The 2026 FIFA World Cup will mark the 23rd edition of football’s biggest tournament, and for the first time ever, it will be hosted across three countries in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Despite Africa receiving an increase in slots from the usual five countries to nine teams qualifying automatically, several top nations still failed to make the cut. As a result, some of the continent’s biggest talents will miss out on the chance to shine on the global stage.
Here are five African players who will not be featuring at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Victor Osimhen (Nigeria)
One of Africa’s biggest stars Victor Osimhen, will not be at the upcoming World Cup after Nigeria fell short in their qualification bid. The Super Eagles were beaten by the Democratic Republic of Congo in the CAF playoff final, which ended their hopes of making it to the tournament.
Nigeria’s endured a poor start in the qualifiers, which saw them miss out on an automatic spot and forced them into the playoffs. There was still a glimmer of hope after the defeat, as the team lodged an appeal over DR Congo allegedly fielding ineligible players, but it was dismissed.
As a result, Osimhen is yet to feature at a World Cup after the Super Eagles also missed the 2022 edition in Qatar and there is a real possibility that he may never get to play at the tournament, given that he might be over 30 years when the next edition comes up.
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Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon)
Despite enjoying a prolific career, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has never featured at the FIFA World Cup and he will also be absent from the upcoming edition this summer.
The former Arsenal and Chelsea striker has scored 40 international goals, but Gabon have consistently struggled to compete with Africa’s elite and have never qualified for a World Cup.
The Panthers came close this time around, finishing second in their group, but their hopes were dashed after a heavy 4–1 defeat to Nigeria national football team in the CAF playoff semi-final.
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Serhou Guirassy (Guinea)
Borussia Dortmund striker Serhou Guirassy will also be absent from this summer’s FIFA World Cup as Guinea failed to qualify for the tournament.
The National Elephants endured a disappointing qualifying campaign and finished fourth in group G behind Algeria, Uganda and Mozambique.
It is also unlikely that the 30-year-old will still be around for the next edition, depriving the prolific striker of playing in the biggest football tournament in the world.
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Ademola Lookman (Nigeria)
Ademola Lookman will not also be featuring at the World Cup after Nigeria’s disappointing qualifying run which saw them miss out on a second consecutive edition.
The Super Eagles also failed to reach the tournament in 2022, after they missed out on qualification to bitter rivals Ghana in the final stage.
By the time the next tournament comes around, Lookman will likely be past his peak years. Still, he will be highly motivated to help his country qualify, hoping to finally make his long-awaited debut.
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Alex Iwobi (Nigeria)
Fulham midfielder Alex Iwobi rounds off the list, and like the others, he won’t be featuring at the upcoming World Cup after Nigeria failed to qualify.
However, the 29-year-old stands out as the only player on this list with any previous World Cup experience.
He represented Nigeria at the tournament before in the 2018 edition held in Russia, although they were unable to make it past the group stage, finishing third behind Argentina and Croatia in their group.
