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    The 48 teams taking part in this summer’s 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup have unveiled their squads, with a number of big names set to miss out.

    Star Real Madrid and France midfielder Eduardo Camavinga, for instance, missed out on Didier Deschamps’ final World Cup squad. Things haven’t fared better for the Spanish contingent at Real Madrid either, with Spain taking no players from the Bernabéu for the first time ever.

    The arrival of the squad announcements has ramped up the excitement for the World Cup. Throughout the build up and tournament itself, Bettors.co.za will be on hand to provide daily news, match reports, and deep dives into South African football culture.

    Bafana Bafana are once again playing in the opening game of the World Cup, facing co-hosts Mexico on 11th June. The fixture is a replay of the famous first match of the 2010 edition when South Africa hosted, and duly shocked the world by drawing the game 1-1.

    Hopes are high for South Africa heading into the World Cup, but they still find themselves in among the nations who’ve made some surprising selection choices. These are the biggest shock omissions heading into the 2026 World Cup.

    South Africa

    The most controversial omission from South Africa’s World Cup squad was Kaizer Chiefs captain and star goalkeeper Brandon Petersen. Despite Petersen not representing Bafana Bafana before, his standout season in the PSL had meant he was widely expected to be a part of the squad.

    Disaster struck for Petersen, though, when appendicitis meant he had to drop out of the warm-up matches against Panama to recover from emergency surgery.

    Although now healthy again, manager Hugo Broos has elected to leave Petersen at home. His reasoning is that the goalkeeper has only spent a few days with the squad, and Broos didn’t want to risk taking a player that hadn’t been properly integrated into such a high pressure situation. The decision, right or wrong, has caused fierce debate among South Africa fans.

    Another surprise omission is Orlando Pirates attacking midfielder Patrick Maswanganyi. The player has impressed for his club in a traditional Number 10 role, dropping deep and controlling the tempo of the game. Broos prefers a more modern double pivot in his midfield, though, meaning Maswanganyi was deemed surplus to requirements.

    England

    England fans have long demanded that their national team managers select players based on form rather than reputation. For 2026, German manager Thomas Tuchel had granted them their wish, with three big names omitted from his World Cup squad.

    The most surprising was central defender Harry Maguire. The Manchester United player has done well to rebuild his career after some poor seasons, and won a spot in Tuchel’s squad for the March internationals. Fans and pundits alike thought this meant Maguire had done enough to force his way back into England’s plans, especially after playing such a huge role in England’s recent tournament success.

    In the end, Tuchel didn’t select Maguire for the World Cup, saying that he preferred the tactical mobility and cohesion that his existing players had. This, however, raised even more questions about why Tuchel recalled him if he never planned to take Maguire in the summer.

    The other two big names missing out are Chelsea’s Cole Palmer and Phil Foden of Manchester City. Both have been star attackers for England in the past, but poor performances in March and underwhelming club seasons have meant they didn’t make the squad.

    Brazil

    Most of Brazil’s World Cup selection talk has centred around Neymar, and whether the country’s all-time leading male goalscorer would make the squad. It’s been an almost three-year road back from a devastating knee injury for Neymar, and it was uncertain until the last minute whether he’d make it to a fourth and final tournament.

    When the squad was announced, Neymar had done enough to convince Italian manager Carlo Ancelotti that he was fit enough for selection and made the cut. This meant other attackers needed to miss out, and where the surprises began.

    The biggest shock was the omission of Chelsea striker Joao Pedro. Despite being named his club’s Player of the Season after bagging 15 goals in 34 league games, he snubbed by Ancelotti. This was reportedly due to his international goal scoring record, with Joao Pedro yet to get a goal in his 8 caps.

    The Premier League turned out to be a hotbed of contentious decisions for Ancelotti. Arsenal’s Gabriel Jesus and Tottenham Hotspur’s Richarlison were both overlooked, with Brentford’s Igor Thiago and Manchester United’s Matheus Cunha preferred instead.

    After a lacklustre March, there’ll be eyes on Brazil to see if Ancelotti got his big calls with his attack right.

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