Qatar 2022: National teams that have missed World Cups after being penalized by FIFA

Qatar 2022 represents excitement for a select group of National Teams that have already qualified for it; however, for most others, it means frustration and sadness for not having been able to achieve their goal of participating. The fact is that losing the privilege of playing a World Cup on the field is painful, but when it happens for reasons outside the field of play, it is even more painful.

In the history of the FIFA World Cup, there have been teams that have seen their aspirations to be among those chosen to play in the most prestigious tournament in the world of soccer split in two, and not precisely because of their performance in this sport, but because of issues that go beyond the fact of kicking a ball.

Thus, the recent detonation of the case of the Ecuador National Team, who was at risk of being left out of Qatar 2022 after the Chilean Football Federation filed a formal complaint with FIFA for an alleged irregularity by the Ecuadorians when they fielded Byron Castillo during the Conmebol Qualifiers. FIFA ruled on June 10, following an investigation by its disciplinary committee, that the complaint was inadmissible.

In 117 years of existence of federated and organized soccer, governed by FIFA, there have been other cases in which various events that have occurred off the field have left several National Teams without the possibility of playing in a World Cup, due to the sanctions imposed on them.

The following is a recount of the most notorious cases of teams whose dreams of playing in the FIFA World Cup were cut short due to sanctions they received, a painful road that the Ecuador National Team is in danger of going down due to the investigation initiated by FIFA regarding Byron Castillo's birth