With the FIFA Men’s World Cup just a month away, players are literally falling like nine pins due to injuries. The World Cup is the biggest stage for players to showcase their skills to the world and bring glory to their nation with incredible match-winning performances. Therefore, it’s heart-breaking for such players when they miss out on football’s biggest spectacle due to a long-term injury after being assured of a spot in the World Cup squad for their national team.
Due to the extremely hectic and gruelling football schedule for players which involves the domestic league, domestic tournaments, continental tournaments at club level along with national duty for the country, long-term injuries like Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury, hamstring strains and Achilles injuries are becoming more common and recurrent.
The absence of top players from football’s biggest spectacle will not only impact the tournament’s viewership but also diminish the quality of play and reduce the likelihood of witnessing competitive matches.
Let’s take a look at ten big players that could likely miss the tournament –
Real Madrid and Brazil’s starting centre-back Eder Militao will not partake at this year’s World Cup after he sustained an injury to the biceps femoris muscle in his left leg.
This is a huge blow to Brazil’s World Cup hopes as they have a couple of other key injuries as well and missing one of their best defenders is definitely going to impact their chances negatively. His injuries have also affected Real Madrid with Los Blancos being unable to play a settled back four throughout this season. As a result, they may end the season trophyless yet again.
Spain and Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal has been ruled out for the rest of the Spanish LaLiga campaign due to a left leg hamstring injury sustained in the recent league win over Celta Vigo.
Yamal was helped off the field by the medical staff and after the medical team check-up, Barca informed that he would miss the rest of the campaign but has a possibility to return for the World Cup. As of now, Yamal is following a conservative treatment plan and if all goes well, he could recover in time for the World Cup.
However, hamstring strains are tricky injuries and if the recovery plan goes amiss, he could potentially miss the World Cup.
Yamal is undoubtedly one of the most exciting young players in the world right now and has the ability to attract a huge amount of people. Losing out on him at the World Cup would be a real shame and would also be a problem for Spain who would surely miss their young dynamic forward.
Liverpool and France striker Hugo Ekitike suffered with a serious achilles tendon injury in their Champions League quarter-finals second leg against PSG. Ekitike has undergone surgery recently and the rehabilitation for this could potentially keep him out for nine months.
It’s a really unfortunate situation for the 23-year-old Frenchman as he took to life at Merseyside quite well after joining ahead of the 2025/26 season. Based on his performances in the Premier League, he also received a national team call-up from coach Didier Deschamps for the World Cup qualifying matches and performed well there too.
Ekitike could prove to be a huge miss for France as he is a versatile forward who can play as a left winger as well as a centre-forward. Also, he is a very exciting player to watch and it’s a shame he will miss the World Cup due to injury. The long-layoff will also impact Liverpool as he might not be available for the first three months of the new league season too.
Tottenham Hotspur and Dutch player Xavi Simons is also one of the latest players in the long list of injuries prior to the World Cup as he sustained an ACL injury in Spurs’ league game against Wolves last weekend.
As per the announcement from Spurs, Xavi will undergo surgery in the coming weeks and will then begin his rehabilitation with their medical team.
This is another heartbreaking situation for a young player who could have been vital for the Netherland’s attack. Having endured a horrendous season with Spurs who are still in a relegation scrap, Simons will now have to watch the World Cup from home rather than representing his country.
The situation could get even worse for the Dutch forward as he would miss the World Cup and could potentially see himself playing in the Championship next season as he might not be able to leave in case Spurs get relegated.
Another player who plays for Real Madrid and Brazil is going to miss the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Brazilian winger Rodrygo injured himself against Getafe in a league game for Real Madrid. He sustained a torn ACL and a lateral meniscus in his right knee in the game and could be out until January 2027.
Rodrygo is a key player both for his club and country and it’s a big loss for the Brazil National team who would miss one of their most important attacking players.
There’s also a conundrum for his club Real Madrid as there had been rumours before the 2025/26 season that Rodrygo would be moved on as he wasn’t getting much game time. With him being injured for a long period now, even if Real Madrid want to sell him, it’s no more a possibility now at least for next season.
Spurs and Ghana forward Mohammed Kudus is another player that could miss the World Cup unfortunately.
Kudus plays for Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League and suffered a hamstring injury in January 2026 when he limped off against Sunderland. After a three-month layoff, Kudus returned to team training in late April but suffered another setback.
As per reports, Spurs medical team has suggested a surgical intervention but Kudus has preferred to follow a conservative rehabilitation routine to avoid missing the World Cup. However, if he isn’t fit before the World Cup and a surgery becomes necessary, there is a chance that Kudus will be sidelined for the next two or three months and will miss the entire World Cup campaign.
Kudus is undoubtedly one of the most important players for the Ghanaian National team and his absence would definitely impact their chances at the World Cup. As for his club, Spurs have definitely missed his attacking flair and are in serious danger of relegation with four games to go.
Croatian captain and AC Milan midfielder Luka Modric suffered a double fracture in his cheekbone in a recent Serie A game against Juventus. He has already been ruled out for the remainder of the Serie A campaign and looks doubtful for the World Cup as well.
As the captain and one of the most experienced players in that Croatian set-up, there is no doubt that Modric would be a huge miss for his country. At club level too, he has left AC Milan in a predicament as he would have offered a lot of experience and quality to their midfield.
As of now there is no clarity whether he would undergo surgery or a conservative treatment is being sought. Whatever option he takes will decide the timeline of his return.
It would be a travesty if Modric misses the World Cup as this would surely have been his last appearance at the biggest stage in world football.
Argentina and Tottenham Hotspur defender Cristian Romero suffered a high-grade partial tear of his medial cruciate ligament (MCL) in his right knee during a league game against Sunderland in April 2026.
Spurs’ unfortunate issues with injuries haven’t ceased with their captain ruled out for the rest of the season and could potentially miss the selection for the Argentina squad. As per reports, he is supposed to be sidelined for a minimum of eight weeks.
With the World Cup about to begin and Spurs battling relegation, both his country and club will miss a towering and experienced presence in the defence and also in the opposition box. Though it’s Spurs that will miss his presence more as they are part of a relegation scrap right now and are desperate for top-flight survival.
Brazil’s teenage sensation Estevao Willian is another big name set to miss out on the World Cup this year. Playing for Chelsea in the Premier League, Estevao suffered a grade-4 hamstring tear, ruling him out for the rest of the season and possibly the World Cup.
His injury puts Brazil’s World Cup hopes in jeopardy with Rodrygo and Eder Militao on the sidelines as well. Like Yamal, Estevao is another young talent that has shown his quality and skill in the Premier League and would have attracted a lot of crowds to the arenas at the World Cup.
With Chelsea already struggling to qualify for the Champions League and Brazil in a real soup with a selection headache with six weeks remaining for the World Cup, no doubt Estevao with his pace, dribbling and finishing skills would be a great to watch at the World Cup and increased Brazil’s chances of winning the coveted tournament. As per recent updates,
Estevao is still hopeful that he can recover in time for the World Cup as the injury isn’t as complicated as it appeared earlier but we would only know when he is fit and back in training.
Japan captain Wataru Endo suffered a serious ankle ligament rupture while playing for his club Liverpool in February 2026 which saw his being ruled out for the rest of the Premier League season and could potentially be out for the World Cup as well.
As per reports, he went for an artificial ligament reconstruction over a metal plate for a faster recovery. He is currently focusing on being fit for the World Cup but it remains doubtful.
From the Japanese team’s point-of-view, he doesn’t just offer leadership but also experience and quality in the middle of the park. He rallies the defenders and the forwards to perform better. As for Liverpool, they have missed his experience in a couple of games but are almost certain of Champions League qualification and hence his injury hasn’t hurt them badly.
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