As the 2026 FIFA World Cup approaches, several star players, including Rodrygo and Ekitike, face injury risks that could prevent them from participating. Injuries at this stage could significantly impact national teams' chances in the tournament.
Key points
2026 FIFA World Cup is approaching
Star players like Rodrygo and Ekitike are at risk of injuries
Injuries could impact national teams' championship hopes
As the pinnacle of international football competition, every player around the globe hopes to be selected by their national team for action at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
With the 2026 tournament now only weeks away from kickoff, the time has come to keep an eye on injury news — news that could make or break a player's chances of competing this summer. A key injury at this stage could dictate a national team's championship hopes.
Nobody is immune to being hampered by a devastating injury, from the top teams and most iconic superstars all the way down to individual role players and key depth pieces.
The Sporting News takes a look at the latest injury news for the biggest stars hoping to participate in the competition, which begins on June 11 and concludes with the final on July 19.
It was confirmed shortly after his injury against Getafe that he would miss the summer FIFA tournament, and probably the start of next season with Real Madrid as well. Without a preseason to ramp up, he will have to be brought back slowly.
He slipped while jumping and landed awkwardly, needing to be stretchered off the pitch. It was confirmed shortly after that he would miss the World Cup, having suffered one of the most serious injuries a professional athlete can sustain. Ekitike's recovery time will be long, potentially needing nine to twelve months before he is back, meaning he will likely miss a large portion of next season as well.
Ironically, Ekitike was injured in the very same match that saw Alexander Isak return from a long-term injury, and now the man who held down the fort for Liverpool at the No. 9 position will have to miss significant time himself.
Bayern Munich winger Serge Gnabry was withdrawn in the 61st minute of the Champions League quarterfinal against Real Madrid, and would later reveal he suffered a serious adductor tear.
The 30-year-old later revealed he would miss the World Cup, requiring surgery to repair the injury which leaves him out for three to four months. He should, thus, be back shortly after the start of next club season, but he cannot recover in time to play for Germany this summer.
Nearing the end of a nightmare Tottenham season, Xavi Simons suffered an ACL tear in his right leg when he went down in a 1-0 win for Spurs over Wolves. The injury happened shortly after Simons had scored the winning goal, a cruel twist of fate.
It meant that Simons would miss not only the World Cup, but also the first half of next season, which could leave him unable to find a new club, thus meaning the Dutchman may have to stay with Spurs in the Championship if they do indeed suffer relegation.
Eder Militao (CB, Brazil)
Amidst a season full of injury setbacks, Eder Militao was forced out of the World Cup after picking up a hamstring injury serious enough to require surgery.
The Brazilian was helped off the field just before halftime in Real Madrid's 2-1 win over Alaves in mid-April, and while initial reports seemed to indicate the injury was not serious enough to threaten his World Cup participation, that initial optimism was let down. It was confirmed in the following days that Militao would need a procedure to repair the injury, ruling him out of the World Cup and meaning he will need a number of months before returning to action for Real Madrid, likely coming sometime in October.
Monaco defender Mohammed Salisu suffered a torn ACL in the final moments of a Ligue 1 defeat to Lyon in late January, having already logged the regulation 90 minutes.
The 27-year-old has been a regular for Ghana since making his debut in 2022, but will not be available at the World Cup.
Having risen from the lower levels of American soccer to the verge of a World Cup call-up, Patrick Agyemang seemed to embody the American dream. That made his Achilles tendon tear all the more painful, as the 25-year-old striker will miss the upcoming World Cup on home soil
After first earning a call-up to the national team while playing for Charlotte FC, a move to English side Derby County and subsequent success made Agyemang a serious possibility to be named to Mauricio Pochettino's squad this summer. He was ruled out when he suffered the serious ankle injury in early April.
Takumi Minamino suffered a torn ACL in late December while playing for Monaco in a Ligue 1 match against AJ Auxerre. It left him in a race against time to be ready for the World Cup six months away, meaning he would not only have to recover in six months, but also be ramped up and ready to play significant minutes in a short span of time through the month-long tournament.
While maybe there's a slim chance that Minamino could be an option for Japan, it's highly, highly unlikely that he will be ready to participate.
The biggest question in the immediate aftermath of the game was how serious would the injury turn out to be. In the end, he suffered a Grade 2 strain, which leaves his World Cup participation likely but not guaranteed. The recovery time for such an injury is usually four to six weeks, which would see him return just in the nick of time for World Cup participation.
Yet Yamal could still need time to ramp back up to full fitness, and he would want to be careful with that return process as to avoid suffering a setback to a muscle that is prone to such re-injury. This is the biggest one to watch.
One of the best players in Africa and one of the best full-backs in the world will be sweating his fitness all the way up until the start of the World Cup.
Achraf Hakimi picked up a hamstring late in the Champions League semifinal first leg thriller between PSG and Bayern Munich. He appeared to walk off under his own power, which gave hope of a minor injury if anything at all, but the following day it was reported he had suffered a hamstring injury that would leave him out of the second leg in Bavaria the next week.
It's unclear how serious the injury is, but being this close to the World Cup, there will be immediate and valid fears of his absence from at least the early part of the tournament if not the entire competition. If he misses out, it would be an enormous blow to Morocco fresh off their run at the Africa Cup of Nations and rise near the top 10 of the FIFA world rankings.
Reports early on were that the injury was serious and surgery was recommended, which would guarantee his absence from this summer's FIFA tournament. However, subsequent reports stated that the Brazil national team — and Estevao's camp — are pushing for a non-surgery recovery plan with the goal of seeing him available for the World Cup.
This is a highly precarious endeavor, as foregoing hamstring surgery when it is recommended comes with significant re-injury and could have long-term consequences to his career, but if successful it could see him pass fit for World Cup duty.
The 18-year-old has integrated well into the Brazil squad and has been effective early in his international career, but Carlo Ancelotti will have to wait to see how his recovery progresses before knowing whether he is available for selection. It seems unlikely, but not out of the question.
Tottenham defender Cristian Romero has suffered through multiple injuries over the course of a difficult club season in London. Having finally returned for the stretch run, he then went down for the remainder of the club campaign after a collision with his own goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky after being pushed in the back by Sunderland's Brian Brobbey.
Romero picked up a potentially serious knee injury in the process, with reports claiming he would miss between five and eight weeks of action. This puts Romero right up against it with regards to the World Cup, although it does not seem a likely prospect that he passes fit for action. His loss would be a significant blow to defending champions Argentina where he is a starter at the back when fit.
Liverpool fans were left dismayed as departing legend Mohamed Salah picked up a hamstring injury in late April, leaving him potentially out for the rest of the season and robbing him of the chance for a proper goodbye, as he is slated to leave the club this summer.
Salah was withdrawn in the second half of Liverpool's win over Crystal Palace, and Arne Slot said after the match that the Reds will have to "wait and see" regarding the Egyptian's injury. Thankfully, Liverpool announced a few days later that Salah is expected to return before the end of the club season, meaning his World Cup participation is not in jeopardy.
Croatia fans received a scare when iconic midfielder Luka Modric saw his club season ended prematurely thanks to a broken cheekbone, but there is hope he will return for the World Cup.
As the face of Croatia's greatest generation of international success, Modric's absence would be a massive blow to Zlatko Dalic's hopes, even if the 40-year-old is not an every-minute machine these days. However, according to The Athletic, surgery on the "complex, multi-fragment" facial fracture is expected to see Modric recover in time for the World Cup.
Still, with injuries like this to a player at such an advanced age, there is still some doubt about the eventual recovery timeline.
Arsenal midfielder and emergency striker Mikel Merino has missed significant time this season due to a broken bone in his foot. He went down in late January and has not played since, with the initial expectation of a return in May now in doubt.
If Merino misses the remainder of Arsenal's season and is unable to return before Premier League play concludes, it could leave his World Cup participation in doubt. After missing so much time, Merino would need to build back up to full-match fitness, and without club matches to aid that process, it would leave Luis de la Fuente with a difficult decision to make.
The Atletico Madrid midfielder has been a rising star in the second half of this season, going from an afterthought at his new club to a regular contributor in the Champions League semifinals.
Unfortunately, his season took a turn for the worst at the end of the campaign, as Atleti announced that Cardoso had suffered a "high-grade ankle sprain" during a training session on May 7, which has ended his season and put his World Cup in serious jeopardy. It remains highly unlikely that Cardoso will be able to recover from this injury to be available for the USMNT, where he would compete with Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie, and others for a spot in midfield at the FIFA tournament on home soil this summer.
