Will Kylian Mbappe lead France to their third European Championship title? Or will Harry Kane help bring almost 60 years of hurt to a close for England? Spain and Portugal will also be in the mix, while Germany are poised for a resurgence on home soil, and it would be foolish to write off the likes of Italy, the Netherlands and Belgium.

Lamine Yamal, Joao Neves, Jamal Musiala and Xavi Simons will be among the youngsters aiming to make a mark, while veterans such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Olivier Giroud, Toni Kroos and Luka Modric look to write another glorious chapter in their illustrious career stories. However, there are a host of other star names who didn't even manage to book a ticket - despite the fact the 2024 tournament is able to welcome 24 teams.

Through a combination of misfortune, thin resources and, in certain cases, poor performance, some of Europe's brightest talents have been forced to take the summer off. GOAL lists the top 10 players who failed to qualify, starting with a certain Norwegian terminator...

Erling Haaland (Norway)

It would be a travesty if the world's best striker never played at a major international tournament, but it's already starting to feel like a distinct possibility for Erling Haaland. The 23-year-old scored six goals in qualifying for Norway, but they still couldn't reach the play-offs, and finished a distant six points behind Group A runners-up Scotland.

It might have been different had Haaland not picked up an injury that limited him to just five appearances, but Norway have become far too reliant on the Manchester City superstar. They will have to become a more well-rounded side to make the 2026 World Cup, with only three of the extra 16 places at the finals being allocated to European nations.

Martin Odegaard (Norway)

Not even the presence of Arsenal playmaker Martin Odegaard could lift Norway, whose last appearance at the Euros came way back in 2000. By the former Real Madrid man's high standards, he underperformed in qualifying, registering just two goal involvements, and wasn't nearly as influential in his role as captain for the national team as he has been on a weekly basis at the Emirates Stadium.

Gunners boss Mikel Arteta will be glad that his prized asset is getting a proper rest in the off-season, but a player of Odegaard's class belongs on the biggest stage. The 25-year-old is a master technician capable of opening defences up at will with his incisive passing, he just hasn't shown it often enough for his country; though perhaps that will change on the back of his most impressive season yet at club level.

Evan Ferguson (Ireland)

It's easy to forget that Evan Ferguson only made his debut for Ireland in November 2022, as he has since become a regular in the Brighton first team while reportedly emerging as a transfer target for a host of top clubs, including Manchester United and Chelsea. He's now up to 12 caps for his country, and is seen as the leading light of their next generation, which puts a lot of pressure on the 19-year-old's shoulders.

Ferguson could hardly have experienced a tougher first European Championship qualifying campaign, with Ireland ultimately finishing way behind France, the Netherlands and Greece in Group C. Still, the Brighton man found the net twice and notched an assist in six games, which wasn't a bad return, and Ireland can look to the future with optimism as he continues his rapid rise to prominence in the Premier League.

Dejan Kulusevski (Sweden)

Dejan Kulusevski was one of Tottenham's best performers in 2023-24, as he helped them achieve a fifth-place Premier League finish under Ange Postecoglou. However, he wasn't as impressive for Sweden, who failed to qualify for the European Championship for the first time since 1996.

Belgium and Austria left Sweden trailing in their wake in Group F, and Kulusevski only managed to score once, while also playing the full 90 minutes of their embarrassing 3-0 loss to Azerbaijan. The former Juventus man has yet to really deliver in the famous yellow shirt, but he still has his prime years ahead of him at 24, and will be a big part of new manager Jon Dahl Tomasson's set-up.

Alexander Isak (Sweden)

Alexander Isak has been billed as the Swedish version of France and Arsenal legend Thierry Henry after his superb start to life at Newcastle, where he has hit 31 Premier League goals across two seasons - despite dealing with a series of niggling injuries. Those fitness problems have limited his impact on the international scene, though, as he only appeared in five of Sweden's Euro 2024 qualifiers, scoring once.

Alongside Sporting sensation Viktor Gyokeres, Kulusevski and Anthony Elanga, Isak completes a formidable Swedish forward line, and they should bounce back strongly when the road to the next World Cup begins. Isak will be a big miss at the Euros because he's deadly with both feet and scintillating to watch in full flow, but the 24-year-old has time on his side when it comes to fulfilling his international ambitions as part of a Sweden squad with bags of potential.

Lukas Hradecky (Finland)

Anyone that has followed Bayer Leverkusen's ascent to the top of the Bundesliga standings closely will be familiar with their captain Lukas Hradecky, who kept 15 clean sheets for Xabi Alonso's side as they clinched their first-ever German top-flight crown. The 34-year-old goalkeeper is ageing like a fine wine and is also still going strong for Finland, having earned 91 caps to date.

Three of those appearances came in the group stages at Euro 2020, but Finland won't be back this time around, having suffered a heart-breaking semi-final play-off loss to Wales in March. Hradecky has played a vital role as Finland have punched above their weight in recent years, and it's unfortunate he probably won't get another chance to grace a major tournament.

Brennan Johnson (Wales)

Tottenham forked out £47.5m ($61m) to lure Brennan Johnson away from Nottingham Forest last summer, and he went on to justify that fee by registering 15 goal involvements in his first Premier League campaign with the north London outfit. Johnson also came within a whisker of making it to Euro 2024, after scoring in Wales' 4-1 play-off semi-final win over Finland.

The Dragons ended up losing their final against Poland on penalties, though, with manager Rob Page opting to take Johnson off after just 70 minutes. The 23-year-old can be a nightmare for opposition defences with his pace and direct style of play, and he's versatile enough to play anywhere across the frontline, but it remains to be seen whether he can fill Gareth Bale's boots as Wales' talisman in the coming years.

Conor Bradley (Northern Ireland)

The 2023-24 campaign turned out to be a breakthrough one for Conor Bradley, who was thrust into Liverpool's starting XI amid an unprecedented defensive injury crisis. His best performance came in a 4-1 demolition of Chelsea at Anfield in January, which saw him score and lay on two assists, and he could have a big part to play in the Reds' new era under Arne Slot.

Bradley has actually been playing for senior football for Northern Ireland since 2021, but wasn't able to lift them to Euro 2024, as they finished behind Denmark, Slovenia, Finland and Kazakhstan in their qualifying group. There is reason that Northern Ireland have only played at one European Championship in their entire history, and that's simply a lack of strength in depth, but in Bradley they have a player who could lead them towards a brighter future.

Kostas Tsimikas (Greece)

Kostas Tsimikas has served as Andrew Robertson's understudy at Liverpool for the past four seasons, and his wealth of experience in both the Premier League and Champions League makes him a useful asset for Greece. The 28-year-old also happens to be a fine player in his own right, equally as strong going forward as he is defensively, and he was ever-present for his national team in the Euro 2024 qualification stage.

Greece did well to make it through to the play-offs with Tsimikas leading their charge, only to suffer a devastating penalty shootout defeat against minnows Georgia. It's been 20 years since Greece's incredible European Championship triumph in Portugal, and they don't have the same quality anymore, but with consistent performers like Tsimikas in their ranks, they will be confident of returning to the tournament in 2028.

Stefan Savic (Montenegro)

Stefan Savic became a Premier League title winner at Manchester City before going on to join Atletico Madrid in 2015, and has since added La Liga and Europa League medals to his CV. He's not a spring chicken anymore at 33, but is still a physically imposing centre-half who rarely puts a foot wrong for club or country.

Savic has made 73 appearances for Montenegro over the last 14 years, but has never tasted European Championship or World Cup action. Montenegro finished a distant third in qualifying Group G behind Hungary and Serbia, despite Savic chipping in with two goals, and it's now very unlikely that the Atletico enforcer will achieve his major tournament ambition before he retires.