5 Liverpool players who might not make the World Cup at this stage

"You can't play in the World Cup if your country doesn't qualify, and of all the countries that Liverpool's players represent, Georgia may be in the worst predicament. The Crusaders' recent loss away to Türkiye means that they can't finish second in their qualifying group. Consigned to third place, they would need not only to win their remaining qualifiers (which are home to Spain and away to Bulgaria) and would also need Romania and Sweden to put on charges in their respective groups just to qualify for a playoff spot. Great as it would be to see Georgia qualify for their first World Cup ever, I wouldn't put money on it."

"Speaking of the Swedes, it's looking grim for them, too. They must win their remaining matches (away to Switzerland and home to Slovenia) and hope for other results to go their way. It would really help if one or both of Romania and Wales failed to make second place in their respective groups. Sweden v Switzerland - FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifier | Michael Campanella/GettyImages Sweden did just fire head coach Jon Dahl Tomasson and replace him with recently sacked West Ham coach Graham Potter. That change of leadership might be good, but with Isak goalless in four qualifying matches, he'll need to find the net if his country's going to have any chance."

"The clouds seemed to have lifted at Liverpool after their recent victories over Aston Villa and Real Madrid, but with their fully deserved 3-0 defeat at the Etihad to Manchester City, the gloom has returned in full force to the Reds. So much for a peaceful international break for their fans. With their players going off to their national teams, let's see which members of Liverpool's squad will likely be watching the World Cup from their couches instead of playing."

Liverpool's brief optimism after wins over Aston Villa and Real Madrid evaporated following a 3-0 defeat to Manchester City, leaving fans gloomy ahead of the international break. Several Liverpool squad members face World Cup uncertainty for different reasons. Giorgi Mamardashvili's Georgia sit third after a loss to Türkiye and would need wins plus favourable results elsewhere to reach a playoff. Alexander Isak's Sweden must win remaining qualifiers while he seeks his first goals in four matches amid a coaching change to Graham Potter. Curtis Jones holds only limited England involvement and appears low in the midfield pecking order.

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