The World Cup was once a place for the Serie A to shine brightest, the Italian national team was full to the brim of domestic talents showcasing their abilities while some of the world’s best like Andriy Shevchenko, Kaka, and Thiago Silva called Milan home. The 2026 edition is set to buck that trend however, as Italy’s top division is going to have some major names absent from the global stage this time around.
4 Serie A Footballers Missing Out on 2026 World Cup
Dusan Vlahovic
Juventus striker and leading man Dusan Vlahovic is one of the most easily recognisable faces in the Italian league. After a breakout 18 months that saw him net 41 times in 64 appearances, he made a big money move to the Old Lady where he has been the leading marksman ever since.
He is occasionally linked with moves away to big clubs, most notably Chelsea who have been in search of strikers in every window for the past decade. Despite this, Vlahovic will be sitting out the 2026 World Cup as Serbia failed to qualify despite the extended format.
Yann Sommer
Inter have been one of the bright spots of Serie A in recent seasons, representing the league very well in deep UEFA Champions League runs. One of the backbones of this has been the strong shot-stopping of Yann Sommer. The Swiss keeper has helped the team lift two league titles and has been in the team of the season on one occasion.
Sommer will not be taking part in the upcoming World Cup despite his country qualifying. He retired from international duty in August of 2024 after amassing 94 caps for his nation so don’t expect to see his name when the lineups drop. He still has the quality to perform at that level, which makes his decision all the more disappointing for fans.
Alessandro Bastoni
In what may or may not be a shock, depending on your analysis of the country, Italy did not qualify for the 2026 World Cup. The former winners failed to make it through the qualification stage in a move that would’ve netted a big win on Betting apps with £5 Minimum Deposit before the process got underway.
That does mean that one of the world’s finest centre-backs and Inter star Alessandro Bastoni will continue his unfortunate record of never making a World Cup appearance. The 27-year-old has ironically won a European Championship but has seen his nation fail to qualify for the World Cup itself for his entire run in the team.
In past generations, we would have seen Bastoni establish his legacy on the biggest stage in international football, following on from the likes of Paolo Maldini, Fabio Cannavaro, Giorgio Chiellini, and many more. Instead his wait will have to go on until 2030.
Rasmus Hojlund
A move to Manchester United thrust Rasmus Hojlund into the spotlight as he failed to make the necessary impression for the Red Devils, soon finding himself out of favour and shipped to Napoli for a loan. Back in Italy, he found some semblance of form, scoring 14 goals and providing 6 assists across 41 appearances.
As the hope of the Danish national team, he failed to get them across the line in the qualification stage, his five goals in the group stage was not enough to get his country through and they fell in the play-off stage to a resilient Czechia outfit on penalties.
An appearance in a major international tournament could have gone some way to rekindling interest in Hohlund after a disastrous time in England, he will have to settle for proving his doubters wrong with Napoli, especially if they hope to improve on their disappointing UEFA Champions League campaign.
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