2022 FIFA World Cup: Top 5 Nations Missing From Exciting Qatar Tournament

By Michael Godwin Friday 

Edited by: Damilare Makinde 

The 2022 FIFA World Cup is just over a week away. Players from 32 nations will take part in the event taking place in Qatar, a first for the Middle East. 

Supporters of all these teams will be watching from home or in the desert with the promise of glory at the end of the tournament.

However, some global footballing powerhouses will not be at the event, to much shock, horror and disappointment.

NIGERIA

The Super Eagles have become something of Africa's permanent fixture at the world cup, but they won't be participating after being knocked out in the play-offs by West African rivals Ghana.

CHILE 

Chile has become a force on the global stage, producing world-class players plying their trade for the world's biggest teams. Despite this, they crashed to seventh place in the CONMEBOL stage after an inexplicable loss of form and will have to undergo a rebuild job.

COLOMBIA 

Colombia is a powerhouse of South American football and qualifies for the world cup regularly. However, the country finished in a disappointing sixth place in the CONMEBOL qualifiers and was never really in the race for Qatar.

ITALY 

Possibly the biggest name on the list, the four-time winners crashed out of the running for the race for tickets to Qatar, contriving to lose to North Macedonia in the European zone play-offs. 

EGYPT 

The giants of North Africa, Egypt - the team with the most Africa Cup of Nations wins - won't be making a trip to the Middle East. However, saying that their absence is a shock could be disputed, as underachievement in getting to a world cup is common when it comes to the Pharaohs.