JAKARTA – Arsenal and France defender William Saliba is in doubt for the 2026 World Cup after suffering a back injury a few weeks ago.
The 25-year-old underwent scans on Monday, June 1, 2026, local time, to find out how serious his injury was.
However, he is feared to need a long period of rest and treatment, which will make him miss out on the 2026 World Cup with Les Bleus.
It would be a huge disappointment for him to miss out on a tournament where France are among the favourites to win it. It would also be a huge blow for Didier Deschamps and Les Bleus to lose one of the best defenders in the world.
Saliba played in 50 of Arsenal’s 63 games in all competitions this season and was instrumental in winning the Premier League title and reaching the Champions League final.
Arsenal lost on penalties to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final after a 1-1 draw in Budapest.
Other defenders called up by France are Lucas Digne, Malo Gusto, Lucas Hernandez, Theo Hernandez, Ibrahima Konate, Jules Kounde, Maxence Lacroix, and Dayot Upamecano. Meanwhile, Real Madrid midfielder Eduardo Camavinga is absent from the list of players.
France are in Group I of the 2026 World Cup and will face Senegal, Iraq, and Norway. However, France now faces the prospect of winning the World Cup without Saliba.
“I have ambition. I want the players to have it too. However, I don’t want us to lose humility.”
“I’m not going to hide and say that we are not one of the teams that can potentially become world champions. However, there are eight, maybe 10 teams that can say that. Not by shouting, ‘We are the best, we are the strongest’,” Deschamps said when announcing his 26-man list.
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