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It's not often that the usual suspects fail to qualify for a FIFA World Cup. And yet, here we are. So many top teams who were either regulars at the World Cup or were at their peak just a year or so ago will not be booking their flights to Russia in 2018.
As a result, the world will be deprived of the opportunity of watching legends of the game in action next summer. Some are deeply frustrated after failing to qualify. Others are heartbroken and have even announced their retirement from international football.
Here is a combined XI of world class players who failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.
Formation: 3-4-3
Goalkeeper
There wasn't a dry eye in Italy as they watched their team crash out in the playoff fixture against Sweden and Gianluigi Buffon bore the brunt of having to face the cameras just minutes after a humiliating exit.
The veteran goalkeeper, who had won with the Azzurri in 2006, was hoping to finish his career with one final appearance at the World Cup. Instead, he will be left to rue his missed opportunity to retire on the grandest stage of them all.
"I'm not sorry for myself but all of Italian football. This was my last game for Italy. I'm sorry. We are sorry!” - Buffon
Italy have been dire in the World Cup qualifiers, with Gian Piero Ventura culpable for failing to qualify with one of the most talented squads in the world.
As for il capitano, the journey ends after 175 caps for the national team over a career that spanned two decades.
Honourable mention: Tim Howard (USA)
Defence
Just like Buffon, there are two Italian stalwarts at the back who will not be at the World Cup next year.
Giorgio Chiellini may have also played his last match for Italy. At 33, a crack at qualifying for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar seems highly unlikely.
Chiellini could technically still play on and help the Azzurri qualify for Euro 2020. But the 2018 edition was supposed to be his swan song too before he retired from international football.
Instead, he too will probably hang up his blue Italian jersey and focus on his club career with Juventus. Which is a crying shame as he was just four appearances away from marking his 100 games for Italy.
Leonardo Bonucci, on the other hand, now faces the bleak prospect of playing for Italy without the likes of Chiellini and Barzagli (now 36) by his side. The AC Milan defender still has time on his side to qualify for the 2022 edition in Qatar.
Both he and Juventus have suffered following his move to the San Siro this summer. He now has the added responsibility of leading the defence with the youngsters such as Daniele Rugani and Alessio Romagnoli coming through.
But he will have to wait till after the World Cup to do so.
Virgil van Dijk has had whirlwind few months that he would love to put behind him. A rising star in the Premier League, he was reportedly the subject of bids from top clubs around England before he was asked to stay put at Southampton.
In the midst of his career stalling, his international career also saw a new low when Netherlands failed to qualify for the World Cup. The Dutch didn't even finish in the top two in their group as France and Sweden eventually qualified.
The Oranje's spectacular failure will see Van Dijk have a summer off with enough time for the 26-year-old to consider his future.
Honourable mentions: Andrea Barzagli (Italy) and Eric Bailly (Ivory Coast)
Wing-Backs
Poor Antonio Valencia had no chance of playing in this World Cup after Ecuador failed to qualify from the South American continent. Los Amarillos only managed to finish eighth out of 10 countries thanks to 10 losses in 18 games.
This was a country that had qualified for three of the last four World Cups and had even reached the knockout stages in 2006. But this Ecuador side is a shadow of that team that were eventually knocked out by a David Beckham goal.
David Alaba is one of the most coveted players in club football today. The versatile Bayern Munich man can play in defence, midfield, and the wings.
Of late he has thrived as a left-back but is highly capable of operating as a wing-back thanks to his propensity to attack and put balls into the box.
While he is surrounded by world class players at the Allianz Arena, the same cannot be said when he puts on an Austria shirt. Das Team only managed to finish fourth in their group behind Serbia, Ireland, and Wales.
Honourable mentions: Jean Beausejour (Chile)
Midfield
Arturo Vidal is another Bayern Munich star who will not be at the World Cup in Russia next year. The combative midfielder has had his moments over the past couple of years with the Chile squad and was a key player in their Copa America triumphs despite his run-ins with the law for driving under the influence.
Chile really should have qualified for the World Cup. It seems almost outlandish that the two-time South American champions will not be in Russia in 2018.
But they have only themselves to blame after taking their entire senior squad to the Confederations Cup, tiring out key players after a grueling season and eventually losing crucial qualifiers.
The 3-0 win that was awarded to them also hurt them in the end as it eventually saw them finish sixth - not even good enough for a playoff spot.
Also read: How a 3-0 'win' saw Chile fail to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup
Marco Verratti is the fourth Italian on this team (you see the trend here?). The central midfielder has progressed from strength to strength in the past few years and is Paris saint-Germain's midfield linchpin.
The 25-year-old central midfield playmaker was looking forward to appearing in his second World Cup and pull the strings in midfield like his mentor Andrea Pirlo did in 2014.
Sadly, it was not meant to be and his suspension for the second leg of the playoffs against Sweden certainly did not help Italy at all.
Honourable mentions: Aaron Ramsey (Wales), Wesley Sneijder (Netherlands), and Jean Michael Seri (Ivory Coast)
Forwards
Arjen Robben will be sorely missed by Netherlands after he hung up his international boots to focus on his club career. At 33, there was no sense in continuing to struggle to drag the Oranje over the line time and again.
"The man of glass has lasted the longest." - Robben after he announced his international retirement.
He was the top goal scorer for Netherlands in the qualifiers with 6 goals. But with little to no support thanks to a generation gap between players, a young squad and a revolving door for coaches, the Dutch never looked like they were even going to scrape through - finishing third behind France and Sweden.
Also read: 5 reasons for Netherlands' decline as a football superpower
Gareth Bale will count himself unlucky after Wales failed to qualify. The Welsh forward's injury saw the side struggle in the final qualifiers which were crucial to their progress.
Nobody else scored more goals than him (4 goals) from the Welsh squad as The Dragons finished third behind Serbia and Republic of Ireland.
It's a big fall from grace - especially after they reached the semi-finals of Euro 2016. They were expected to ride that wave in the World Cup qualifiers as well. Sadly, one too many draws proved to be their undoing.
Alexis Sanchez is another player who would like to forget the past few months. International disappointment aside, his failed transfer to Manchester City has seen him struggle to find the same form when he hit his career peak with Arsenal last season.
He tried his best to lift Chile into the top five of the CONMEBOL rankings to qualify for the World Cup but the South American side struggled following their Confederations Cup run in Russia.
The forward will still have a chance to qualify in 2022, though. But a long wait lies ahead of him. In this XI, he is more of a false-nine than a striker.
Honourable mentions: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon) and Edin Dzeko (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
