🌍 The World Cup’s missing stars! From Palmer to J. Pedro 🤯
· Yahoo Sports
Every World Cup has its heroes. And then it has its omissions.
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In fact, it’s often them who spark more debate than the players who were called up. Because when you read that players like Cole Palmer, Phil Foden or Alexander-Arnold won’t take part in the most important competition on the planet, one question comes naturally: just how strong is the team that left them at home?
The final squads for the 2026 World Cup have already delivered plenty of surprises. Some understandable, others far less so, and then of course we have to remember the injured players.
Players who have retired from international duty (Suarez, Griezmann, Muller...) will not be included in this article.
England, the massive cut: Palmer, Foden, Alexander-Arnold and Maguire
England dominate the list of high-profile omissions, with a series of decisions that have caused a stir across the country.
Cole Palmer is perhaps the most shocking case: coming off seasons of the highest level and considered one of the most decisive talents in the Premier League, he was left out of the final squad. The same fate befell Phil Foden, a world-class player and a standout performer for Manchester City, but never truly central to the manager’s tactical project.
Completing the group of surprises are Trent Alexander-Arnold, one of the most creative full-backs in European football, left out despite his unique quality in building play, and Harry Maguire, a defensive leader in recent international tournaments but sacrificed in the final selections.
Four big names, four different stories, but one single conclusion: even a top-tier national team like England has to leave absolute stars at home.
France: Camavinga, K. Thuram, Kroupi and Ekitiké’s injury
When a national team leaves out Eduardo Camavinga, it means the level of competition is simply insane. No less remarkable is the exclusion of Khéphren Thuram: indispensable for Juve, but not for Deschamps.
There would be countless names in attack, but we’ll mention two: Ekitiké will miss the World Cup with a ruptured Achilles tendon and, even so, France still did not find room for Kroupi, the Bournemouth striker who is on the rise.
Brazil: J. Pedro makes way for Neymar! EstĂŞvĂŁo, Rodrygo and MilitĂŁo out
Neymar’s call-up inevitably changed Brazil’s balance. And the one who paid the highest price was João Pedro. The striker was coming off a very positive season and seemed close to a call-up, but Carlo Ancelotti chose to rely on O Ney’s experience and charisma.
A decision that hurts even more when we consider that Brazil will also have to do without Rodrygo and EstĂŞvĂŁo in attack, both injured. In defense, the absence is no less significant: MilitĂŁo.
Spain: the injuries to F. Lopez and Samu. Carreras and Huijsen not called up
Two strikers at opposite ends of the spectrum, but both would have been useful for Spain: Samu Aghehowa (previously known as Omorodion) represented one of the few more physical options up front, but an ACL tear in February ruled him out well in advance.
Fermin Lopez enjoyed an excellent season with Barça, especially in the Champions League, until May, when an injury that had seemed manageable took a turn for the worse: a broken toe that required surgery.
In defense, De La Fuente decided not to rely on Real Madrid players: Carreras and Huijsen failed to convince during the trophyless season of Los Blancos and, as a result, for the first time there will be no Real Madrid players called up by Spain for the World Cup.
Netherlands: Frimpong and Godts ignored! Tough luck for Xavi Simons
Ronald Koeman’s selections caused a stir in the Netherlands: the exclusion of Mika Godts after 17 goals and 12 assists with Ajax in the Eredivisie created resentment, especially at home. Frimpong paid for an underwhelming season with Liverpool and two injuries that undermined his physical condition at the start and midway through the season.
The star who will not be there, however, is Xavi Simons: the ACL tear he suffered at the end of April was a heavy blow for him, the national team and especially Tottenham, who risked relegation until the final stages of the Premier League season.
Other omissions / injured players: Gnabry, Bennacer, Kudus and more
- Karim Adeyemi (Germany) - technical choice
- Serge Gnabry (Germany) - technical choice
- Lucas Torreira (Uruguay) - technical choice
- Paulo Dybala (Argentina) - technical choice
- Marcos Senesi (Argentina) - technical choice
- Alejandro Garnacho (Argentina) - technical choice
- Franco Mastantuono (Argentina) - technical choice
- Takumi Minamino (Japan) - injury
- Kaoru Mitoma (Japan) - injury
- Billy Gilmour (Scotland) - injury
- Mohammed Kudus (Ghana) - injury
- Ismael Bennacer (Algeria) - technical choice
- Hirving Lozano (Mexico) - technical choice
In this article we’ve looked at 32 players who will not take part in the World Cup despite having the quality to be there. Bad luck or someone else’s decision: either way, this will not be their summer.
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.