Big names are left out at every World Cup. The reasons can range from a poor tactical fit to a falling out with the manager, and sometimes it is as simple as a coach having plenty of depth in a particular area and preferring other options.
Poor form can see high-profile players excluded even if they have been stalwarts for their national team for years.
The 2026 World Cup is no exception. Here are the best players who did not make the cut.
Marc-André ter Stegen
Reputation alone makes this look like a snub. Marc-André ter Stegen fell out of favor at Barcelona, leading to a loan move to Girona in January, and the veteran shot-stopper then suffered a muscle injury.
Germany opted for Oliver Baumann and Alexander Nubel as Manuel Neuer's backups. Other goalkeeping omissions may be more surprising on paper, but Ter Stegen's absence carries particular weight given how well-known he is across the sport.
Jeremie Frimpong
Right-back was effectively a choice between Frimpong and his Liverpool predecessor Trent Alexander-Arnold. Thomas Tuchel was never going to select Alexander-Arnold, which makes Ronald Koeman's decision to leave out Frimpong a far bigger surprise.
Arsenal's Jurriën Timber and Brighton's Mats Wieffer were preferred as backup options behind Denzel Dumfries. Frimpong can consider himself a little unfortunate, though it is fair to say he did not have his most convincing season.
Harry Maguire
Boasting considerable tournament experience and coming off a resurgent club season, Maguire's exclusion seems harsh on the surface. The reaction from Maguire and those close to him, however, may offer some insight into why Tuchel made the call.
Public complaints from his camp did not reflect well on the situation. Tuchel has made clear he prefers John Stones and Ezri Konsa as partners for Mark Guehi.
Stefan de Vrij
Picked for the March internationals, de Vrij was unlikely to be more than a reserve player for the Netherlands regardless. Still, a place in the 26-man group ahead of Jan Paul van Hecke was not out of the question.
Injuries have limited his involvement over the past couple of seasons, though Inter have still offered the veteran centre-back a new deal for 2026-27, which speaks to the regard they hold him in at club level.
Lewis Hall
The third Englishman on this list, Hall was left out after Tuchel opted for Nico O'Reilly as his first-choice left-back, with Tino Livramento serving as the reserve.
Taking Livramento makes sense given his ability to cover both flanks, but Hall was firmly in contention for a spot just a few months ago.
Robert Andrich
Andrich has fallen out of favor over the past year or so, absent from Germany's squad for the March internationals as Julian Nagelsmann looked to move in a different direction.
That makes the omission all the more striking given that Andrich started every match for Germany at the Euros two summers ago, and the Bayer Leverkusen skipper followed that up with another solid club campaign.
Mateus Fernandes
Back-to-back relegations is rarely a good advertisement for a spot in a World Cup squad. Fernandes played well for West Ham throughout the season, though, and will attract serious interest from bigger clubs this summer.
With just a single cap to his name, Fernandes was never a first choice for Portugal. His recent form, though, still seemed sufficient to earn him a place, even as the 25th man.
Eduardo Camavinga
Camavinga's development has stalled. The hopes that he would become the next great all-action midfielder have faded, and at Real Madrid he has been reduced to a backup role. Didier Deschamps cited a difficult club season when explaining the decision to leave him out.
Time is firmly on Camavinga's side at 23, but he has real work to do if he is to fulfil the potential that made him look like a future midfield stalwart for club and country back in 2024.
Paolo Dybala
Lionel Scaloni faced several difficult calls, and one of the biggest was omitting long-time Albiceleste contributor Paulo Dybala from Argentina's preliminary squad.
Dybala finished the Serie A season in exceptional form, helping Roma secure Champions League qualification. It was not enough to change Scaloni's mind, with the manager placing his faith in younger options in Nico Paz, Thiago Almada, and Giuliano Simeone.
Loïs Openda
A quiet season at Juventus did little to strengthen Openda's World Cup case. He has spent most of his international career as a substitute, managing just three goals in 33 caps.
The past couple of years have been underwhelming for a player who not so long ago looked like the future of Belgium's attack. Instead, the Red Devils are placing their trust in a post-peak Romelu Lukaku and Dodi Lukébakio.
João Pedro
This may be the harshest exclusion of the entire batch. Pedro delivered 20 Premier League goal contributions in a season when Brazil were hardly overflowing with options at number nine.
Carlo Ancelotti instead chose Igor Thiago and Matheus Cunha. Even accounting for the depth of attacking talent at Ancelotti's disposal, and with Rodrygo already sidelined, it is baffling that Pedro wasn’t selected to lead the line.
Honorable Mentions
Lucas Chevalier, Nick Pope, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Fikayo Tomori, Levi Colwill, Cole Palmer, Phil Foden, Adam Wharton, Jarrod Bowen, Dean Huijsen, Andrey Santos, Karim Adeyemi, Marcos Senesi, Maximo Perrone, Carlos Soler, Richarlison
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