World-class combined XI that failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup

Forwards

Arjen Robben's international career has come to an end

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.

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.

Gareth Bale - a Euro semi-finalist with Wales but won't be at the World Cup

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.

Alexis Sanchez won back-to-back Copa America titles but won't be at the World Cup

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)