Injuries are piling up for some of the top soccer players as the World Cup approaches next month. Notable names such as Kylian Mbappe, Lamine Yamal, and Mohamed Salah are dealing with injuries. While these three are expected to recover in time for the World Cup, others have not been as fortunate.
France’s Hugo Ekitike suffered an Achilles injury in April, which may take more than six months to fully heal, ruling him out of the tournament co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Brazil’s Rodrygo and Éder Gabriel Militão, as well as Bayern Munich’s Serge Gnabry, are also confirmed to miss the World Cup due to various injuries.
Arsenal’s Ben White is another player ruled out of contention for the World Cup after sustaining medial ligament damage, sidelining him for the rest of the season. Concerns have been raised by players and coaches about the impact of congested playing schedules, especially with the expanded World Cup following the relaunched Club World Cup and the expanded Champions League in recent years.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has expressed his worry, calling the situation “an accident waiting to happen.” With the World Cup drawing near and crucial club competitions ongoing, players are navigating carefully to avoid injuries before the tournament kicks off.
List of players ruled out of the World Cup:
– Argentina: Joaquin Panichelli (ACL)
– Brazil: Eder Militão (hamstring), Rodrygo (ACL)
– England: Ben White (knee ligament)
– France: Hugo Ekitike (Achilles)
– Germany: Serge Gnabry (adductor)
– Netherlands: Xavi Simons (knee ligament)
– United States: Cameron Carter-Vickers (Achilles), Patrick Agyemang (Achilles)
Players to keep an eye on:
– Algeria: Goalkeeper Luca Zidane, son of Zinedine Zidane, is doubtful after a facial injury.
– Argentina: Cristian Romero is out for the season with a knee injury, with uncertainty about his World Cup status.
– Canada: Alphonso Davies injured his hamstring during Bayern Munich’s Champions League exit, casting doubt on his World Cup participation.
In other updates, Croatia’s Luka Modric and Joško Gvardio are recovering from injuries, while Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi and United States’ Johnny Cardoso are also dealing with setbacks ahead of the World Cup.