The World Cup 2026 Injury List — Stars Already Out, Stars Still Racing the Clock

The 2026 World Cup is the biggest in the tournament’s history — 48 teams, 104 matches, three host nations. It’s also shaping up to be one of the most ravaged by pre-tournament injuries. April and May have been brutal: ACLs, Achilles tendons, hamstrings, fractured feet. National team coaches are watching their carefully built rosters unravel in real time, and June 11 isn’t going to wait for anyone.

Below is the full picture as it stands today — separated cleanly into players already ruled out, players who are major doubts, and what each absence actually means for the tournament’s contender pecking order.

• complete World Cup 2026 squad injury tracker and team news updates
• how injuries reshape the World Cup 2026 contender rankings and odds

Confirmed Out — These Stars Will Not Play at World Cup 2026

The hardest news first. These players have either undergone surgery, been formally ruled out by their national federations, or carry timelines that make a June return medically impossible.

• Hugo Ekitike — France

  Ruptured Achilles tendon · Liverpool · Injured vs PSG, Champions League QF, April · Recovery: late 2026 / early 2027

  Out

• Xavi Simons — Netherlands

  Ruptured ACL · Tottenham · Injured vs Wolves, late April · Surgery scheduled · Season and World Cup over

  Out

• Serge Gnabry — Germany

  Torn adductor (right thigh) · Bayern Munich · Confirmed himself he’ll be “supporting the boys from home”

  Out

• Jarrad Branthwaite — England

  Severe thigh injury · Everton · Sustained late April · Ruled out for Tuchel’s defensive plans

  Out

• Eder Militao — Brazil

  Severe hamstring · Real Madrid · Required operation · Ancelotti loses a key centre-back

  Out

• Jack Grealish — England

  Season-ending foot injury · On loan at Everton from Manchester City · Will not feature this summer

  Out

• Samu Aghehowa — Spain

  Serious knee injury · Porto · Sidelined since February · Spain‘s young striker option gone

  Out

• Takumi Minamino — Japan

  Ruptured ACL · Liverpool · Injured December · Long timeline rules out June

  Out

Major Doubts — Racing the Clock to June 11

These players still have a route back, but it’s tight. Some are days from a return, others are betting on knockout-round availability rather than the group stage. Either way, federation medical staff are working overtime.

• Lamine Yamal — Spain

  Hamstring tear (left biceps femoris) · Barcelona · Domestic season over but expected fit for the World Cup

  Doubt

• Mohamed Salah — Egypt

  Hamstring tear · 4 weeks treatment · Liverpool · Egypt‘s team doctor confirmed fit for World Cup

  Doubt

• Estevao — Brazil

  Grade-four hamstring injury · Chelsea · In genuine danger of missing the tournament; possible knockout-round return at best

  Doubt

• Achraf Hakimi — Morocco

  Right thigh injury · PSG · Out “for weeks” after collision in Champions League semi-final · Tight on June

  Doubt

• Cristian Romero — Argentina

  Season-ending knee · Tottenham · Injured 12 April · Battling against the clock to be ready

  Doubt

• Marc-André ter Stegen — Germany

  Severe hamstring · Barcelona · Nagelsmann’s chances called “very slim” · Oliver Baumann the likely backup

  Doubt

• Kylian Mbappé — France

  Hamstring · Real Madrid · Minor doubt only · Targeted return for El Clásico, on track for June

  Doubt

• Wataru Endo — Japan

  Ankle / knee · Liverpool · Captain hasn’t played since February · Slot says possible end-of-season return

  Doubt

• Mohammed Kudus — Ghana

  Quad · West Ham · Major doubt · Possible return mid-June, the very edge of group-stage availability

  Doubt

• Arda Güler — Turkey

  Hamstring · Real Madrid · Major doubt · Targeted return mid-June pending fitness checks

  Doubt

Tournament Impact — Who Loses Most From the Casualty List

Not every injury hurts equally. A defensive depth piece is one thing; a tournament-tilting attacker is another. Here’s how the absences shake out by national-team impact.

What This Means for the Title Race

The tournament’s pre-injury favourites — France, Brazil, England, Spain, Germany, Argentina — are all carrying meaningful losses, but unevenly. Germany are arguably the worst hit: losing Gnabry outright while ter Stegen’s fitness hangs by a thread is a double dent at two positions where they had no obvious surplus. Netherlands are the second hardest dose: Simons’ ACL takes their most progressive midfielder out of a side that needed his transitions to keep pace with the elite tier.

Brazil and England are bruised but reloadable — both have squad depth that absorbs single losses without restructuring the spine. France look the steadiest. Mbappé’s hamstring is minor, Ekitike was a backup option, and Deschamps’ core remains intact. Spain, despite the noise around Yamal, are quietly fortunate: he’s expected back, and the rest of their first XI is healthy.

What to Watch in the Final Month

Three things will matter most between now and the opening whistle on June 11. First, final international friendlies in early June will tell us which doubts have made it back to match-fitness — a 30-minute cameo is wildly different from being able to start a knockout game. Second, squad announcement deadlines, which fall in the last week of May, will force coaches to decide whether to gamble a roster spot on a player who isn’t yet training fully. And third, group-stage warm-up windows at the host venues will surface any new soft-tissue issues before the competition proper begins.

The pattern across recent tournaments is clear: at least two players from the “back in time” pile will break down again before kick-off. Squad rotation in the group stage matters more than ever in a 48-team format with a 16-team round-of-32 — managers who manage minutes carefully in matches one and two are the ones whose stars are still standing in the quarters.

For full coverage, browse our comprehensive World Cup 2026 team-by-team breakdowns and tactical analysis, or check our regularly-updated World Cup 2026 latest betting odds and contender rankings as injury news breaks.