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World Cup: major absentees, forgotten 'giants' and big returners

EuroNews · 🇫🇷 public France · · 1335 words · By Ioannis Karagiorgas
Sporting Decline and Recovery National Team History World Cup qualification
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What to know about Sporting Decline and Recovery

Once again Italy will be missing from the World Cup but who else won't be playing and which countries are making a long awaited return?

Claims checked 37
Techniques found 2
Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center100%
Right0%

2 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Once again Italy will be missing from the World Cup but who else won't be playing and which countries are making a long awaited return?

Why it matters

The 2026 World Cup will once again bring some of football’s most historic national teams back onto the sport’s biggest stage, while at the same time leaving several famous names on the sidelines.

Common ground

For some countries, the absence is only temporary, but for others it has become a long-running footballing wound.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Exaggeration / Hyperbole: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.euronews.com/2026/06/02/world-cup-major-absentees-forgotten-giants-a…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 2 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning
Loaded Language 80% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.
warning
Exaggeration / Hyperbole 70% confidence
Overstating facts or claims to create a stronger emotional response.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing exaggeration / hyperbole helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 37 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

schedule Pending 27
verified Verified By Reference 3
check_circle Corroborated 3
info Single Source 2
help Insufficient Evidence 2
schedule
Claim 1: “Turkey are back at the finals for the first time since 2002, when they famously finished third in Korea and Japan.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 2: “as co-hosts of the 2026 World Cup, Canada”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
info
Claim 3: “Romania will miss a seventh consecutive World Cup, having last qualified for France 1998.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence does not contain a direct confirmation of Romania's 2026 status or a specific count of missed World Cups; it only mentions they missed three recent 'major tournaments' (which includes Euros). No second independent source confirms the specific 'seventh consecutive' claim.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The ratification of slot allocation also gave the OFC a guaranteed berth in the final tournament for the first time in FIFA World Cup history; as such, the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be the first tourna…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_FIFA_World_Cup_qualificat…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Highlights from a historic night at Hampden, as Scotland book their place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73cVhK9qL1o
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Tricolorii returned to the football mainstage, topping their group at Euro 2024 after missing out on qualification for the past three major tournaments. At Euro 2016, when they last featured in a big …
https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/cxe2y4pmpv4o
schedule
Claim 4: “North Korea... defeated Italy in 1966 and reached the quarter-finals”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 5: “Norway are also returning... now led by a new generation of stars headed by Erling Haaland.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
verified
Claim 6: “The Squadra Azzurra remain one of the most successful national teams in history, with four World Cup titles (1934, 1938, 1982 and 2006).”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Multiple authoritative sources, including Wikipedia and FIFA winners lists, confirm Italy won the World Cup in 1934, 1938, 1982, and 2006.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The Italy national football team (Italian: Nazionale di calcio dell'Italia) has represented Italy in men's international football since its first match in 1910.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italy_national_football_team
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — ITALY. 4 World Cups 1934, 1938, 1982, 2006 Back-to-back champions 1934-1938. Spain won their first World Cup with Andrés Iniesta's extra-time goal, completing their golden era after winning Euro 2008 …
https://www.topendsports.com/events/worldcupsoccer/winners.h…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Check the updated ranking of all the winners, runners-up, and locations of the FIFA World Cup year by year since the beginning in 1930.
https://www.marca.com/en/world-cup/winners.shtml
schedule
Claim 7: “Their return in 2022 after a 36-year absence... they again failed to win a point, they did at least score twice.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 8: “Israel have appeared at the World Cup only once, at Mexico 1970.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 9: “Indonesia, then known as the Dutch East Indies, became the first Asian nation ever to play at a World Cup, also in 1938.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 10: “Drawn against Hungary in the first round, they lost 6–0”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
verified
Claim 11: “Slovakia and Slovenia... will miss a fourth consecutive World Cup since their last appearances in South Africa in 2010.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
While Wikipedia confirms Slovakia and Slovenia appeared in the 2010 World Cup, there is no evidence in the provided results confirming they will miss the 2026 tournament.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Group C of the 2010 FIFA World Cup began on 12 June and ended on 23 June 2010. The group consisted of national association football teams from England, the United States, Algeria and Slovenia. The Uni…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_FIFA_World_Cup_Group_C
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification UEFA Group 3 was a UEFA qualifying group for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The group comprised the Czech Republic, Poland, Northern Ireland, Slovakia, Slovenia and San…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_FIFA_World_Cup_qualificat…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This article lists the performances of each of the national teams which have made at least one appearance in the FIFA World Cup. As of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, 84 national teams have competed at the f…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_team_appearances_in_t…
+ 3 more evidence sources
schedule
Claim 12: “Their 1–1 draw with Sweden... also holding Italy to a 0–0 draw before losing 2–0 to Uruguay.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 13: “their elimination from qualification for the 2026 World Cup at the hands of Bosnia and Herzegovina”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 14: “Their greatest achievement remains the 1958 tournament, where they reached the quarter-finals before being eliminated by Brazil thanks to a goal from a 17-year-old Pelé.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 15: “In the quarter-finals they faced a powerful Sweden side and suffered an 8–0 defeat.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
help
Claim 16: “Romania’s “golden generation” reached its peak at the 1994 World Cup in the United States... Romania reached the quarter-finals”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was provided for this claim in the search results.
schedule
Claim 17: “Wales had to wait 64 years to return to the World Cup... when they qualified for Qatar 2022.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
info
Claim 18: “Ireland, whose most recent appearance came in 2002, will now have watched six straight tournaments from home.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The evidence confirms the 2002 World Cup took place, but there is no evidence provided regarding Ireland's qualification status for 2026 or their streak of absences.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The 2002 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Korea Japan 2002, was the 17th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial football world championship for men's national teams organized by FIFA. It was held from 31 May …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2002_FIFA_World_Cup
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — © 2026 Google LLC.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eyc2auUiYDA
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — World Cup 2026. The drama and anxiety of penalty shootouts examined.Iraq goalkeeper Ahmed Basil looks on as France forward Kylian Mbappe's shot hits the net in the World Cup group game in Philadelphia…
https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/c1wylljn12xo
check_circle
Claim 19: “The four-time world champions [Italy] will miss a third consecutive World Cup, having last appeared in Brazil in 2014.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm Italy has won four World Cups (Wikipedia), last appeared in 2014 (Wikipedia/Web search), and failed to qualify for 2026 after losing a playoff to Bosnia (Web search).
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2014 FIFA World Cup was the 20th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national football teams organised by FIFA. It took place in Brazil from 12 June to 13 July 2014, after…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_FIFA_World_Cup
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2014 FIFA World Cup was an international football tournament that was held in Brazil from 12 June to 13 July 2014. The 32 national teams involved in the tournament were required to register a squa…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_FIFA_World_Cup_squads
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a record of Italy's results at the FIFA World Cup. Italy is one of the most successful national teams in the history of the World Cup, having won four titles (1934, 1938, 1982, 2006), just one…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italy_at_the_FIFA_World_Cup
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
Claim 20: “Denmark, Poland, Wales, Cameroon, Serbia and Costa Rica all failed to secure qualification and will miss this tournament [2026].”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists of general Wikipedia pages for Denmark and other unrelated tournament squads. There is no specific evidence in the provided text confirming that Poland, Wales, Cameroon, Serbia, or Costa Rica failed to qualify for 2026.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — This article provides details of international football matches played by the Austria national football team from 2000 to 2019.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austria_national_football_team…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The following is a list of squads for all twelve national teams that competed at the 2019 UEFA European Under-21 Championship. Each national team had to submit a final squad of 23 players, three of wh…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_UEFA_European_Under-21_Ch…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2022 FIFA World Cup was an international football tournament held in Qatar from 20 November to 18 December 2022. The 32 national teams involved in the tournament were required to register a squad …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_FIFA_World_Cup_squads
+ 3 more evidence sources
schedule
Claim 21: “they narrowly missed out after losing on penalties to Czechia in the semi-finals of the European qualifying play-offs”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
check_circle
Claim 22: “Greece and Chile will each extend their absence to three tournaments, with both nations last participating in Brazil in 2014.”
CORROBORATED
Euronews explicitly states that Greece and Chile will extend their absence to three tournaments, having last participated in 2014. A Facebook post further confirms Greece will not play in 2026.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Group D of the 2014 FIFA World Cup consisted of Uruguay, Costa Rica, England and Italy. It was the only group to contain more than one previous winner of the World Cup, as well as the only group in th…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_FIFA_World_Cup_Group_D
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The knockout stage of the 2014 FIFA World Cup was the second and final stage of the competition, following the group stage. It began on 28 June with the round of 16 and ended on 13 July with the final…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_FIFA_World_Cup_knockout_s…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Bulgaria–Greece–Romania–Serbia UEFA Euro 2028 and 2030 FIFA World Cup bid was a joint bid to host the UEFA Euro 2028 and 2030 FIFA World Cup by Bulgaria, Greece, Romania and Serbia. The bid was le…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulgaria–Greece–Romania–Serbia…
+ 3 more evidence sources
schedule
Claim 23: “Japan, Saudi Arabia and Algeria have once again secured qualification”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 24: “A memorable 2–1 victory earned Jamaica worldwide admiration [against Japan]”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 25: “Jamaica’s only World Cup appearance came in France in 1998.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 26: “Scotland, Austria, Czechia and Paraguay are likewise back on the biggest stage”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 27: “appearing again at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa... they lost all three matches with a goal difference of 1–12.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
help
Claim 28: “Their latest triumph came in Berlin in 2006 against France, in a final remembered... for Zinedine Zidane’s infamous red card after head-butting Marco Materazzi.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was provided for this claim in the search results.
schedule
Claim 29: “Cuba defeated Romania in a replay after the original match ended 3–3”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 30: “Ireland’s finest hour came at the 1990 World Cup, when Jack Charlton’s side reached the quarter-finals at their very first tournament”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 31: “Czechia eventually secured qualification by defeating Denmark, also on penalties.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 32: “Canada first appeared at a World Cup in 1986, failing to score a single goal and finishing with a goal difference of 0–5.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 33: “China qualified for their first World Cup in 2002, but exited with three defeats and without scoring a single goal, finishing with a goal difference of 0–9.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 34: “Cuba reached the quarter-finals of the 1938 World Cup”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 35: “Ireland also qualified in 1994 and 2002”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 36: “Romania also qualified for France 1998, where they reached the last 16.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
check_circle
Claim 37: “Nigeria, Russia and Iceland will be absent for a second straight World Cup, having last competed in Russia in 2018.”
CORROBORATED
Web search results explicitly state that Nigeria, Russia, and Iceland (among others) are missing the 2026 World Cup and that their most recent appearance was the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Group D of the 2018 FIFA World Cup took place from 16 to 26 June 2018. The group consisted of Argentina, Iceland, Croatia, and Nigeria. The top two teams, Croatia and Argentina, advanced to the round …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_FIFA_World_Cup_Group_D
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2018 FIFA World Cup was an international football tournament held in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018. The 32 national teams involved in the tournament were required to register a squad of 23 p…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_FIFA_World_Cup_squads
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The FIFA World Cup, sometimes called the Football World Cup or the Soccer World Cup, but usually referred to simply as the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iceland_at_the_FIFA_World_Cup
+ 3 more evidence sources
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.