List of countries never to have qualified for the Football World Cup

[Brás Garcia de Mascarenhas]

I don't know much about the other three, but Venezuela is a very baseball-focused country (same with Nicaragua, Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic, which have never qualified either).

Yes but that is an anomaly in South America. Football will surpass baseball in Venezuela in popularity in the future. Even in the U.S. and Canada (already the most practiced sport in Canada) it is growing rapidly. There is no other truly universal sport that can bring 48 national teams together, the other sports' tournaments are a joke in comparison.

[Nurzat]

Of these the ones with the best chance of one day qualifying in the near future for me are Kosovo, North Macedonia, Cape Verde and Venezuela.

Finland as well

[Brás Garcia de Mascarenhas]

Finland as well

Yes, Finland has been improving in recent years they might be able to pull it one day. Modern football is no longer like the one I was used to growing up, where there were big discrepancies between teams. Things in general are more balanced. Nowadays even Luxembourg, who were a regular punching bag, should not be underestimated.

[Tooting Carmen]

Yes but that is an anomaly in South America. Football will surpass baseball in Venezuela in popularity in the future. Even in the U.S. and Canada (already the most practiced sport in Canada) it is growing rapidly. There is no other truly universal sport that can bring 48 national teams together, the other sports' tournaments are a joke in comparison.

I think basketball is the next most universal team sport after football, though even between those two there is a big gap. Here in Britain, although basketball is played a lot at school, it has never really taken off much beyond that.

[Incal]

I think basketball is the next most universal team sport after football, though even between those two there is a big gap. Here in Britain, although basketball is played a lot at school, it has never really taken off much beyond that.

Sorta, I think it's a match with volleyball.

[turbosat]

(The list is not exhaustive).

Europe

Malta, Cyprus, Gibraltar, Andorra, San Marino, Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Moldova, Belarus, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan

Asia

Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, Jordan, Bahrain, Oman, Yemen, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Brunei, Philippines, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan

Oceania

All countries other than Australia and New Zealand.

Africa

Libya, Western Sahara, Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Central African Republic, Chad, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Malawi, Zambia, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Eswatini, Botswana, Namibia, Congo (Brazzaville), Cape Verde, Sao Tome & Principe, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Gambia, Benin, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Equatorial Guinea, Comoros, Mauritius, Madagascar, Seychelles

Americas

Belize, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Suriname, Guyana, Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, Dominica, Cayman Islands, Grenada, Virgin Islands, Turks & Caicos Islands, St Kitts & Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent & The Grenadines, Dutch Antilles

Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan are not really in Europe. They used to participate in Asian Games long time back when part of USSR.

They are mentioned as being in Asia here.
Armistice Day centenary - Wikipedia

[Tooting Carmen]

Sorta, I think it's a match with volleyball.

Seriously?

[Nelju]

It is true that Venezuelans prefer baseball as their sport of choice. A great deal of money is involved in baseball, which is why most young talents go there. However, football has gained popularity over the past few years. Before the 2000s, most football fans were Andeans and immigrants, but nowadays it's a broader audience.

[Incal]

Yes but that is an anomaly in South America. Football will surpass baseball in Venezuela in popularity in the future. Even in the U.S. and Canada (already the most practiced sport in Canada) it is growing rapidly. There is no other truly universal sport that can bring 48 national teams together, the other sports' tournaments are a joke in comparison.

Also, the huge venezuelan diaspora is now living in other South American countries, and they all have started to play football.