Should FIFA create a World Cup Barbarians team for future men’s and women’s tournaments?
In this special episode of By Far The Greatest Team, we take one of football’s most ridiculous ideas and, naturally, start treating it far more seriously than we probably should.
What if FIFA held back one slot at future World Cups for a Barbarians-style football team — a mixed squad made up of players whose nations failed to qualify, players left out of final squads, and the great talents the tournament simply does not get to show?
No, not to replace national teams.
No, not to steal anyone’s place.
But to give football’s biggest tournament one more story.
Welcome to the FIFA Barbarians 26.
Using our own selection rules — players must either come from nations that failed to qualify or have been left out by countries that did, with a maximum of three players from any one nation — we build a fantasy squad good enough to make FIFA’s marketing department reach for a whiteboard.
There are elite goalkeepers denied the stage.
There are defenders from Italy, England and beyond.
There are midfielders with Premier League power, Champions League class and World Cup heartbreak.
There are forwards who would terrify most international back lines.
And yes, there is a manager. A very particular manager.
We name-drop, argue over, and eventually select from players including Jan Oblak, Donnarumma, Ramsdale, Matty Cash, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Harry Maguire, Alessandro Bastoni, Sandro Tonali, Dominik Szoboszlai, Foden, Palmer, Kvaratskhelia, Bryan Mbeumo, Lookman, Victor Osimhen, Robert Lewandowski, João Pedro and many more.
But who actually makes the final XI?
Who gets squeezed out by the three-player-per-nation rule?
And which manager is trusted to lead football’s most chaotic tournament experiment?
That is where the fun begins.
Takeaways
If you love football history, World Cup debate, fantasy XIs, classic tournament stories, tactical arguments, forgotten stars, cult heroes, and slightly absurd ideas taken far too seriously, this one is for you.
Follow By Far The Greatest Team for more football history, legendary teams, forgotten sides, cult heroes, World Cup stories and the search for the greatest football team of all time.
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