12 Longest Absences From The World Cup

Last Appearance: 1982

Football is practically a religion in Central and South America. All but four countries are former Spanish colonies (Belize and Guyana were British, Suriname was Dutch and Brazil was Portuguese) and have a similar cultural heritage that includes a passionate devotion to the beautiful game.

Football is such a big deal in the nations El Salvador and Honduras that it actually resulted in a war between the two. Tensions were already high over territorial disputes when they faced in each other in a three-game series to earn a spot at the 1970 World Cup, El Salvador winning and becoming the first Central American team bar Mexico to make the finals.

Four days of aggression soon followed after there were riots at the match, resulting in 3000 deaths (900 Salvadorians and 2100 Hondurans) before a ceasefire was negotiated.

El Salvador qualified for a second and final time in 1982. Across two tournaments they lost all six of their matches, scoring just one goal and conceding twenty two. As a result they hold the unwanted position of being rock bottom of the all-time World Cup table, outperformed by all of the other seventy eight teams to have participated (albeit only on goal difference by many).

Their Honduran neighbours (with whom they still have a fractured relationship) have been slightly more successful in recent years, having appeared at the 2010 and 2014 tournaments after making their debut in 1982.