Arsenal’s players will be late arriving to their respective national team camps ahead of the World Cup following qualification for the Champions League final
A number of Arsenal players will miss their nation’s penultimate World Cup warm-up matches after qualifying for the Champions League final.
The Gunners will meet Bayern Munich or PSG, who face off tonight in Germany, at Budapest’s Puskas Arena on May 30th.
The showpiece contest takes place six days after the conclusion of the 2025-26 Premier League campaign and those involved will arrive late to their respective national team camps.
It’s also highly likely that participants will get extra time to rest and recharge ahead of the World Cup, which begins when Mexico host South Africa on June 11 in Mexico City.
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Brazil are playing a warm-up match against England’s group opponents Panama at the Maracana in Rio de Janeiro on May 31.
The game takes place the day after the Champions League final, meaning Gabriel Magalhaes, Gabriel Martinelli and potentially Gabriel Jesus – if selected – will not be able to feature.
Meanwhile, Ecuador are playing Saudi Arabia in New Jersey on May 30, the same day Arsenal have a shot at European supremacy.
La Tri could also be further affected as PSG defender Willian Pacho could yet square off against Hincapie in Hungary.
Germany also face Finland in their final friendly on home soil in Mainz on May 31 before later heading Stateside to take on Mauricio Pochettino’s USMNT in Chicago before the start of their Group E campaign.
It means Kai Havertz, who returned to the Arsenal squad against Atletico Madrid following a recent muscle injury, will not be ready to feature against Finland.
On Monday, June 1, Martin Odegaard’s Norway face Sweden in Oslo before heading to North America, where they’ll play Morocco in their final warm-up match before featuring at their first World Cup finals since 1998.
Arsenal striker Viktor Gyokeres will also miss the meeting between the two Scandinavian nations.
Leandro Trossard’s Belgium also face Croatia in Rijeka on May 2nd and while the Gunners forward could be involved, it seems unlikely he’ll be risked so soon after the Champions League final.
Jurrien Timber’s Netherlands play Algeria on Thursday, May 3, and the five-day window bolsters his chances of featuring in that friendly, fitness permitting.
Arsenal now have just four matches left to play this season: three in the Premier League before the Champions League final.
The World Cup is undoubtedly the pinnacle, but this summer’s tournament will currently feel a long way away for the crux of Mikel Arteta’s squad.
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