Liverpool pair Dominik Szoboszlai and Milos Kerkez were dealt a cruel blow on Sunday as they missed out on the 2026 World Cup with Hungary.
The Magyars were just seconds away from securing a play-off berth with a 2-2 draw against Ireland, but conceded an injury-time winner to Troy Parrott.
The result meant Szoboszlai and Kerkez will definitely not feature at next summer’s tournament in the USA, Canada and Mexico.
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Szoboszlai was left virtually speechless after the match, with his dream of leading his country into a first World Cup for 40 years left in tatters.
But Szoboszlai and Kerkez are not the only two members of the Liverpool squad who will definitely not be participating in next summer’s festival of football.
As things stand, a further two Liverpool players have definitely been ruled out of contention after their countries failed to qualify.
Giorgi Mamardashvili applauds after Georgia's FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Spain.
Photo by GIORGI ARJEVANIDZE/AFP via Getty Images
Giorgi Mamardashvili and Conor Bradley miss out
Football can be cruel sometimes. But Hungary’s pain is very much Ireland’s joy, and the Republic will be hoping they can navigate a play-off tie to secure their place next summer.
While Caoimhin Kelleher celebrates, though, Liverpool’s current number two goalkeeper has had a more sobering international break.
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Giorgi Mamardashvili played as Georgia’s hopes of qualifying came to an end with a 3-0 defeat against Spain on Saturday. The result means they cannot catch either Turkey or Spain with one game left.
The Georgians only won one match during the campaign – a 3-0 win over bottom side Bulgaria – who they play in their final fixture on Tuesday.
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Ibrahima Konate of Liverpool lines up before the Premier League match between Manchester City and Liverpool at Etihad Stadium
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As things stand, Conor Bradley is the only other Liverpool player who will definitely not be playing in the World Cup.
Northern Ireland have done themselves proud at times during the qualification rounds, but will finish in third behind Turkey and Slovakia.
Meanwhile, Sweden have had an abysmal campaign and have just one point heading into their final match. However, Alexander Isak and his colleagues are guaranteed a play-off spot following their UEFA Nations League performance.
Federico Chiesa could still miss out
While some players have already missed out on the World Cup altogether, one more’s hopes hang by a thread.
Federico Chiesa has not played for Italy since before he joined Liverpool in summer of 2024, but was called up to the two most recent squads by manager Gennaro Gattuso.
Chiesa has rejected both calls, wanting to focus on getting his fitness levels up to scratch with Liverpool instead, However, if the Italians qualified for the World Cup, surely that would be different.
Sadly, after missing out on the 2018 and 2022 editions, Italy will be forced to contend with a play-off match themselves once again. Having come up against an Erling Haaland inspired Norway in qualifying, Gattuso’s team will have to do it the hard way.
A 4-1 defeat against Norway on Sunday was particularly galling and may mean that Chiesa and his countrymen will miss out for a third successive World Cup.