21 May 2026 14:06 BST |
16 min read
The 2026 World Cup is right around the corner and some of the best players on the globe are set to grace the pitch in North America.
However, several world-renowned stars have cruelly been ruled out of the tournament through no fault of their own and will not feature in the United States of America, Canada and Mexico.
Below, FootballTransfers runs through 10 superstars who will unfortunately miss the 2026 World Cup through injury.
Hugo Ekitike (France)
Hugo Ekitike’s promising debut season at Liverpool was ended prematurely after he ruptured his Achilles during the second-leg of the Reds’ Champions League quarter-final defeat to Paris Saint-Germain.
The Frenchman successfully underwent surgery in April, but he will not feature again until 2027 due to the severity of the injury, and he was therefore excluded from Didier Deschamps’ squad for the World Cup.
Ekitike is likely to have played second-fiddle to Kylian Mbappe at the tournament if selected, however he will still be sorely missed by France.
Serge Gnabry (Germany)
Serge Gnabry was tipped to leave Bayern Munich last summer, but a transfer never materialised and he enjoyed an impressive 2025-26 campaign under Vincent Kompany, registering 20 goals and assists in 32 games across the Champions League and Bundesliga.
However, he tore the adductor muscle in his right leg in April and soon publicly confirmed that his World Cup “dream” was over.
Gnabry started all six of Germany’s qualifying matches for the tournament and he was therefore likely to be in Julian Nagelsmann’s preferred starting XI if he was fit.
Xavi Simons (Netherlands)
Xavi Simons’ debut season at Tottenham Hotspur has been hugely underwhelming, and things took an even worse turn when he ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament versus Wolverhampton Wanderers in April.
The Netherlands star, who scored during his country’s 2-1 defeat to England in the Euro 2024 semi-finals, will be out of action until next year and he will therefore not be at the World Cup.
Simons only started three matches out of a possible eight in qualifying, but he likely still would have played a key role for the Oranje in North America.
Matthijs de Ligt (Netherlands)
Netherlands boss Ronald Koeman is yet to officially announce his squad for the World Cup, but Matthijs de Ligt will not be included after undergoing surgery on a lengthy back injury.
The Dutchman hasn’t played since late November due to the issue and despite Ruben Amorim saying that it was only a small problem at the time, De Ligt has been absent for months and Man Utd have now confirmed that surgery has taken place.
In a statement posted in May, De Ligt said: “After 6 months of treatment and working hard to get back, surgery was the only option left. I’m disappointed I couldn’t help the team the last 6 months and obviously missing out on the World Cup but I am looking forward to doing everything to get back in front of the fans and feeling better again.”
Estevao (Brazil)
Estevao had looked set to play a starring role for Brazil at the tournament, despite still being just 18 years old, but he has cruelly been denied the chance to play at his first World Cup.
The teenager, who has struggled with several injuries during his debut season at Chelsea, suffered a serious hamstring strain against Manchester United in mid-April and he was close to tears as he left the pitch.
It’s understood that Estevao won’t undergo surgery on the injury, however he will miss the World Cup after being omitted from Brazil’s squad. He scored in both of his nation’s friendlies in November and was likely to start for Carlo Ancelotti’s side before his injury.
Rodrygo (Brazil)
Brazil will also be without fellow attacker Rodrygo, who ruptured his ACL during Real Madrid’s shock defeat to Getafe in March.
The 25-year-old will be out of action until 2027 and after the injury, he posted on social media: “One of the worst days of my life, how much I always feared this injury. Maybe life has been a little cruel to me lately, I don’t know if I deserve this, but what can I complain about? How many wonderful things I’ve experienced that I didn’t deserve either.”
Rodrygo played five times for Brazil at the 2022 World Cup, however Ancelotti will be without the forward in North America.
Samu Aghehowa (Spain)
Spain head into the World Cup as one of the favourites for glory following their triumph at Euro 2024, although they will be without FC Porto striker Samu Aghehowa.
The 22-year-old is yet to establish himself as a pivotal player at international level, but he was likely to feature at the World Cup, having been included for squads in November, October and June.
The striker, who was heavily linked with Chelsea in 2024, suffered an ACL injury in February, ending his campaign early, in which he’d scored 20 goals in 32 games for Porto.
Eder Militao (Brazil)
In addition to the aforementioned Estevao and Rodrygo, Brazil also head into the World Cup without Eder Militao, who is now among the most injury-prone players in world football.
He has missed 137 games through injury since the start of the 2023-24 season and he will not be at the World Cup after undergoing surgery on a hamstring tear in April.
In Militao’s absence, Marquinhos and Gabriel Magalhaes are expected to start at centre-back for Brazil, with Juventus star Bremer likely to be first-reserve in case of injury.
Kaoru Mitoma (Japan)
Japan will be without their talismanic attacker in North America, with Kaoru Mitoma ruled out of the tournament after suffering a hamstring injury against Wolves in early May.
The Brighton & Hove Albion winger only registered four goals and assists in 25 Premier League matches this season, however he is still a pivotal player for Japan and his absence is a hammer blow.
Upon announcing his squad, with Mitoma excluded, Japan boss Hajime Moriyasu admitted that his side had lost “a major presence” due to the Brighton star’s injury.
Fermin Lopez (Spain)
Fermin Lopez was primed to play a crucial role for Spain at the World Cup after a stellar season for Barcelona, in which he has scored 13 goals and provided 17 assists in 48 games. However, the reigning European Champions will not be able to call upon the x-year-old after he fractured the fifth metatarsal in his right foot in mid-May.
After confirmation that he will miss the World Cup, Fermin said: “Life and football can be cruel when you least expect it or deserve it. But you have to accept that it’s all part of the journey.
“It’s a very tough time for me and yet another challenge in my career that I will overcome – of that you can be sure. Now it’s time to support the national team and my team-mates from home.”
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