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Top football stars who will miss 2026 World Cup
03rd June, 2026 09:28 AM
With the World Cup month finally upon us, the moment of reckoning has arrived for players, their families, and fans across the globe. Final squads are already flying out to the co-host nations, the USA, Mexico, and Canada, ahead of the highly anticipated June 11, 2026, kick-off.
A tournament held just once every four years is the ultimate dream for any footballer who books their seat on the plane.
However, the lead-up to the competition has already been a source of intense heartache for several stars, whose dreams were cut short either through an untimely dip in form or devastating injuries.
Injuries and Omissions
The list of high-profile absentees who will miss out on the global football showpiece continues to grow. Tottenham’s Xavi Simons and Liverpool’s Hugo Ekitike are among those sidelined after seeing their hopes ruined by injury.
Similarly, Germany’s Serge Gnabry will watch from the sidelines after an injury ruled him out of the tournament.
For others, the omission was tactical. Argentina’s World Cup-winning coach, Lionel Scaloni, chose to leave Roma playmaker Paulo Dybala out of his plans entirely. Dybala failed to make the cut even in the initial pool of players from which Scaloni selected his final squad.
England snubs
A similar fate befell Manchester City’s Savinho and Spain’s Dani Carvajal, both of whom missed out on the preliminary 55-man squads named by their respective national team coaches.
The England team also featured many big names, with Harry Maguire, Phil Foden, and Cole Palmer all left out of Thomas Tuchel’s squad for the summer games. The trio was left out as the German opted for a balanced team of players he says will be ready for the task.
Meanwhile, Manchester United’s Matthijs de Ligt confirmed his own World Cup heartbreak on social media on Friday, May 15, 2026.
The Dutch defender was left out of Ronald Koeman’s Oranje preliminary squad after being forced to undergo season-ending back surgery.
Kulesevski out
In Europe, Sweden officially unveiled their 26-man squad for this summer’s tournament.
Head coach Graham Potter will have to navigate the group stages without Tottenham Hotspur’s Dejan Kulusevski, who missed out due to persistent knee injury struggles. There was also no spot in Potter’s final team for Barcelona’s highly rated young winger, Roony Bardghji.
Despite those notable absences, the Scandinavian side will still boast plenty of star power. Premier League standouts Viktor Gyökeres, Alexander Isak, Lucas Bergvall, and Victor Lindelöf have all been safely included in the travelling party.
Meanwhile, there are also concerns about players who have made the final squad but remain doubts.
Brazil’s Neymar and Arsenal’s French defender William Saliba lead the list of potential late doubts for the tournament.
34-year-old Neymar encountered yet another fitness problem just weeks before the FIFA World Cup. The Seleccao, under coach Carlo Ancelotti, dispelled the fears of the injury, only confirming that the attacker will miss the opening clash against Morocco.
