The report’s team is built around recognisable top-level talent:
It is a balanced side on paper. There is ball progression in defence, athleticism in midfield and proven end product across the front three.
The attack is where the absence feels most glaring. The report says Osimhen scored eight goals in qualifying, yet Nigeria still missed out. Lookman reportedly arrived with serious momentum after a Europa League final hat-trick and a strong continental campaign, but individual form was not enough.
Then there is Kvaratskhelia, the kind of winger who can change the rhythm of a game on his own, and Szoboszlai, whose set-piece quality and leadership remain central for Hungary. When players of that profile are watching from home, the tournament loses edge as well as star power.
International football is less forgiving than the club game. There are fewer matches, thinner margins and less time to recover from a bad window. A nation can produce one or two elite footballers and still lack the depth, structure or consistency to finish the job.
That is why this XI feels more revealing than gimmicky. These players will return to club football with reputations intact, but the next storyline is obvious: who turns that disappointment into a huge season, and which of these nations begins rebuilding fastest for the next qualifying cycle?