The 2026 World Cup is down to its last eight, meaning teams will be praying not to suffer any untimely injury setbacks in their quest for global glory.
Some of the big injury sagas heading into the tournament have come to happy endings, with Lamine Yamal now a regular fixture for Spain after returning to full fitness, while injury-ridden Neymar was able to get some minutes in what will be his final World Cup, before Brazil’s elimination at the hands of Norway.
However, many nations are still sweating over major concerns to top players. England have been dealing with a defensive injury crisis for much of the tournament and while that appeared to easing with Reece James closing in on a return, Thomas Tuchel may now be without Marc Guehi for their clash with Norway on Saturday, while Declan Rice has been struck down with illness.
France will be sweating over the fitness of Kylian Mbappe after he was brought off with a knock against Morocco. Spain, meanwhile, have seen their winger options limited since the end of the group stage, with Yeremy Pino, Nico Williams and Victor Munoz all out. And in a potential concern for Newcastle fans hoping to see one of their top targets in action, Switzerland will be without star man Johan Manzambi for their last-eight tie with Argentina.
See below for a full list of key injuries at this year’s World Cup.
Kylian Mbappe (France)
Mbappe was substituted as a precaution after picking up a knock in France’s 2-0 World Cup quarter-final win over Morocco on Thursday.
Morocco defender Issa Diop sliced through the France forward shortly after giving his side the lead, receiving a yellow card as Mbappe reacted in pain.
France boss Didier Deschamps was taking no chances as Les Bleus went 2-0 up through Ousmane Dembele, with Mbappe making way for Jean-Philippe Mateta in the 78th minute.
Mbappe had ice strapped to his ankle on the substitutes bench but did not look overly concerned, with five days until France’s semi-final against Spain or Belgium.
Mbappe played down the injury afterwards, saying: “I have a minor ankle injury, but I’m completely fine.
“Mateta was in a better position to play the remaining minutes of the match and was fitter at that moment. That’s all that happened.”
Reece James (England)
James has been out of action for England for their last three World Cup outings, once again unable to feature in their stunning round of 16 win over Mexico as he recovers from a hamstring problem.
His absence has been compounded by injuries to right-back alternatives in the England squad though he will hope to return to fitness against Norway in the quarter-finals, after returning to training as expected beforehand.
Amadou Onana (Belgium)
Onana has been ruled out of the rest of the World Cup and will miss much of the upcoming season after the Belgium and Aston Villa midfielder suffered a knee injury in his country’s last-16 win over USA.
Onana’s knee buckled under him as he twisted during the first half, without contact from an opponent. After treatment, the 24-year-old was later seen returning to the Belgian bench using crutches and wearing a knee brace as he watched his teammates secure a 4-1 victory in Seattle to knock out their American hosts.
He ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament, an injury which typically takes at least six months to recover from.
Marc Guehi (England)
England defender Guehi will be assessed ahead of England’s quarter-final against Norway after picking up a hamstring strain against Mexico.
Initially it was hoped Guehi was carrying muscular fatigue and would be fit to face Norway, but it has now been revealed he suffered a minor injury at the Azteca.
Guehi is desperate to prove his fitness and remains optimistic he can be involved, but remains a doubt nonetheless.
Declan Rice (England)
Rice’s tournament has been hampered by injuries with neural back pain forcing England to manage his workload. This saw him miss England’s group-stage finale against Panama, but he has started both knockout games since.
However, he has now been struck down by illness which could see him miss the quarter-final against Norway. He has missed training twice in the days leading up to the match and will be a major doubt to be involved.
England have taken steps to ensure the sickness bug does not spread. Norway were also dealing with illness in the squad but their team doctor has since confirmed that all players are now fit and well.
Johan Manzambi (Switzerland)
Switzerland's hopes for their World Cup quarter-final clash against reigning champions Argentina have been dealt a significant blow with the confirmation that star forward Manzambi will miss the crucial match in Kansas City on Saturday.
Coach Murat Yakin announced on Friday that Manzambi, the team's leading scorer with three goals and two assists in the tournament, has failed to recover from a knee injury sustained earlier. The midfielder, who also sat out Switzerland's penalty shootout victory over Colombia in the last 16, is in considerable pain.
Yakin said: "We tried everything that we could to get him back, unfortunately, he's unable to perform tomorrow. Johan Manzambi is in a lot of pain. It was a shock to all of us. This momentum was on his side, and there is so much joy when he plays football."
Yeremy Pino (Spain)
The Crystal Palace winger suffered a collarbone injury against Uruguay and there were fears he could miss the rest of the tournament.
Those were allayed when Spain said X-rays showed Pino had not sustained a fractured collar bone but an acromioclavicular sprain.
However, he is yet to play any minutes for Spain since the group-stage injury.
Nico Williams (Spain)
The winger injuries are piling up for La Roja after Williams suffered a groin problem in the win over Uruguay.
“Today is one of the worst days of my life,” Williams posted on social media. “I am injured again after a very difficult year. Yesterday, I suffered a new injury following an incident where a fellow professional acted out of frustration, unhappiness, and sadness over the situation he was going through. In my opinion, it was a play that could have been avoided, as it was completely unnecessary. But this won’t stop me.”
Like Pino, he has yet to play any minutes since the injury ahead of the quarter-finals.
Jordan Henderson (England)
Brentford midfielder Henderson has been ruled out for the World Cup after sustaining a freak injury in the aftermath of England’s win over Mexico.
Henderson leaped over the advertising hoarding but fell awkwardly and snapped his arm. He has undergone surgery and will miss the rest of the tournament, though plans to remain with the squad until the end of the campaign. He has returned to their training base in Kansas City.
Zeno Debast (Belgium)
Belgium defender Debast has been plagued by a leg injury he sustained before the start of the tournament, having so far played no minutes for Rudi Garcia’s side.
This will not change against Spain in the quarter-final after Belgium revealed Debast had been prohibited to play by his club Sporting CP.
A spokesperson from the Royal Belgian Football Association stated: "Zeno Debast will not be available for the quarter final. His club, Sporting CP, have informed the player that they did not consider him to be medically fit to play matches.
"This assessment differs from that of the Red Devils' medical staff, as well as Fifa's medical and insurance authorities. Zeno is currently training individually under the supervision of the RBFA's Performance Department."
Facundo Medina (Argentina)
Argentina are dealing with another defensive injury blow after Medina hobbled off with a calf problem in their last-32 clash win over Cape Verde.
That match saw the return of Cristian Romero after the Tottenham centre-back suffered a knee injury in the group stage, but Lionel Scaloni has another headache to deal with after Medina’s withdrawal, with the defender then missing their controversial last-16 victory with Egypt.
Aurelien Tchouameni (France)
France have been without midfielder Tchouameni for their last two outings against Paraguay and Morocco due to a lingering groin problem.
He was said to be improving after undergoing an individual recovery programme but it remains to be seen whether he will be fit to face either Spain or Belgium in their semi-final.
Victor Munoz (Spain)
New Liverpool signing Munoz has been absent for the entirety of the World Cup so far after sustaining a calf injury in the build-up to the tournament. He then suffered a further setback when he was diagnosed with another muscular injury.
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