Qatar 2022 is less than a month away with some of the giants of the sport looking to lift the illustrious trophy. However, not everyone gets the opportunity to play in the tournament. The qualifiers are tough and are meant to test consistency and resilience. This makes even the best squads out there crumble and fall. The 32 teams that qualified for the World Cup are now confirmed and groups have been released. Some big teams that failed to qualify for Qatar 2022 are:
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Italy
Just about a year after winning the Euros 2020, Italy was given a reality check in March 2022. The Italians lost against Macedonia in their play-off semi-final during the qualifiers. This was all due to them finishing second in the qualifying group.
Italy is one of the most successful in the tournament’s history, having won the World Cup on four occasions (1934, 1938, 1982, 2006). This is the second successive time Italy failed to qualify after missing out in 2018 too. The likes of Marco Verratti and Giorgio Chiellini failed to deliver success against Macedonia. A failure that will haunt them for years to come.
The sad thing is that a country that has produced legends such as Andrea Pirlo, Baggio and Cannavaro is not competing in the biggest spectacle of world football.
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Columbia
Columbia is definitely a nation that possesses the quality of playing at the World Cup. After failing to finish in the top 5 of the qualifying round, the South Americans will be heartbroken.
It was a tough campaign for the Columbians as they managed to win just 5 of their 18 qualifying games. Columbia had their best run during the 2014 World Cup producing the likes of James Rodriguez who shined on the global stage. In their last 2 world cup appearances in 2014 and 2018, they lost in the quarter-finals and the round of 16 respectively.
Even after having a strong core of players such as Luis Diaz and Davidson Sanchez. While players like James Rodriguez, Cuadrado and Falcao provide the experience. It is a shame that their counterparts like Peru and Ecuador will be participating in the event ahead of them. It is shocking Columbia despite ranked 17 in the World did not make it to the World Cup.
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Sweden
Sweden made a good run up to the quarter-finals of the 2018 World Cup in Russia. However, the Swedes have failed to qualify for Qatar 2022 after losing to Poland in the qualifiers. This was certainly Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s, arguably the best Swedish player of this generation, last chance to play in the World Cup again.
Sweden is currently ranked 25th in the world according to FIFA. The Swedes have a rich history at the tournament despite not lifting the trophy even once. Their best finish come back in 1958 when they reached the finals but lost to Brazil. Legendary players such as Henrik Larsson, Gunner Nordahl, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic have represented the country on several key moments at the World Cup.
Notable Mentions
Apart from the above, teams such as Chile, Egypt and Norway are Big Teams who failed to Qualify for Qatar 2022. Thus the likes of Mohamed Salah, Erling Haaland, Alexis Sanchez and Arturo Vidal will not be seen on the global stage.
