The nations relishing long-awaited World Cup returns

The old adage that ‘absence makes the heart grow fonder’ was borne out on 18 November.

On that single momentous day of qualifying, wild celebrations erupted in Glasgow, Oslo, Port-au-Prince and Vienna as four proud football nations returned to the FIFA World Cup™ after more than a quarter-of-a-century – or half-a-century in one case – of looking on from the sidelines.

With Friday's final draw now looming large, we look closer at the teams with particular reason for relishing their long-awaited involvement.

AustriaAustria

Length of absenceLength of absence

28 years

How they fared last timeHow they fared last time

Though three of their France 98 Group B matches were tight and competitive, Herbert Prohaska’s side fell behind in each of them. Stoppage-time goals in all three earned them draws against Cameroon and Chile, but couldn’t prevent a 2-1 loss to Italy that ended their last-16 hopes.

How they qualified this timeHow they qualified this time

Austria hit the front early in Group H, with key wins at home to Romania and away to Bosnia and Herzegovina. It took until November for their first points to be dropped but there was drama at the very end, when they fell behind at home to the second-placed Bosnians and needed a late equaliser from Michael Gregoritsch to avoid dropping into the UEFA play-offs.

Star player last timeStar player last time

Though past his pomp by the time France 98 rolled around, Toni Polster fortified his reputation as an Austrian icon. Already the team’s captain and all-time record marksman, the 34-year-old became their first scorer in the ’98 finals when he smashed home an injury-time equaliser against Cameroon.

Star player this timeStar player this time

Christoph Baumgartner, Konrad Laimer and Marcel Sabitzer are all powerful performers, while the evergreen Marko Arnautovic struck eight times during qualifying to surpass Polster and become Austria's all-time leading scorer. But captain David Alaba, when fit, remains the team's key man, bringing all the class and intelligence that, for the past decade and more, has made him of Europe’s elite players.

HaitiHaiti

Length of absenceLength of absence

54 years

How they fared last timeHow they fared last time

Having qualified for a maiden World Cup by winning the Concacaf Championship for the first time in their history, Haiti found themselves in a formidable group at the 1974 finals that included Italy, Argentina and a Poland team that would go on to finish third. Three defeats duly followed, but goals against the Italians and Argentinians nonetheless brought pride to the nation.

How they qualified this timeHow they qualified this time

After coming through the second round, Haiti prevailed in a tough third-round section that included Costa Rica and Honduras, taking four points from Los Ticos en route before sealing their place with a 2-0 win over Nicaragua.

Star player last timeStar player last time

Emmanuel Sanon was responsible for both Haiti’s goals in 1974, and his strike against Italy was especially memorable. Beyond the athleticism and skill he showed in racing through and rounding Dino Zoff, he became the first player to score past the iconic keeper in international football for over two years.

Star player this time Star player this time

The hero of Haiti’s fairy tale qualifying campaign, Duckens Nazon struck six times – including a second-half hat-trick to rescue a point against Costa Rica. That tally left the well-travelled striker joint-top scorer in the Concacaf preliminaries and on the cusp of eclipsing Sanon as his nation’s all-time leading marksman.

NorwayNorway

Length of absenceLength of absence

28 years

How they fared last timeHow they fared last time

After drawing against Scotland and Morocco in their opening two matches at France 98, Norway knew that an unlikely victory over holders Brazil would be required to qualify from Group A. That, much to everyone’s surprise, was exactly what Egil Olsen’s side got, as they came from behind to beat Ronaldo and Co with two late goals, setting up a Round of 16 tie with Italy, which they narrowly lost.

How they qualified this timeHow they qualified this time

Few teams reached the 2026 finals in more impressive style than the Norwegians, who didn’t drop a single point and racked up 37 goals – seven of those against four-time champions Italy – en route to topping Group I.

Star player last timeStar player last time

Despite having Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to call upon, Egil Olsen put his trust in another Premier League star, Chelsea’s Tore Andre Flo, to lead Norway’s attack. The giant striker was perfectly suited to Olsen’s direct style and scored a fine goal spark that fateful comeback against Brazil.

Star player this timeStar player this time

While Martin Odegaard is the team’s captain and one of the finest midfielders in the game, even the Arsenal star would likely admit that there is no seeing past Erling Haaland in this category. The Manchester City striker, who became Norway’s record scorer at the age of just 24, struck 16 times across eight World Cup 2026 qualifiers to fire his nation back to the finals.

ScotlandScotland

Length of absenceLength of absence

28 years

How they fared last timeHow they fared last time

Scotland returned home from France 98 having finished bottom of Group A and collected just a single point. After narrowly losing to Brazil in the tournament’s opening match and drawing 1-1 with Norway, their fate was sealed with a 3-0 defeat to Morocco.

How they qualified this timeHow they qualified this time

A qualifying campaign packed with largely underwhelming performances reached a stunning and spectacular crescendo in the Scots’ final fixture. Four goals, three of them magnificent - and two in stoppage time – fired them to a victory over Denmark that also led to a leapfrogging of the Danes into top spot.

Star player last timeStar player last time

There was no talisman, or clear standout, in the team Craig Brown took to France. John Collins, a classy left-footed midfielder who had just won the French title with Monaco, was perhaps the closest, and opened the Scots’ account with a well taken penalty against Brazil.

Star player this timeStar player this time

A legend in Naples, having been named Serie A MVP when Napoli recaptured the Scudetto in 2025, Scott McTominay is also an icon among Scotland fans. Having been the team’s top scorer in their UEFA EURO 2024 qualifying campaign with seven goals, this powerful midfielder produced a moment of acrobatic magic to open the scoring in that decisive World Cup duel against Denmark.