On a gloomy night in Leskovac, in south-eastern Serbia, the home team was stuck—lacking ideas, solutions, the fighting spirit. Albania shocked them with a 1–0 win, and that was that. Serbia’s chances of reaching the World Cup were in tatters and Dragan Stojković was gone after nearly five years in charge. But the fact that Serbia missed their first World Cup in twelve years does not mean the 2026 edition will not feature those who could have played for Serbia.