Football
Ronaldo, Salah, Mané or Lewandowski. Which stars could be missing at the World Cup?
The World Championships in Qatar are coming up in November, and now the barrage is starting, which will decide the final composition of the teams. Which stars could miss out on the World Championship?
The World Championships in Qatar are coming up in November, and now the barrage is starting, which will decide the final composition of the teams. Which stars could miss out on the World Championship?
Cristiano Ronaldo
The biggest star on the list. And quite possibly the biggest star in world football. Not many people in the world know the name Cristiano Ronaldo, even if they don’t follow football at all. So his absence from the World Cup would be a huge shock.
But the Portuguese embarrassed themselves by finishing second to Serbia in their group. The fate of the barrage was not in their favour, as they had to face Turkey first and then the winner of the Italy-North Macedonia duel. With the reigning Euro winners, the Portuguese would have an extremely difficult time.
Jorginho
However, this is also true from the other side. There are a few star names in the Italian team, but Jorginho was the most visible last year, winning the Champions League in addition to the Euros and finishing third in the Ballon d’Or poll.
The Italians lost promotion with draws against Switzerland and Northern Ireland. The first-named national team advanced from first place, leaving Squadra Azzura to face an inscrutable barrage. And to face the Portuguese, led by Ronaldo? An extremely unpleasant draw.
Robert Lewandowski
Goal machine and possibly the best footballer in the world at the moment. But he doesn’t shine so much at national level, as the Polish national team is one of the weaker ones. Therefore, his absence would not be such a shock as Ronaldo’s, but that does not exclude the fact that not having such a name at the final championship would be a great pity.
Poland was supposed to face Russia in the barrage, but FIFA disqualified that because of the war in Ukraine. So our neighbours will face either the Czech Republic or Sweden in the final barrage.
Sadio Mané – Mohamed Salah
The Liverpool teammates who form one of the most dangerous offensive trios in the world. But only one of them will make it to the World Cup in Qatar. Africa will send five countries to the World Cup, with ten teams competing in a barrage.
And the lot has sent Senegal and Egypt together. The first duel on the soil of Egypt is scheduled for March 25, the rematch in Senegal will be played on March 28.
Alexis Sanchéz
Let’s take a look at the South American part of the qualifiers. There, Chile is in sixth place in the table with Alexis Sanchez or Arturo Vidal.
The first four teams will travel directly to Qatar, which are currently Brazil, Argentina, Colombia and Uruguay. The fifth team will go to the barrage. Peru currently holds that position with 21 points, while Chile is in sixth position with 19 points. But Sanchez and co. are not going to have it easy. With two games to go, the Chileans will take on Brazil and Uruguay. Peru will face Uruguay and Paraguay.
Keylor Navas
Now let’s move on to the qualifiers in North and Central America. There, 3 teams advance directly, with the fourth going into a barrage with the fifth team from the South American qualifiers. Canada holds the first place with 25 points, the second USA and the third Mexico have 21 points. The fourth barrier place is a bit surprisingly Panama with 17 points and only in fifth place is Costa Rica with 16 points.
When you say Costa Rica, one name comes to mind. Keylor Navas. The goalkeeper who made history for Real Madrid and football in general by winning three Champions League titles in a row. He’s currently catching for PSG and it was his performances at the 2014 World Cup that earned him a move to Real Madrid. Costa Rica won the hearts of most fans back then and made it to the quarterfinals where they lost to the Netherlands.
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