually top theirs.
When it comes to South America’s sole qualifying group, Bolivia currently sit seventh in the potential play-off spot for qualification. Among the Asian countries, the United Arab Emirates will play Iraq in a play-off to see which of the two nations will be able to keep their dreams of reaching a first World Cup in over 30 years alive. In terms of which nations can still qualify from CONCACAF, there’s certainly plenty of excitement surrounding Jamaica, Haiti, Cuba and El Salvador, who all remain in contention to qualify from their groups in the Third Round, which either offers direct qualification for the World Cup for a group winner or a spot in the inter-confederation play-offs.