Story highlights
- USMNT lose 2-1 to last-place Trinidad and Tobago to end qualifying hopes
- Leo Messi runs riot to book Argentina's place in Russia 2018
(CNN)For the first time since 1986, the US Men's National Team will be watching the World Cup from home.
Falling 2-1 to Trinidad and Tobago, the US failed to qualify for Russia 2018. An early own-goal from Omar Gonzalez set the tone for the defeat, before Alvin Jones doubled the Trinidad and Tobago lead on 37 minutes.
Despite a fightback, which included a goal straight after the half-time break from 19-year-old Christian Pulisic, American hearts were to be broken, with the defeat plunging the Americans into fifth place in the CONCACAF table.
Former USMNT captain on team's woes 03:22
"We didn't qualify for the World Cup," USMNT head coach Bruce Arena said following the game.
"That was my job. To get the team qualified for the World Cup ... This game in my view was perfectly positioned for the US team and we failed on the day," Arena continued. "We have no excuses. We failed today. We should have walked off this field with at least a point."
Michael Bradley and Christian Pulisic of the USMNT react to the loss.
The final round of qualifiers in CONCACAF also saw Panama put Costa Rica to the sword, and Honduras eke out a 3-2 win against table-topping Mexico.
The US result could not have been a bigger shock -- heading into the final game of qualifying, the Americans were safely within the automatic slots, with only a point needed to secure their tickets to Russia.
But the wins by Panama and Honduras, coupled with their unexpected loss to the last-placed CONCACAF team in Couva, dropped the US team to fifth.
The Panamanians' 2-1 victory saw them in third place and guaranteed them a debut World Cup appearance in Russia next year, alongside fellow regional qualifiers Costa Rica, who finished second, and Mexico, who topped the table.
Photos: Russia 2018 World Cup qualifiers
Peru – On Thursday 16 November, Peru became the final team to secure a World Cup spot thanks to a 2-0 win over New Zealand in the second leg of their playoff match, ensuring qualification for La Blanquirroja for the first time since 1982.
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Photos: Russia 2018 World Cup qualifiers
Peru – Such were the magnitude of the celebrations in Lima when Jefferson Farfan put Peru 1-0 up, an earthquake detector in the city was activated at the exact moment of the goal.
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Photos: Russia 2018 World Cup qualifiers
Denmark – The Danes are also on their way to the World Cup after midfielder Christian Eriksen led the way with a hat-trick in an emphatic 5-1 victory over the Republic of Ireland in their playoff in Dublin.
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Photos: Russia 2018 World Cup qualifiers
Denmark – That treble took Eriksen's Russia 2018 qualifying campaign tally to 11 goals -- a new Danish record.
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Australia – But Eriksen wasn't the only midfielder to take home the match ball during qualifying that week, with Australia's Mile Jedinak coming to the fore in a 3-1 win against Honduras.
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Photos: Russia 2018 World Cup qualifiers
Australia – After 29 months, 22 matches and hundreds of thousands of miles of traveling, the Socceroos celebrated qualifying for a fourth consecutive World Cup.
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Photos: Russia 2018 World Cup qualifiers
Morocco – The Atlas Lions booked their place at world football's greatest showpiece for the first time since 1998, topping Group C of African qualification without conceding a goal.
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Photos: Russia 2018 World Cup qualifiers
Morocco – Under manager Herve Renard, the only man to win the Africa Cup of Nations with two different countries, Morocco have won five of their past seven fixtures.
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Senegal – The Lions of Teranga joined them on the plane to Russia, topping Group D undefeated at the expense of Burkina Faso, Cape Verde and South Africa.
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Senegal – It's the first time Senegal have qualified for a World Cup since 2002 when they defied the odds to reach the quarterfinals. Their captain that year, Aliou Cissé, now leads them from the dugout.
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Tunisia – A goalless draw at home to Libya on the final day was enough to see the Eagles of Carthage pip DR Congo to top spot in Group A of African qualifying.
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Photos: Russia 2018 World Cup qualifiers
Tunisia – With a total of four World Cup group stage exits in their history, head coach Nabil Maâloul's men will hope to go at least one better at Russia 2018.
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Iceland – With a population of just 335,000, Iceland became the smallest country ever to qualify for the World Cup after beating Kosovo 2-0 to ensure the islanders topped European qualifying Group I.
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Photos: Russia 2018 World Cup qualifiers
Iceland – Trinidad & Tobago, which has a population of 1.3 million, was the previous smallest country to reach a World Cup back in 2006.
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Photos: Russia 2018 World Cup qualifiers
Nigeria – Nigeria were the first team from Africa to qualify for the upcoming World Cup, seeing off Group B opponents Zambia, Cameroon and Algeria.
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Nigeria – The Super Eagles have only failed to qualify for one tournament -- Germany 2006 -- since their World Cup debut in 1994.
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Egypt – The Pharaohs qualified for Russia 2018 with a game to spare, topping Group E ahead of Ghana, Congo and Uganda to reach the World Cup for the first time since 1990.
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Egypt – Goalkeeper Essam El-Hadary, 44, made his international debut over two decades ago. Now he could become the oldest player in World Cup tournament history.
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Brazil – Dispelling memories of their dismal 7-1 defeat to Germany at the 2014 World Cup, Brazil topped South American qualifying with ease, finishing ahead of the likes of Uruguay, Chile, Colombia and Argentina.
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Brazil – Neymar, Paulinho, Gabriel Jesus, Philippe Coutinho and Willian scored 23 goals between them.
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Iran – Iran became the second team after Brazil to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, topping Group A of Asian qualifying without losing a game.
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Iran – Led by former Portugal and Real Madrid head coach Carlos Queiroz, the Iranians will hope to add to their single World Cup win -- secured against the US at France 1998 -- in Russia next year.
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Germany – Boasting a 100% record in Group C of European qualifying, Germany could become the first team to retain the World Cup trophy since Brazil in 1962.
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Serbia – Topping Group D of European qualifying ahead of the Republic of Ireland, Wales and Austria, Serbia qualified for a first major international tournament since 2010.
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Serbia – With six goals to his name, striker Aleksander Mitrovic found the back of the net once every 119 minutes.
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Poland – Poland booked their return to the World Cup after a 12-year absence, topping Group E ahead of the likes of Denmark, Montenegro and Romania.
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Poland – No player scored more during European qualifying than Robert Lewandowski. The Bayern Munich striker scored 16 times at a rate of once every 56 minutes.
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England – Undefeated in Group F, Gareth Southgate's England qualified for their sixth World Cup with a game to spare.
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Spain – Amid the furore of Catalonia's disputed independence referendum, Spain went undefeated and qualified from Group G of European qualifying with a match to spare after beating Albania 3-0.
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Photos: Russia 2018 World Cup qualifiers
Belgium – Spearheaded by the prolific Romelu Lukaku, Roberto Martinez's Red Devils dropped just two points throughout the entirety of their Group H European qualifying campaign. Belgium averaged 4.3 goals per game, more than any other team in World Cup qualifying.
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Japan – With one ferocious sweep of his right foot against Australia, 21-year-old Yosuke Ideguchi booked Japan's place at Russia 2018.
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Japan – Led by the likes of Shinji Kagawa and Keisuke Honda, the Samurai Blue topped Group B by a single point to qualify for a sixth consecutive tournament.
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Saudi Arabia – The Green Falcons beat Japan in the final round of Asian qualifying to finish second in a tightly contested group and book their place at Russia 2018.
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Saudi Arabia – This will be Saudi Arabia's fifth appearance at a World Cup and the first since Germany 2006.
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South Korea – Ever present at the World Cup since 1986, the Taeguk Warriors qualified for Russia 2018 courtesy of a second place finish in Group A of Asian qualifying.
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Argentina – A hat-trick from Lionel Messi propelled Argentina into third in the South American qualifying table and an automatic spot. It was Messi's 44th career hat-trick and his fifth for Argentina.
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Uruguay – Messi's Barcelona teammate Luis Suarez scored twice in Uruguay's 4-2 win over Bolivia. The win ensured La Celeste finished second in South America qualifying. Suarez missed almost two years of playing competitive football for his country after biting Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini during a group match at the World Cup in Brazil.
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Colombia – Colombia's Juan Cuadrado (C) leads a prayer after his team qualified for the 2018 World Cup following the 1-1 draw with with Peru in Lima. Colombia reached the quarterfinals in the 2014 tournament before losing 2-1 to hosts Brazil.
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Panama – Panama qualified for the World Cup for the first time in their history after a 2-1 win against Costa Rica. Good news for the Panama national team but also the nation's citizens -- they were then given a public holiday by President Juan Carlos Varela.
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Portugal – Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal will also be at the World Cup after the Euro 2016 champions leapfrogged Switzerland to top Group B of European qualifying. Johan Djourou put the ball in his own net to hand the lead to Portugal, before Fernando Santos's men doubled their lead with a 57-minute Andre Silva strike.
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France – Antoine Griezmann scored one goal and set up another for Olivier Giroud as the 1998 champions topped European Group A.
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Mexico – Mexico became the first nation from Central American qualifying to reach Russia 2018, only conceding five goals in 15 matches.
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Costa Rica – The Tricolor joined them, qualifying for the upcoming World Cup in dramatic fashion courtesy of a header from Kendall Waston in the fifth minute of added time against Honduras.
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Costa Rica – Oscar Ramirez's men finished second in CONCACAF qualifying behind Mexico.
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Sweden – A valiant performance from Sweden against Italy in November's playoff ensured the four-time winners failed to qualify for the first time since 1958.
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Croatia – Elsewhere, Croatia drew 0-0 in their playoff with Greece but advanced to the finals 4-1 on aggregate.
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Swizterland – Switzerland broke Northern Irish hearts by holding on to another goalless draw, advancing 1-0 on aggregate after a controversial penalty in the first leg.
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Russia – Host nation Russia qualified for the 2018 World Cup without even having to kick a ball. The most recent competitive fixtures for Stanislav Cherchesov's men came in the 2017 Confederations Cup, where they crashed out in the group stage.
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Russia – The draw for the 2018 World Cup is set to take place in Moscow's Kremlin building on Friday, December 1. Visit CNN.com/sport for more news and features
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Relief
Elsewhere, a hat-trick from Lionel Messi propelled Argentina -- which had endured a poor run of results, putting qualification in doubt -- into third in the South American qualifying table and an automatic spot.
Brazil, the first team to qualify for the tournament, Uruguay and Colombia rounded out the CONMEBOL -- the South American confederation -- automatic spots.
In another upset, World Cup regulars Chile -- the Copa America holders -- suffered a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Brazil, losing out on goal difference to fifth-place Peru, who now face a playoff round against Oceania winners New Zealand.
European qualifiers
In Europe, France and Portugal joined Germany, Serbia, Poland, England, Spain, Belgium and Iceland as automatic qualifiers for next year's edition of FIFA's flagship tournament.
Portugal leapfrogged Switzerland to claim one of the final automatic slots for European qualifying, with Johan Djourou putting the ball in his own net to hand the lead to the reigning European champions, which finished off the contest with a 57-minute Andre Silva strike.
Cristiano Ronaldo reacts during Portugal's qualifier with Switzerland at the Luz Stadium in Lisbon.
The remaining European playoff spots were also determined -- group runners up Sweden, Greece and Switzerland joining Italy, Denmark, Croatia, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland in the next round of qualifying.
Slovakia missed out on a playoff berth as the lowest-ranked runner-up.
In Asia, Australia's veteran Tim Cahill scored twice -- his 49th and 50th international goals -- to seal a 2-1 victory for the Socceroos and end Syria's dreams of a first-ever World Cup. Australia now face Honduras in an intercontinental play-off.
A total of 23 teams have now qualified for the quadrennial 32-team international tournament, which kicks off in Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium next summer.
Africa's qualifying is yet to be finalized, as have the results of the European and inter-confederation playoffs, which will take place in November.
