Top 5 teams which may not qualify for the 2014 FIFA World Cup

Will Cristiano Ronaldo feature in the 2014 FIFA World Cup?

The 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers are almost over and many teams have qualified. Teams like Brazil (hosts), Japan, Australia, Iran, South Korea, Netherlands, Italy, Argentina, USA, Colombia, Belgium, Switzerland, Costa Rica and Germany have already qualified.

But with just one more qualifier left to play (and the playoff games), some teams are hinging on a lot to ensure that they advance to the World Cup Finals. Here are the top teams who could miss out on football’s grandest event!

Portugal

It’s almost a nightmare for fans and PR management firms alike if one of the best players in the world, Cristiano Ronaldo, may not feature in the showpiece event next year! Portugal could have made it a lot easier for themselves had they not conceded a late goal to Israel in a 1-1 draw. This means that they will have to settle for second place with no chance of catching up to Russia (unless Russia lose and Portugal score enough goals to overturn a 7-goal difference between the two teams).

Russia next play Azerbaijan while Portugal play Luxemborg. At the moment though, it looks like Russia will qualify automatically as group winners with Portugal looking to book a playoff spot.