Canada Soccer cheekily courted Italy’s crestfallen supporters on Saturday, urging them to swap ​their Azzurri blue strips for maple ‌leaf red after the four-time champions suffered another World Cup failure.

“Dear Italian soccer fans, don’t wait ​four more years. Swap your jersey for ​Canada,” the sports governing body posted ⁠on X on Friday, directing fans to ​gather outside Cafe Diplomatico, a popular restaurant in ​Toronto’s Little Italy neighbourhood.

The light-hearted appeal followed Italy’s third consecutive failure to qualify for the World Cup ​after a playoff defeat by Bosnia ​on Tuesday, a setback that led to the resignations ‌of ⁠coach Gennaro Gattuso and federation president Gabriele Gravina.

Canada, who will co-host the World Cup alongside Mexico and the United States, seized the moment ​to call ​for fans ⁠to support their country instead.

Local media reported hundreds of supporters queued ​for the Italy-for-Canada jersey exchange, though ​the ⁠offer proved more symbolic than transactional. Canada Soccer handed out 2026 shirts and posters ⁠to ​fans — and did so without ​collecting a single Italian jersey in return.

-Reuters

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By Kunle Solaja.

Despite the expansion of the FIFA World Cup to 48 teams, several high-profile nations—including some ranked within the top 30 globally—will not feature at the 2026 finals in the United States, Mexico and Canada, underlining the increasingly unforgiving nature of modern qualification.

The most striking absence is the four-time world champions Italy national football team, who failed to qualify for a third consecutive World Cup after losing on penalties to Bosnia and Herzegovina in the European playoffs.
Once a permanent fixture at the global showpiece, Italy’s continued absence has triggered widespread criticism at home, with many describing the situation as a national sporting crisis.

Europe’s Big Casualties

Italy are not alone among Europe’s elite in missing out. Countries such as Denmark’s national football team, Poland’s national football team and Serbia’s national football team, all of whom have consistently hovered around the top tiers of FIFA rankings in recent years, also failed to make the cut.

Poland’s elimination is particularly significant, as it likely marks the end of World Cup ambitions for veteran striker Robert Lewandowski, while Denmark’s absence comes after years of steady progress on the international stage.

Serbia, boasting a generation of technically gifted players, were also among those eliminated during the qualification process.

African Heavyweights Left Out

Africa will send a record number of teams to the expanded tournament, yet notable absentees remain.
Three-time African champions Nigeria national football team and five-time AFCON winners Cameroon national football team both failed to qualify after disappointing campaigns.

Cameroon’s Indomitable Lions are among Africa’s big names missing at the World Cup.

Nigeria’s absence is particularly glaring given the quality of players such as Victor Osimhen, while Cameroon fell short despite a squad featuring several Europe-based stars.

South American Decline

In South America, the Chile national football team continue their dramatic fall from grace. Once Copa América champions, Chile finished bottom of the CONMEBOL qualifying table, extending their World Cup absence to three editions.

Emerging Pattern: Expansion Without Guarantees

The absence of these established football nations highlights a key reality: even with 48 slots, World Cup qualification remains fiercely competitive.

While debutants such as Cape Verde, Curaçao and Uzbekistan have secured historic places at the finals, traditional powers have faltered under pressure.

Analysts note that this shift reflects a broader trend in global football—greater parity, improved development structures in smaller nations, and declining dominance of traditional heavyweights.

A World Cup Without Familiar Faces

The 2026 tournament will therefore present a unique landscape—one where emerging nations share the stage while several established powers watch from home.

For fans, it promises freshness and unpredictability. For the absent giants, however, it serves as a stark reminder that reputation alone is no longer enough to secure a place at football’s biggest event.

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By Kunle Solaja.

A remarkable storyline is emerging ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, as no fewer than seven countries have secured returns to the global football showpiece after prolonged absences spanning decades.

Leading the list are Haiti and DR Congo, both of which are back on the World Cup stage after an astonishing 52-year absence. Haiti last featured at the tournament in 1974, the same year DR Congo, then known as Zaire, made their only previous appearance.

European sides Scotland national football team, Norway national football team and Austria national football team are also ending 28-year waits.

Scotland’s last outing came in 1998, while Norway and Austria have similarly endured long spells away from the competition despite periods of promise in European football.

South America will see the return of the Paraguay national football team, who are back after a 16-year hiatus, having last appeared at the 2010 finals in South Africa.

On the African continent, the South Africa national football team will make a long-awaited comeback after 16 years, their previous participation coming when they hosted the tournament in 2010.

The wave of returning nations highlights the expanding opportunities created by the enlarged 48-team format for the 2026 World Cup, which will be staged across Canada, the United States and Mexico.

For many of these countries, qualification marks not just a sporting achievement but a generational milestone, rekindling national pride and offering a new era of players the chance to perform on football’s biggest stage after decades in the wilderness.

With traditional powers and returning underdogs set to collide, the 2026 tournament is already shaping up to be one of the most diverse and unpredictable in World Cup history.

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