For some footballers, appearing at the World Cup matches is a career pinnacle nothing else can ever touch.
World Cup 2026 is upon us and 48 international managers around the globe are preparing to name their World Cup squads to compete in the United States, Canada and Mexico this summer.
With 1,248 squad places up for grabs for the sport's showpiece tournament, it is sadly inevitable that injury will be the reason that many players miss out.
As the 2025-26 season careens towards its conclusion, new or existing long-term injuries represent a game-over scenario for World Cup hopefuls.
While there's no official in-or-out decision until federations submit their preliminary squad lists to FIFA on Monday, May 11, these players have been ruled out of contention in advance of World Cup 2026.
Samu Aghehowa (Spain)
Porto striker Samu Aghehowa suffered a torn ACL while playing against Sporting CP in February.
The 21-year-old had scored 13 goals in 20 league appearances this season but won't be adding to his caps for Spain or breaking his senior international duck at the World Cup finals.
Patrick Agyemang (United States)
Patrick Agyemang has scored six goals in 14 appearances for the United States since making his debut last year.
The striker, who also joined Derby County from Charlotte FC in 2025, was struck down by a serious Achilles tendon injury during the Rams' Championship fixture against Stoke City at the beginning of April.
Valentin Carboni (Argentina)
21-year-old attacking midfielder Valentin Carboni was on loan at Racing from Inter Milan when he tore his ACL in February.
The former Monza, Marseille and Genoa loanee played age-level football for Italy but reverted to Argentina at Under-20 level. He has three senior international caps with the Albiceleste but will not be part of Lionel Scaloni's World Cup squad.
Cameron Carter-Vickers (United States)
United States defender Cameron Carter-Vickers reportedly still has some faint hope of making the cut for a home World Cup but Achilles surgery ruled him out of the rest of the season as far back as November.
The Celtic stalwart is battling the odds with a view to a surprise inclusion and some big-stage additions to his 19 caps with the USMNT.
Hugo Ekitike (France)
Liverpool suffered a chastening Champions League exit against Paris Saint-Germain in the quarter-finals but the low point of the second leg at Anfield was an awful injury sustained by striker Hugo Ekitike.
The France international went down after half an hour with the Achilles tendon rupture that prematurely ended his World Cup prospects.
Juan Foyth (Argentina)
World champions Argentina lost 28-year-old Villarreal defender Juan Foyth to a ruptured Achilles in January.
The former Tottenham Hotspur player, who has 22 senior international caps to his name and was part of Scaolini's World Cup-winning squad in 2022, was injured 24 minutes into Villarreal's La Liga fixture against Real Madrid.
Luis Angel Malagon (Mexico)
Mexico defender Marcel Ruiz gave Javier Aguirre an unexpected boost by returning to action early after being ruled out of the World Cup, but Luis Angel Malagon has had no such luck.
America goalkeeper Malagon is another player currently rehabilitating from a serious Achilles tear and his absence brought 40-year-old Guillermo Ochoa back into the fold on the doorstep of a home World Cup.
Joaquin Panichelli (Argentina)
Strasbourg's Joaquin Panichelli has won a single Argentina cap, which he won in the November international window. He was on duty with the national team in March when he injured his ACL for the second time in as many years.
The 23-year-old has been ruled out of World Cup 2026 because of the injury, which also brought an early end to an outstanding run of form in front of goal.
Rodrygo (Brazil)
Brazil star Rodrygo will be unavailable for selection by Selecao boss Carlo Ancelotti. The Real Madrid forward ruptured his ACL in a league fixture against Getafe at the beginning of March and has been eliminated from World Cup 2026 as a result.
The 25-year-old has played 37 times for his country and played at the last World Cup in 2022.
Mohammed Salisu (Ghana)
Ghana defender Mohammed Salisu tore his ACL in January and is working his way through what's expected to be a nine-month period of rehabilitation.
The 26-year-old former Southampton centre-back has played 22 times for the Black Stars since he made his debut in the autumn of 2022. He went on to play in the World Cup in December and was a likely inclusion for World Cup 2026 too.
