WITH the 2026 World Cup just five weeks away, a wave of injuries is threatening to sideline the world’s best players when the action rolls out in North America.
Players who are ruled out of the World Cup are Argentina’s Joaquín Panichelli (ACL), Brazil’s Éder Militão (hamstring), Rodrygo (ACL), France’s Hugo Ekitike (Achilles), Germany’s Serge Gnabry (adductor), Netherlands’ Xavi Simons (ACL), and USA’s Cameron Carter-Vickers (Achilles), and Patrick Agyemang (Achilles).
Kylian Mbappé of France is currently out with a hamstring injury but is expected to return to Real Madrid later this month. The teenage sensation Lamine Yamal of Spain is recovering from a muscle injury but should make his World Cup debut, while Mohamed Salah of Egypt had a recent hamstring scare that proved minor. / CRSC
