Gareth Southgate and his international manager colleagues are facing a mounting injury list as they prepare to name their World Cup squads.
What is supposed to be football’s biggest showpiece will be missing some of the biggest stars on the planet. Paul Pogba, N’Golo Kante, Paulo Dybala and Gini Wijnaldum are among those definitely out of Qatar.
But the likes of Raphael Varane, Manuel Neuer and Son Heung-min are also facing potential World Cup heartbreak as they face a race to get fit in time. Tottenham are facing a striker crisis with Son struggling and Lucas Moura is also playing through the pain barrier while Brazil star Richarlison has been missing for the past few weeks.
Managers have to have named their 26-man squads to FIFA on November 14. Here is a full list of injury worries for nations all around the world ahead of the showpiece tournament in Qatar next month.
England
Three Lions boss Southgate will name his 26 man squad on Thursday and Chelsea duo Reece James and Ben Chilwell are the two major England casualties.
After James suffered a serious knee ligament injury in October, Chilwell left Stamford Bridge on crutches last week after suffering a hamstring injury. Their absences mean that Kieran Tripper will likely be included as Southgate's only left-back alternative to Luke Shaw, while Manchester City pair Kyle Walker and Kalvin Phillips are also battling to be fit in time.
The winter World Cup is a unique event, coming in the middle of the season but, rather than allowing players to go in form and at peak fitness, the knock-on effect has meant all the club games have had to be squeezed in before Qatar. That has undoubtedly put added pressure on players and is the reason why players appear to be dropping like flies.
Most England players still have three games before they jet off to Qatar with two Premier Lea gue fixtures and next week’s Carabao Cup ties.
Incredibly, Harry Kane has already played a staggering 20 games for club and country since the start of the season - that is 87 days and roughly a game every four days - but is showing no signs of slowing down.
Tottenham striker Kane insists he will not ease up before Qatar and the whole nation will be praying he stays fit and in top form. But the worry now is that England fly to Qatar on November 15 - which is just a week on Tuesday - and now every time a player goes down for treatment there will be a genuine worry and sharp intake of breath.
Look at Arsenal ’s Bukayo Saka on Sunday. He went down, hobbled off and suddenly England’s Player of the Year was a massive worry - only for him to recover and train.
But the gruelling schedule, worrying fixture list and demands on players is a massive worry and the World Cup may end up paying the price if the stars are missing.
Brazil
The bookies' favourite and five-time winners are looking in good shape with their squad looking close to full fitness. Tottenham winger Richarlison is their only major doubt.
Richarlison injured his calf against Everton and left the ground in tears and on crutches. The following day he tweeted: "Guys, thank God it was just a big scare!! Two weeks and I'll be back! Thank you for the messages and affection." Before manager Antonio Conte later insisted he would be fit in time for the World Cup.
Liverpool's Arthur Melo, on loan from Juventus, has only played once for Jurgen Klopp due to thing injury. Klopp described the injury as "long term" and Arthur talked about fighting to play in the World Cup in the past tense in an Instagram post last month, so he will not be in Tite's squad.
Juventus centre-back Bremer made his international debut in September but has missed the last five matches in Serie A. He is expected to be fit for this weekend, but with the likes of Thiago Silva, Marquinhos and Arsenal's Gabriel in and around the squad, Bremer is facing an uphill battle to win his place on the plane.
Belgium
Roberto Martinez is hoping to go further than the third place his side managed four years ago. His biggest worry going into Qatar is the fitness of all-time record goalscorer Romelu Lukaku.
The talismanic Inter Milan striker has sat out much of this season with a hamstring injury but returned to action last week with a goalscoring comeback against Viktoria Plzen in the Champions League and a league appearance against Sampdoria.
But he has suffered a relapse and is now likely to miss the next three weeks. That obviously makes him risk with Belgium's first game coming in just under three weeks. "For the moment, he is not ready to play," said Martinez.
"He is in the hands of the doctors. We have experience of this situation. We had the same with Vincent Kompany before the World Cup in 2018. He was injured just before the squad announcement (with a groin injury and he missed the first two group games). The situation is quite similar.
The decision will be taken on Thursday just before the squad is announced and will be related to the three matches in the group stage of the World Cup. If he is ready to play in one of those three matches, he is a player we need in our team. If he can't, he will not be picked. We are working day by day."
Winger Alexis Saelemaekers has a knee injury and won't be back until January, while Thomas Meunier broke his cheekbone on October 20 and Borussia Dortmund have ruled him out of the World Cup.
France
Things are never ever simple for Les Bleus heading into major tournaments, and this World Cup is no different. It is almost easier to go through who is fully fit for the holders than those stressing over their place on the plane.
N'Golo Kante's hamstring and Paul Pogba's knee have seen the duo definitely ruled out of any action on the Arabian peninsula. That's the easiest part as Wesley Fofana, Lucas Hernandez, Boubacar Kamara, Raphael Varane and Anthony Martial are in various states of unwellness.
Defender Fofana damaged his knee in a Champions League match at the start of October and is unlikely to play for Chelsea before the season breaks, but has headed to Dubai in a last-ditch rehabilitation effort. Hernandez is back in training at Bayern Munich and is hopeful of playing a game or two before the squad announcement after a groin injury.
Aston Villa's Kamara tore his knee ligaments in September and was initially ruled out until after the World Cup but his rehab has gone remarkably well according to the Athletic, and could still head to Qatar. Aurelien Tchouameni is also a worry after missing Real Madrid's clash with Celtic with a fatigued muscle.
Manchester United duo Varane and Martial are in a race against time to recover from leg and back injuries. The former left the pitch in tears against Chelsea last month and won't play for the Red Devils before the tournament, while Martial is very close to a comeback, but whether he can force his way into Didier Deschamps' plans is another question.
Argentina
Argentina have two high-profile names potentially missing out. Roma forward Paulo Dybala will definitely be absent after picking up a thing injury while taking penalty last month. Angel Di Maria is more hopeful of making the flight, and could return to club action this weekend in preparation after three weeks out with a hamstring problem.
Leandro Parades and Cristian Romero have missed games recently with thigh and hamstring injuries. Those two are confident of being fit and firing when their campaign kicks off against Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, November 22, but Giovani Lo Celso has been less fortunate.
The Tottenham Hotspur midfielder, on loan at Villarreal, is currently out of action with a hamstring problem but had been hoping to feature. Sadly, Lo Celso's chances of featuring for the Albiceleste in Qatar suffered a fatal blow this Tuesday when it was reported that he'll now undergo surgery.
Spain
The 2010 winners have a number of players pushing to be in the squad. Full-back Sergio Reguilon is very close to a return after groin troubles after returning to training following six months on the sideline last week.
Gerard Moreno missed most of last season with a calf and hamstring injuries and has suffered from a muscle problem this term. He should be back in action soon but his lack of game time makes him a very unlikely selection. Mikel Oyarzabal is back in training after his seven months out.
Dani Olmo is stepping up his return from damaging his ankle in September with a pair of substitute appearances.
Portugal
Cristiano Ronaldo's more regular game-time will put a smile on Fernando Santos' face, especially with Diego Jota set to miss the World Cup after injuring his thigh against Manchester City last month.
Like Jota, Wolves striker Pedro Neto was taken off the pitch on a stretcher when he damaged his ankle against West Ham at the beginning of October. He will also miss the World Cup.
Defenders Pepe, now at Porto, and Nuno Mendes are the other main worries for the Portuguese. Highly-experienced Pepe has a sprain knee and Mendes an Achilles problem, but neither are expected to rule them out the squad.
Mexico
The Mexicans have a major issues in attack. Wolves striker Raul Jimenez hasn't played a minute since August 31 and spent much of that time recuperating his injured groin in South America. He is now back in England and as of Wednesday is back training outside.
Winger Tecatito is definitely out of the World Cup with a fractured fibula, with Jesus Corona also not going to be ready, despite being ahead of time in his recovery programme, after beraking hs leg earlier this season.
Netherlands
Former Liverpool and PSG midfielder Gini Wijnaldum will definitely be absent from Qatar with a fractured tibia. He damaged the bone during Roma training where he is currently on loan back in August.
Memphis Depay is a heavy doubt as well having not played for Barcelona since September. There have been reports in Spain that the attacker has purposefully dodged action to make sure he doesn't risk further damage to his hamstring before the World Cup.
Centre back Matthijs de Ligt is a minor worry with a knee injury, while Marten de Roon's hamstring should fix up in time for the big kick off against Senegal.
Germany
Hansi Flick is sweating over the fitness of several big-name stars ahead of the tournament having already lost striker Timo Werner to injury. The former Chelsea man has been ruled out of the World Cup after suffering an ankle injury during RB Leipzig's win over Shakhtar Donetsk.
Flick could be facing an even bigger blow to Germany's World Cup hopes though if goalkeeper Manuel Neuer does not properly recover from a shoulder problem. Neuer, 36, captains his country and has only played twice since early October, having recently returned in the past few days.
Germany do have a number of options to cover the Bayern Munich star, however, with Barcelona's Marc-Andre ter Stegen among them. Bayern's Leroy Sane and Borussia Dortmund's Marco Reus are also doubts for the squad having both only recently returned from respective injuries, while Florian Neuhaus and Mahmoud Dahoud are also nursing problems.
And to add to Flick's headaches in attack, former Manchester City striker Lukas Nmecha will miss the World Cup as the result of a knee injury which he obtained during Wolfsburg’s 2-0 win against Dortmund on Tuesday. Nmecha, 23, had only come on as a substitute in the 75th minute before a tackle from potential Germany teammate Mats Hummels ruptured his patellar tendon.
South Korea
South Korea's World Cup hopes are hanging desperately in the balance after talisman Son Heung-min suffered a sickening eye injury during Tottenham's win over Marseille in midweek.
The Spurs forward is set to undergo surgery on Friday after reportedly suffering four fractures to his eye socket. Son will not know whether he is likely to make the World Cup until after his surgery has been completed, but can take optimism from the example of Kevin De Bruyne, who sustained a similar injury prior to Euro 2020 and still managed to feature.
Wales
Welsh hopes will largely pin on their injury-prone icon Gareth Bale in Qatar, but the winger is currently on track to play a starring role for his country.
Bale, 33, has not played as much as he'd have liked since moving to LAFC in the summer, with Wales reportedly sending medical staff to the States to ensure he is kept in shape. They're said to have adopted a similar tactic with Aaron Ramsey, who is currently plying his trade with French club Nice.
The big concern for Wales is the fitness of Swansea's Joe Allen, who is facing a race against time to overcome a hamstring problem. Meanwhile, Rangers midfielder Tom Lawrence has been ruled out until after the World Cup whilst Rhys Norrington-Davies will also not be fit for selection.
Rest of the world
Of the remaining competing nations, the absence of Sadio Mane, Senegal's talisman, is the headline. Although Bayern Munich are yet to formally rule the former Liverpool star out, multiple reports claimed this Wednesday that he was indeed set to miss the tournament after injuring his fibula during their 6-1 victory over Werder Bremen.
Meanwhile, USA are hopeful Weston McKennie's hamstring injury will not scupper his preparations with the midfielder looking likely to miss Juventus' upcoming games ahead of the tournament. England's group stage opponents should have striker Daryl Dike available though, with the West Brom forward on the verge of full fitness.
Elsewhere, Ronald Araujo is not expected to feature for Uruguay but Croatia's Marcelo Brozovic is nearing a return for his club side Inter Milan. Poland will also be without tough-tackling midfielder Jacek Goralski, who faces months more on the sidelines recovering from a muscle injury after also being forced to miss last summer's European Championships.
Morocco and Canada join Croatia in Group F and have injury concerns of their own. Imran Louza has already been ruled out after being injured whilst playing for Watford, while the Canadians' veteran skipper Atiba Hutchinson will be desperate to play after suffering a bone bruise in pre-season.
The Three Lions overcame Colombia in famous circumstances in Russia four years ago. Their squad isn't as strong this time around and will miss Leeds United winger Luis Sinisterra after he suffered an injury vs Fulham last month.
Denmark were one of the stories of last summer, overcoming the horrifying Christian Eriksen to reach the last four of the European Championship. Eriksen will again be central to the Danes' hopes who are sweating on the fitness of Simon Kjaer and former Chelsea defender Andreas Christensen.
