Tweet 3/6:
The underdogs are also doing something unexpected.
Cape Verde โ the smallest nation ever to play in a World Cup โ held Spain (0-0) and Uruguay (2-2) .
Ghana held England to a 0-0 draw. Curacao's keeper made 15 saves โ matching the World Cup record โ
Italy, CHILE, NIGERIA, SWEDEN ALL MISSING IN THE 2026 WORLD CUP
Not everyone made it to 2026. ๐จ
While debutants celebrate, some of the biggest names in football are WATCHING FROM HOME.
Here's who failed to qualify and why it's absolutely wild. ๐งต๐
๐ฎ๐น ITALY. Again.
Back-to-back missed World Cups. The Euro 2020 champions didn't even make it out of their UEFA playoff group .
Lost to Bosnia in the playoff final. Yes, BOSNIA.
Four-time World Cup winners. Watching from home. AGAIN.
๐ณ๐ฌ NIGERIA. Gone.
Africa's most talented squad? Didn't even win their CAF group.
Finished behind South Africa and lost in the CAF playoff tournament .
No Osimhen. No Lookman. No World Cup.
The Super Eagles are GROUNDED. ๐ฆ โ
๐จ๐ฑ CHILE. The golden generation's final nail.
No Sanchez. No Vidal. No magic left.
Finished DEAD LAST in CONMEBOL qualifying .
Two Copa America titles just a decade ago. Now? Nowhere near the World Cup.
๐ธ๐ช SWEDEN. Survived by a THREAD.
They finished WINLESS and BOTTOM of their UEFA group .
But the Nations League safety net gave them a playoff lifeline.
They STORMED through the playoffs and qualified .
So... they actually MADE it. Barely. But they're in. โ
๐ฌ๐ท GREECE. The 2004 miracle feels forever ago.
Finished behind Netherlands AND Austria.
No attack. No identity. No World Cup since 2014.
A once-proud football nation is officially in crisis.
And ONE that BARELY survived:
๐ธ๐ช Sweden (escaped through playoffs)
#WorldCup2026 #FailedToQualify #ItalyMissedAgain #SuperEaglesGrounded #FallenGiants #FootballChaos
Tweet 6/6:
Japan faces Sweden next. A draw or win sends them through.
And Ueda? He's looking like their most dangerous weapon.
Ayase Ueda โ remember the name ๐ฏ๐ต
#WorldCup2026#Japan#AyaseUeda
"AYASE UEDA โ JAPAN'S UNEXPECTED STAR"
Ayase Ueda wasn't supposed to be Japan's star.
He wasn't the biggest name. He wasn't the most famous.
But two matches into the World Cup, he's become the player everyone is talking about.
Let me explain ๐งต๐
Tweet 5/6:
His numbers this season:
Club: 25 goals in the Eredivisie
World Cup: 2 goals in 2 matches
Japan's coach praised the preparation: "The coaching staff made it clear what we needed to do."