Liverpool stand to benefit from four players missing this summer's World Cup
Milos Kerkez and Dominik Szoboszlai take part in a team walk in Hong Kong
Neither Dominik Szoboszlai (L) nor Milos Kerkez (R) will be heading to the World Cup(Image: Nikki Dyer - LFC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
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The list of Liverpool stars not heading to World Cup 2026 grew by one on Tuesday as Federico Chiesa's Italy failed to qualify. He joins a small batch of Anfield talents who will now be expected to play a greater role for their club in pre-season.
The Azzurri will not be heading to the World Cup finals for the third tournament in a row following their shootout loss to Bosnia & Herzegovina. Chiesa wasn't part of the lineup that missed out in Zenica and hasn't played for his country since Euro 2024, but there's an outside chance he could have returned to the fold this summer.
He's hardly the only Liverpool player who will be watching from afar, however. The Hungarian duo of Dominik Szoboszlai and Milos Kerkez already knew they wouldn't be featuring at World Cup 2026, while Georgia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili will also be absent.
Hungary would have featured in the UEFA playoff qualifiers had it not suffered a 3-2 last-gasp defeat against Ireland in November. That result meant they had to settle for third in Group F and didn't make the cut to continue their quest.
Georgia were subject to a similar fate in Group E and finished third behind Spain and Turkey. However, Mamardashvili's side never looked likely to meet the necessary grade after ending up 10 points behind the Crescent Stars.
The silver lining behind this particular cloud is an extended rest this summer before concentrating efforts on their club pursuits. This could prove particularly profitable for Chiesa and Mamardashvili after struggling for prominence under Arne Slot this term.
Federico Chiesa of Liverpool FC sitting on the bench looks during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD1 match between AC Milan and Liverpool FC at Stadio San Siro
Federico Chiesa's Italy also failed to qualify for World Cup 2026 after a disastrous play-off defeat by Bosnia & Herzegovina(Image: Pier Marco Tacca/Getty Images)
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Chiesa, 28, has scored three goals and laid on three assists in 32 appearances across all competitions for Liverpool this season. However, he's managed just five starts, and only one of those has come in the league.
As aforementioned, Chiesa was never guaranteed to feature at the World Cup even if Italy had ended their hiatus and qualified. The forward has rejected multiple call-ups to Gennaro Gattuso's squad, though there is speculation he could be headed for the exit.
Mamardashvili has started 12 of his 13 appearances for the Reds and is patiently biding his time to take over from club legend Alisson. In that sense, a promising pre-season could boost the stopper's prospects of breaking through the glass ceiling next term.
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Liverpool's pre-season tour of the United States is already confirmed to include matches against Sunderland, Leeds and Wrexham. Their first game against the Black Cats will take place in Nashville on July 25.
That's a little less than one week after World Cup 2026 is scheduled to conclude in New Jersey on July 19. And recent developments mean Arne Slot will have an improved squad to pick from when the summer prep gets underway.
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