Kuwait qualified only once, in 1982, and managed to draw with Czechoslovakia. That’s like getting a participation trophy at the Olympics, and they love it. South Korea? They’re a World Cup legend for one reason: they reached the semifinals in 2002, with a little help from referees who apparently forgot their glasses. The whole thing was suspicious, but boy, was it fun.
And then there’s Kazakhstan, who are not in the World Cup, but I refuse to skip the letter K. They have a national football team that once lost to San Marino—and San Marino is basically a postage stamp with a goalie. So let’s move on.
L: The Loneliness of the Letter L
Luxembourg has never qualified for the World Cup, and they’re fine with that. They’re the world’s richest country, so they just buy better TVs to watch the tournament. Lesotho and Liberia are also here in spirit, but they’re more into rugby and running, respectively.
Qatar is the only team that starts with Q, and they’re the hosts of 2026. They spent $200 billion to build stadiums, then lost all three group games. That’s like throwing a party in a castle and then spilling soup on your own carpet. But they did score a goal against Senegal, so hey—small victories.
