12 Longest Absences From The World Cup

Last Appearance: 1974

Whilst the nations that make up Central and South America eat, drink and breathe football as discussed in the El Salvador entry, the sport has to jostle with cricket for popularity in many of the Caribbean island states that make up the CONCACAF federation with the former, as the combined West Indies team are a major global force.

Just four Caribbean nations have ever qualified to a World Cup, having lost out to juggernauts like Mexico time and time again in the quest to earn one of the few qualifying spots allocated to the region. Two of these were fairly recent - Trinidad & Tobago in 2006 and Jamaica in 1998, but before that you have to go back to 1974 when the island of Haiti (one of the few not into cricket as an ex-French colony) prevailed over five nations (including Mexico) to take the one and only spot then on offer.

Cut down in quick succession by Italy, Poland and Argentina, the Haitians went home with zero points and fourteen goals conceded, though all-time record appearance holder Emmanuel Sanon netted twice to give them a consolation to take home to their people.

Haiti have been very hit and miss since, having not managed to make 'the Hex', the six-team final continental qualification round, at all since its inception for the 1998 World Cup. They did qualify for the centennial edition of the Copa America in 2015, but lost all three of their games.