Robert Lewandowski will not play at the 2026 World Cup after Poland’s 3-2 defeat to Sweden in the play-offs.
The 37-year-old Barcelona striker, with 89 international goals, may have reached the end of his major tournament career.
He joins a list of big names absent from this summer’s finals:
– Gianluigi Donnarumma (Italy) – Italy eliminated by Bosnia on penalties, missing a third straight World Cup.
– Serhou Guirassy (Guinea) – Bundesliga top scorer, but Guinea fell early in African qualifying.
– Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Georgia) – PSG star, yet Georgia managed just one win in qualifying.
– Victor Osimhen (Nigeria) – Galatasaray forward saw Nigeria lose on penalties to DR Congo.
– Dominik Szoboszlai (Hungary) – Liverpool midfielder, but Hungary collapsed late against Ireland.
Other absentees include Jan Oblak, Nikola Milenkovic, Sandro Tonali and Bryan Mbeumo.
