Every World Cup loses players to injury in the weeks leading up to the tournament, and 2026 is no different. As the countdown reaches four days, several names that supporters expected to see in this tournament have already packed up and gone home. Rodrygo, Hugo Ekitike, and Alphonso Davies headline a list of significant absences that have reshaped several squads ahead of June 11 — and altered expectations for some of the teams that were hoping to lean on them heavily.
Rodrygo: Real Madrid and Brazil Lose a Key Threat
The most damaging confirmed absence may be Real Madrid's Rodrygo, who suffered a torn ACL and meniscus injury that has ruled him out for what is likely to be the rest of 2026. Brazil's right side had been built in part around Rodrygo's ability to cut inside and create chances, and his understanding with Vinicius Júnior gave the Seleção an attacking combination that few defences could contain at full speed. That dimension is simply gone now. Brazil's coaching staff will need to find a different solution out wide — and while the options are not poor, none of them carry quite the same combination of pace, directness and end product.
Ekitike: Liverpool's Summer Signing Misses His First World Cup
Liverpool striker Hugo Ekitike ruptured his Achilles tendon during a match against Paris Saint-Germain in April, ending his season at the worst possible moment. Ekitike arrived at Liverpool in the summer window on the back of an impressive spell in the Bundesliga and had been widely expected to represent France at their first major tournament since failing to progress from the group stage at Euro 2024. The timing could not have been crueller. He is 23, with multiple World Cups ahead of him statistically, but missing this one — given France's ambitions and his own trajectory — stings in a way that purely footballing logic does not fully explain.
Davies Racing Against Time, Yamal on Track
Canada's Alphonso Davies is another name surrounded by question marks. He has not played for Canada since tearing an ACL in March 2025 during the CONCACAF Nations League finals, and a hamstring injury last month set his comeback back further. Canada are hosting part of this tournament, with the emotional weight that carries, and the absence of their most recognisable player would diminish what was already shaping up to be one of the story arcs of the group stage. On a more positive note, Spain's Lamine Yamal appears to be tracking toward fitness in time for their opener, which will bring considerable relief to La Roja and neutrals alike who want to see one of the most electric talents in world football on the biggest stage his career has reached so far.
Confirmed absences: Rodrygo (Real Madrid / Brazil — torn ACL & meniscus), Hugo Ekitike (Liverpool / France — ruptured Achilles), FermÃn López (Barcelona / Spain — fractured metatarsal), Estêvão (Brazil — hamstring). Status uncertain: Alphonso Davies (Canada — ACL/hamstring), Lamine Yamal (Spain — on track). World Cup 2026 opens June 11.
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