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Russia 2018 World Cup May Be Without Messi and Ronaldo
As it is getting anxious for teams and players fearing missing out on the World Cup, two of the world’s iconic players are possible victims.
By the time the draw for the finals is conducted in Moscow in December, even Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo could be facing up to spending next June on the beach rather than on the fields in Russia.
For now, only seven qualification slots have been filled by Belgium, Brazil, Iran, Japan, Mexico, Saudi Arabia and South Korea.
Another 24 places are still vacant, after the latest rounds of qualifiers.
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MESSI AND RONALDO
Time is running out for the two best players in world soccer over the last decade. Not just to win the World Cup for the first time, either, because Ronaldo and Messi might not even make the trip to Russia.
As things stand in Europe, Ronaldo’s Portugal is second in its qualifying group and the reigning European champions are facing a November playoff to gain a spot in the following month’s finals draw.
At least Portugal won both games in the last week. Argentina was held by both Uruguay and Venezuela in Jorge Sampaoli’s first games in charge, despite having Messi back from suspension.
Argentina still has time to move up from fifth to the fourth and final automatic qualification place.
But the final two qualifiers next month for the two-time world champions are against Peru — currently fourth — and Ecuador — chasing Argentina in fifth place for the right to face New Zealand in a playoff.
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CHAMPIONS COLLAPSE
The World Cup will be without African champion Cameroon. Copa America winner Chile could be absent, too.
Cameroon’s qualification bid ended this week, while Chile is sixth in the South American standings and struggling to force its way into a playoff after losing to Bolivia on Tuesday.
It’s barely two months since the Chileans were contesting the Confederations Cup final where they lost to Germany, and players are feeling the heat.
“You get tired of being criticized with reason and without reason,” Chile forward Alexis Sanchez wrote on Instagram.
“You get tired of people wanting to see you lose, you get tired of saying to yourself ‘Once more I’ll get up’ after crying after a defeat, and you get tired of telling the world and people who are with you, that everything is going well.”
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AMERICANS CLING ON
The United States is in danger of missing its first World Cup since 1986 after a home loss to Costa Rica and a draw in Honduras.
Bruce Arena’s team is hanging onto fourth place by goal difference ahead of Honduras. The fourth-place team is still plunged into a playoff against Australia or Syria to qualify for Russia.
Next up in October for the Americans are a Panama side which is a point ahead of them in the third automatic qualification place and last-place Trinidad and Tobago.
It’s the first time since 1989 that the qualification fate of the U.S. has been on the line going into the finale.
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SYRIA’S BID
Several teams are still in contention to make their World Cup debuts in Russia: Burkina Faso, Panama, Uganda … and Syria.
To qualify, Syria would have to beat Australia over two games in October and then overcome a CONCACAF opponent in a November playoff round.
When Syria drew in Iran on Tuesday in qualifying, there were celebrations home back in the capital Damascus.
What makes Syria’s progress on the field even more remarkable is the team is playing as a civil war rages. That is also what makes the prospect of a Syrian team packed with government supporters appearing at the World Cup potentially problematic for critics of the President Bashir Assad’s regime.
FIFA rules say politics should be separated completely from the soccer.
A World Cup trip next June by Assad to Russia, Syria’s chief international ally, could rapidly become a sensitive issue for FIFA.
Without citing any country, the Asian Football Confederation opened an investigation on Wednesday into rule breaches linked to the need for national teams to respect political neutrality.
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DUTCH DESPAIR
The Netherlands is facing missing a second straight major tournament, with even a place in the playoffs slipping out of sight.
The 2010 World Cup finalists were dealt one of the hardest groups, but a 4-0 loss to leader France last week showed the size of the gulf between Dick Advocaat’s side and the continental powers.
The Dutch are third in their group with two games remaining, three points behind their final group opponent, Sweden.
Although France leads the group from Sweden, Les Bleus have carelessly dropped points in a late defeat to Sweden in June and a 0-0 home draw with lowly Luxembourg.
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GERMAN FAN TROUBLE
Germany’s problem isn’t qualifying for Russia as the World Cup holders lead their group by five points with two games remaining. The issue is the behaviour of fans.
There is abuse aimed often at their own player — Timo Werner — all over a dive by the striker in a German league game last season.
Far more disturbing are the Nazi slogans that were chanted during a game in the Czech Republic last week and led to FIFA opening an investigation.
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NO QATAR
Qatar’s qualification bid ended in failure last week, just like in every previous campaign.
The significance this time is that the Gulf nation will now make its debut on soccer’s biggest stage when it hosts the World Cup in 2022.
BY KUNLE SOLAJA, NEW YORK
Africa emerged as the most successful confederation in the group stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with an unprecedented 90 percent of its representatives advancing to the Round of 32.
Nine of the 10 African teams that started the tournament secured places in the knockout phase, giving the Confederation of African Football (CAF) the highest qualification rate among all six continental confederations.
The African nations progressing to the Round of 32 are South Africa, Morocco, Côte d’Ivoire, Cape Verde, Senegal, Egypt, Ghana, DR Congo and Algeria.
Only one African team failed to survive the group stage, underscoring the continent’s growing competitiveness on football’s biggest stage.
CAF’s 90 per cent success rate placed it ahead of South America’s CONMEBOL, which saw 83.33 per cent of its teams advance, and Europe’s UEFA, whose members recorded an 81.25 per cent qualification rate.
The figures represent a significant shift in the global football landscape, where European and South American nations have traditionally dominated World Cup competitions.
The expanded 48-team format appears to have provided African countries with greater opportunities to showcase their progress, and they responded with a series of impressive performances throughout the group stage.
Cape Verde emerged as one of the tournament’s surprise packages by reaching the knockout rounds for the first time, while South Africa, DR Congo and Algeria also celebrated historic advances.
Senegal made history by becoming the first African nation to score five goals in a World Cup match, while Morocco continued the momentum generated by their remarkable semi-final run at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
In contrast, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) endured a difficult campaign, with only 22.22 per cent of its teams progressing. The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) recorded a 50 per cent qualification rate despite having the advantage of three host nations.
Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) failed to place any team in the Round of 32.
World Cup Round of 32 Qualification Rates by Confederation
- CAF (Africa): 90%
- CONMEBOL (South America): 83.33%
- UEFA (Europe): 81.25%
- CONCACAF (North and Central America/Caribbean): 50%
- AFC (Asia): 22.22%
- OFC (Oceania): 0%
The statistics show Africa’s growing influence in world football and raise hopes that the continent could produce its strongest collective performance ever in the knockout stages of a FIFA World Cup.
With nine teams still in contention, Africa enters the Round of 32 with more representatives than any other confederation and a genuine opportunity to challenge for the latter stages of the tournament.
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BY KUNLE SOLAJA, NEW YORK.
Ecuador will look to continue their strong record against Concacaf opposition when they face Curaçao in a Group E encounter at the FIFA World Cup 2026.
The South Americans enter the match having won their last two World Cup meetings with teams from the Concacaf region and will be eager to maintain that trend as they chase a place in the knockout rounds.
For Curaçao, however, the fixture represents an opportunity to create history.
The Caribbean nation is one of the tournament’s debutants and is still searching for its first World Cup victory. After suffering a heavy defeat to Germany in their opening match, Curaçao will be desperate to demonstrate the resilience and determination that earned them a place at the expanded 48-team tournament.
A victory would make them the first of the World Cup 2026 newcomers to register a win and would provide a significant boost to their qualification hopes.
Ecuador are expected to rely on their experience at this level, but they know underestimating Curaçao could prove costly. The underdogs have already shown flashes of attacking quality despite their difficult introduction against Germany.
As the group stage begins to take shape, both teams understand the importance of securing points. Ecuador are chasing progression, while Curaçao are chasing history.
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BY KUNLE SOLAJA, NEW YORK.
As Morocco edge closer to the knockout stages of the FIFA World Cup 2026, captain Achraf Hakimi finds himself at the centre of two parallel narratives; one being football excellence and the other by legal proceedings that continue to cast a shadow over his career.
On the pitch, the 27-year-old has never appeared more influential.
Morocco’s 1-0 victory over Scotland not only moved the Atlas Lions within touching distance of the Round of 32, it also elevated Hakimi into the record books as the African player with the most FIFA World Cup appearances.
The Paris Saint-Germain defender made his 12th World Cup appearance, surpassing the previous mark jointly held by Cameroonian legend François Omam-Biyik and Ghana’s all-time leading scorer Asamoah Gyan.
It is a remarkable achievement for a player who made his World Cup debut as a teenager in Russia in 2018 and has since become one of the most recognisable faces of African football.
For Hakimi, the record is another milestone in a career already decorated with major club honours and individual accolades, including the African Footballer of the Year award. It also reinforces his status as one of the driving forces behind Morocco’s rise as a global football power.
His influence was most vividly illustrated at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where Morocco became the first African and Arab nation to reach the semi-finals of the tournament. Hakimi’s composure, leadership and attacking flair helped transform the Atlas Lions into one of the competition’s most compelling stories.
Four years later, he remains the heartbeat of a Moroccan side determined to prove that their success in Qatar was no one-off achievement.
The signs have been encouraging. Morocco opened their campaign with an impressive 1-1 draw against five-time champions Brazil before defeating Scotland to move within a point of qualification. A draw against Haiti in their final group match would be enough to secure passage to the knockout rounds.
Yet while Hakimi’s football achievements continue to accumulate, events away from the game have ensured that public attention remains divided.
The defender is facing the prospect of a criminal trial in France following allegations of rape first reported in 2023. Hakimi has consistently denied wrongdoing and has sought to challenge the legal process through the courts.
French media reported this week that an appeals court rejected a challenge to his referral to criminal court, clearing the way for a future trial.
Responding publicly, Hakimi reiterated his innocence and welcomed the opportunity to present his version of events.
“Today, a story that isn’t mine is being told at the expense of my family, my life, and above all, the truth,” he wrote on social media platform X.
“I’ve been waiting for this trial since day one. And now I’m looking forward to it. Finally, I’ll be able to speak out.”
The legal proceedings remain ongoing, and no trial date has been announced.
For now, Morocco’s captain appears determined to keep his focus on football.
That ability to compartmentalise challenges has become a defining characteristic of elite athletes, particularly those operating under intense global scrutiny. With millions watching every move, Hakimi has continued to perform at the highest level for both club and country.
His record-breaking appearance against Scotland demonstrated once again why he remains indispensable to Morocco’s ambitions. Whether surging down the flank, organising teammates or inspiring supporters, Hakimi has become the symbol of a generation that has redefined expectations for African football.
As the World Cup enters its decisive phase, Morocco’s hopes of another deep run rest heavily on the shoulders of their captain.
The legal questions surrounding Hakimi will ultimately be settled in court. On the field, however, his contribution to Moroccan football is already firmly established.
And as the Atlas Lions pursue another place in World Cup history, their captain continues to add chapters to a legacy that has made him one of Africa’s most accomplished footballers.
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