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The FIFA World Cup has no shortage of formidable national teams that deserve a spot in the upcoming 2022 tournament. However, as of now, the spots to qualify for the World Cup is limited to 32, the slots will be expanded once the 2026 edition starts.
While we lament because of the current limits in the number of qualified teams, here are the best teams that might’ve been a worthy opponent if the slots were expanded to 48 in the upcoming 2022 World Cup.
Italy
Nobody really expected that Italy would be one step away to qualify for the finals of the 2018 World Cup. This is why missing the 2022 edition of the prestigious sporting event is surprising considering the good form of the team.
The Azzurri have won in the finals of the Euro 2020, defeating England with a final score of 1-1 at Wembley, where the ultimate decision was determined by penalty shootouts. The European team has gone through a roller-coaster ride in the past few years, having been lost to Sweden in the playoffs then reigning victorious at Euro.
The failure to defeat Northern Ireland and Switzerland in the European qualifiers for the World Cup ultimately cut them out of the 2022 competition. If the spots were expanded to 48, Italy may continue their unfinished business with England following their Euro match. Bet on England with free World Cup bets at Solarbet.
Hungary
Hungary have reached the World Cup final tournaments twice. The team was ranked in the number 41 position in the FIFA World Cup ranking for the best national teams in the World. However, the European team has poor preparations for the 2022 campaign.
In the last edition, Hungary landed on the fourth position in Group I, they fell behind England, Albania, and Poland.
Egypt
Among the formidable players who will miss the WorldCup22 is Mohamed Salah. The 30-year-old world superstar is the captain of the Egypt national football team. The team did not qualify for the upcoming tournament in Qatar because they were defeated by Senegal in the finals of the African Cup of Nations.
Ironically speaking, the person who defeated Salah in the AFCON is Sadio Mane, his teammate and good friend in his club team, Liverpool.
China
In 2011, China president Xi Jinping expressed his wish for the China national football team to qualify in the 2022 World Cup and for the country to automatically host the quadrennial tournament. Now that the slots for the 2026 edition will be expanded, the slots for Asian teams will increase which will provide China the chance to qualify.
While China has stunned the world with their lavish opening ceremony at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, hosting a FIFA World Cup would be a milestone for China. In total, China has spent SGD 9 billion to host the international event so they have all the resources to host the World Cup as well.
Nigeria
Just like China, the expansion of the slots would also entail an increase of the berths for African teams as well. We all know that navigating the playoff structure of CAF is very tricky, this is why formidable teams like Ivory Coast and Zambia have a hard time to qualify for the World Cup.
Ghana defeated Nigeria in the final tournaments of the AFCON which is the culprit in the failure of Nigeria to qualify for the World Cup. The Black Stars could’ve been a worthy contender in the group stage of the Qatar tournament.
Final Words
The upcoming 2022 FIFA World Cup will be considered as the grandest sporting venture in recent history. The tournament was plagued by criticisms for providing too many slots for European and South American teams. However, now that the 2026 edition will expand the slots further, more teams could join in next time.
For now, let’s center our attention to the 32 teams that made it to the competition. Know the World Cup 2022 fixtures Singapore time to know which team to support in the tournament.