Goal takes a look at the best teams who failed to qualify for the tournament in Russia this summer
Getty ImagesNetherlands
Amazingly, the Dutch, finalists in 2010 and bronze medallists in 2014, finished behind France and Sweden in qualifying and did not even make the play-offs.
Beset by ill-fortune, managerial upheaval and a reliance on older, fading stars, the highs of just eight years ago now seem so very far away.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesItaly
Unlike Netherlands, Italy at least finished second in their group, behind one of the favourites to win the World Cup, Spain.
However, a two-legged play-off against Sweden ended in disaster, Jakob Johansson’s deflected first-leg goal sending the Scandinavian nation to Russia, thus ending Gianluigi Buffon’s hopes of making a record-breaking sixth appearance at the finals.
Getty ImagesChile
It seemed harder for Chile to fail to qualify. Blessed with star power in the form of Alexis Sanchez and Arturo Vidal, the current holders of the Copa America finished sixth in the CONMEBOL qualifying league, behind Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Colombia and Peru.
Their failure to take a single point from their two games against Paraguay and Bolivia sealed their fate.
Getty ImagesBosnia & Herzegovina
The likes of Miralem Pjanic and Edin Dzeko could not inspire Bosnia to the World Cup, as they finished behind Belgium and Greece in qualifying.
An embarrassing 3-2 defeat to Cyprus, in which Bosnia had taken a 2-0 lead, summed up their qualification; a promising prospect, but with potential ultimately unfulfilled.