Is Saliba Out of the World Cup?

The French national team is in a state of panic less than two weeks before the 2026 World Cup. On Monday morning, the consecutive reports from ESPN and Foot Mercato pointed to the same conclusion: Arsenal's 25-year-old defensive star William Saliba aggravated his injury in the Champions League final played against Paris Saint-Germain on Saturday night at Puskás Aréna. According to ESPN's sources, Saliba has an injury in his back that started a few weeks ago; the MRI results to be done on Monday will determine the seriousness of the injury, but the fears are that the player will miss the World Cup.

The detail shared by Foot Mercato journalist Santi Aouna on X the same day revealed that the Arsenal front had played the final on Saturday evening carrying an injury. Aouna wrote: "William Saliba, who was already diminished before the match against PSG, aggravated his injury during the match. The Frenchman is still in pain and his condition is causing real concern within the FFF." This brings to light the fact that Saliba — the player who has played in 50 matches at the heart of Mikel Arteta's defence, the backbone of the Premier League championship and Champions League final journey — played beyond the physical limit despite completing the 120-minute final with a full performance. In late weeks of the 2025-26 season, the same ankle problem had recurred in March 2026; but this time the real problem is in the back.

The flow of the match had hidden this injury from view. Saliba stayed on the field for 120 minutes in Budapest on Saturday night; he played one of the longest matches of his history. He had taken the field in the Champions League final two weeks after embracing the Premier League championship with Arsenal, and the final ended 1-1. PSG won 4-3 on penalties. Gabriel Magalhaes and Eberechi Eze missed their penalties. At the end of the match, one of the affected players on the field was Saliba; but the official injury statement came not after the final, but on Monday morning. Saliba was also at Arsenal's trophy parade in London on Sunday, but it was noticeable that he wasn't running normally on the field.

The calendar is cruel for the French national team. Les Bleus will play their first warm-up match against Ivory Coast on Thursday, and there is a final warm-up match against Northern Ireland on Monday. The actual tournament starts on June 16 against Senegal — that is, Saliba's recovery time is only two weeks. The ESPN report is clear: "He may need several weeks to rest." Foot Mercato also joins the same framework — "several weeks" of distance. If that is the situation, Saliba will miss the group stage and may even withdraw from the entire tournament. The World Cup final is on July 19; even if France goes to that stage, the possibility of Saliba not being able to play is high.

The question of how Didier Deschamps will tactically build a defence without Saliba is also on the agenda. The French squad still has options like Dayot Upamecano (Bayern Munich), Ibrahima Konaté (Liverpool), Maxence Lacroix (Crystal Palace), Jules Koundé, Lucas Hernández. However, the Saliba-Upamecano duo had been the stable core of the French defence for the past three years. Room may be made for Konaté, but the starting XI next to Upamecano will need to be rebuilt. A FIFA rule is an important note: Deschamps can replace Saliba and call up a substitute player up to 24 hours before the Senegal match — if both the France team doctor and the FIFA General Medical Officer confirm that the injury will last throughout the tournament.

The picture on the Arsenal side is also confused. After the trophy parade in London on Sunday, Saliba was going to go directly to the France camp. But now an MRI scan is on the agenda instead. Another critical data: Saliba played in 48 of Arsenal's 63 matches in the 2025-26 season, was the fifth-most-played player in the team. So they made this 25-year-old defender go through such a year that he came to the World Cup in the worst physical time. The 2026-27 Premier League season starts on August 22; from the perspective of "several weeks," Saliba probably won't return until late July or early August. So he won't miss the 2026-27 Premier League, but a large part of the World Cup is suspended.

This injury creates an extraordinary paradox for France in the shadow of PSG's Champions League victory. While a French club embraces Europe's biggest cup for the second consecutive time, the most important defensive player of the national team may not be able to make it to the World Cup because of that final. According to ESPN's sources, Saliba is "one of the best defenders in the world" — losing such a star at the tournament for France is "indescribable disappointment."

To summarise in a paragraph: William Saliba's chance of making the World Cup is extremely doubtful for now. The MRI results on Monday will paint the precise picture. Both ESPN and Foot Mercato point to a "several weeks" distance — in this case, the Senegal match, Iraq match (June 22), and Norway match (June 26) will be played in Saliba's absence. The time to rebuild the squad is at the door for Deschamps.

Source: ESPN, Foot Mercato

Image: justarsenal.com