When was the last time Portugal did not qualify for the World Cup?

Serbia starred in the surprise on the European qualifying day for the World Cup in Qatar. Dragan Stojkovic's team needed to win in Portugal to snatch the first place from the Portuguese and qualify directly and they did so thanks to a goal from Aleksandar Mitrovic in the 90th minute.

In this way, Portugal will have to play the pass to Qatar in the play-off, something that is not new for them. But if we think of a World Cup without the Portuguese team we have to go back to 1998. The World Cup that was played in France was the last without Portugal, which also had not qualified for the previous two: United States 1994 and Italy 1990.

The Portugal team has been present in the last five World Cups (2002, 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2018) and if it does not get the pass for Qatar 2022 it would be one of the great absences of the contest. That is why Cristiano Ronaldo and company will play it all or nothing in the play-off to be played in March and in which 12 teams fight for three places.