Top 20 ranked - Which countries have gone the longest since last World Cup?

Celebrations erupted around the World over the course of March's international break, as the final spots for the 2026 World Cup were finally confirmed. In total, 48 nations that will take part in the competition, with Sweden, Turkey, Bosnia & Herzegovina and the Czech Republic all winning their play-offs in midweek to book their trips to North America in the summer. And for some nations it will be a rare treat indeed.

For example, European nations Austria, Norway and Scotland have qualified for the World Cup for hte first time since 1998, while Iraq's last inclusion came in 1986 and DR Congo and Haiti haven't featured at a World Cup since 1974. Not to mention deutants in the form of Cape Verde, Jordan, Uzbekistan and Curaçao. But for every charming tale of a nation enjoying the rare experience of going to a World Cup, there's another nation that failed to qualify and will see their wait rumble on.

The longest stretches since last World Cup

When we pull together the 20 nations that have gone the longest period of time since qualifying for the World Cup, we get a list like the one shown below. Sneaking into the rankings are Slovakia, North Korea and Slovenia, who have all now gone 16 years since their last World Cup. Just above them with 20 years of hurt are no less than four nations in Trinidad & Tobago, Togo, Ukraine and Angola. The Republic of Ireland and China set level on 24 years since their last World Cup venture, while Jamaica, Bulgaria and Romania have al gone 28 years since their last inclusion.

Bolivia make the rankings as the only South American nation in the top 20, having gone 32 years since their last World Cup. Just above them on 36 years are the United Arab Emirates, then European nations Northern Ireland and Hungary sit level on 40 years since their last World Cup. Kuwait and El Salvador haven't been at a World Cup since 1982 and Israel have to go back as far as 1970 to find their last participation in the global tournament. But the nation that has gone the longest without featuring in a World Cup is none other than Cuba, whose tragic wait for qualification has reached 88 years after they qualified for the third ever World Cup but haven't been back since.