Italy have become the latest nation to be forced to settle for a place in the World Cup play-offs after a 0-0 draw in Northern Ireland.
The Azzurri needed a win for a chance to finish above Switzerland in the automatic qualifying spots, but couldn’t find a breakthrough.
Some of the biggest names in football could be missing from the Qatar World Cup
Winners of Euro 2020 are now at risk of not qualifying for a second consecutive World Cup after not missing one since 1958.
England had no such trouble sealing their place in Qatar with a 10-0 win over San Marino in a game where the Three Lions only needed one point.
But Gareth Southgate’s men may not have to worry about taking on some of the world’s biggest superstars next year: talkSPORT.com takes a look…
Which players could Qatar 2022 miss?
Serbia consigned Ronaldo and his teammates from Portugal to a World Cup play-off spot after a 2-1 victory on Sunday.
The Manchester United star’s team only needed a draw to qualify for Qatar, but it was undone by Aleksandar Mitrovic’s late goal.
The 36-year-old Ronaldo could now miss his last World Cup as a player if Portugal fail to make it out of their play-off ties.
Premier League players Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva, Ruben Dias, Diogo Jota, Ruben Neves, Nelson Semedo and Joao Cancelo are also at risk of missing out.
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Ronaldo’s last World Cup appearance may not end in Qatar Erling Haaland
The forward is considered one of the brightest young talents in football, but he may not have the opportunity to show his talents on the world stage.
Norway, who have not qualified for a major international competition since Euro 2000, are currently third in Group G behind the Netherlands and Turkey.
Stale Solbakken’s team will take on the Dutch on Tuesday knowing that a win will at least guarantee them a place in the play-off with also enough draw if Turkey loses.
But it will not feature Borussia Dortmund star Haaland, who has not played since a 4-0 loss to Ajax in October due to injury.
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Haaland trusts Arsenal’s Martin Odegaard to seal Norway’s World Cup spot in his absence Luis Suárez
The Atlético de Madrid ace is one of the greatest villains in World Cup history, from his handball against Ghana in 2010 to the bite of Giorgio Chiellini in 2014.
However, there is a chance that Qatar will not experience Suarez’s antics with Uruguay currently sixth in the South American section of the standings.
Leader Brazil have already qualified, while the next three teams, one of which will likely be Argentina, will also secure passage to the World Cup.
The fifth classified will enter an international play-off and Uruguay is tied with Colombia and Chile above them with 16 points, but has worse goal difference after three consecutive defeats.
Uruguay still have five games left to reverse their current form or Suárez and Edinson Cavani could miss out on a final World Cup outing.
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Luis Suárez infamously bit Giorgio Chiellini at the 2014 World Cup Robert Lewandowski
England’s win over San Marino sealed their place in Qatar, not that it would have mattered after runners-up Poland fell in a 2-1 home loss to Hungary.
Paulo Sousa’s men are now entering the European play-offs and the fate of captain and all-time top scorer, Lewandowski, remains at stake.
The 33-year-old has only competed in the World Cup once in 2018, in which he couldn’t find the net and Poland finished last in their group.
Lewandowski will be desperate for redemption in Qatar, but could join Wojciech Szczesny, Matty Cash and Mateusz Klich to stay home.
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Lewandowski hopes to lead Poland’s line in Qatar Jorginho
The Chelsea star squandered an opportunity to put Italy on the brink of World Cup qualification after missing a late penalty in a 1-1 draw against Switzerland.
The winners of Euro 2016 had to lament the missed opportunity, as a 0-0 draw against Northern Ireland allowed the Swiss to overtake them in the table.
Italy now runs the risk of not qualifying for a second consecutive World Cup and Jorginho is one of the stars who could be made to pay.
Gianluigi Donnarumma, Leonardo Bonucci, Chiellini, Nicolo Barella, Federico Chiesa, Lorenzo Insigne y Ciro Podrían quedar fuera property.
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Jorginho had another high profile foul for Italy against Switzerland Gareth Bale
Wales have already secured their place in the World Cup playoffs after their performances in the Nations League.
But Group E winner Belgium is the only guarantee of being in Qatar next year, and the only chance the Dragons will draw at home is if they remain second.
Despite all of Bale’s heroic deeds at the European Championships, Wales have only qualified for one World Cup in 1958 and the winger will be desperate to change that.
If the Real Madrid star fails, players like Aaron Ramsey, Dan James and Ben Davies will be among the disappointed players.
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Bale has made a century of appearances with Wales Andrew Robertson
Nathan Patterson’s first international goal for Scotland to steer them to a 2-0 win against Moldova and earn a playoff spot in the process.
The Tartan Army made the road to Qatar a bit easier by securing a semi-final at home with a historic 2-0 win over Denmark on Monday.
And Steve Clarke’s team will need to replicate recent playoff performances or Liverpool defender Robertson could miss a World Cup appearance.
Scotland has not appeared in the biggest football competition since 1998 and Premier League stars Kieran Tierney, Billy Gilmour, Scott McTominay, John McGinn and Che Adams will be desperate to end that streak.
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Robertson was excellent against Denmark Zlatan Ibrahimovic
The veteran forward was caught hitting César Azpilicueta with a reckless load on the shoulder in Sweden’s loss to Spain in World Cup qualification.
Ibrahimovic was booked off-camera after the clash, meaning he is suspended for Sweden’s decisive World Cup play-off.
The 40-year-old AC Milan star will now have players like Alexander Isak, Victor Lindelof and Dejan Kulusevski seal his last World Cup appearance.
Ibra, who only returned to the international fold this year after a five-year absence, has not appeared in the competition since Germany 2006.
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Ibra is known for being flamboyant and outspoken and would be a huge stranger to the World Cup Michail Antonio
The West Ham striker made his debut for Jamaica in September, but it may be too late to help them reach the World Cup.
Antonio scored in his second international appearance, but a 1-1 draw against El Salvador left the Reggae Boyz sixth in the North American standings.
The top three teams secure places directly and Jamaica is five points behind Panama, which occupies four places, and which would enter an intercontinental tiebreaker in June.
Theodore Whitmore’s men have only qualified for the World Cup once, but they have a chance to be in Qatar with the likes of Antonio, Leon Bailey, Kemar Roofe and Ravel Morrison in their ranks.
Antonio joined former Man United star Morrison in making his international bow for Jamaica Wilfried Zaha
The Crystal Palace star was recently forced to deny reports that he was considering his international future after he was dropped from the Ivory Coast team this month.
Zaha has scored five goals in 21 appearances for the Elephants since switching his international allegiance to England in 2017.
And the 28-year-old now hopes to be able to make his first World Cup appearance next year with Côte d’Ivoire in a crucial qualifying match against Cameroon.
The Ivorians are currently leading Group D and need only a draw to advance to the playoff stage, but defeat spells the end for Zaha, Nicolas Pepe, Sebastien Haller, Franck Kessie, Eric Bailly, Maxwel Cornet and Serge Aurier.
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Zaha went on to play for Ivory Coast in 2017 and has played 21 games
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