William Saliba Withdraws from France Squad Due to Ankle Injury Ahead of World Cup Qualifiers
Arsenal defender William Saliba will miss France’s upcoming World Cup 2026 qualifying matches against Ukraine and Iceland after sustaining an ankle injury. The 24-year-old suffered the injury during Arsenal’s 1-0 defeat at Liverpool, forced off the pitch just five minutes into the game following a collision with fellow Frenchman Hugo Ekitike. This marked Arsenal’s quickest substitution in the Premier League since 2012.
The French Football Federation confirmed Saliba has a sprain in his left ankle, which led coach Didier Deschamps to call up Inter Milan’s Benjamin Pavard as a replacement. The decision came after consultations with the medical team, ruling Saliba out of the initial national team training sessions this season. Despite the injury, Saliba appeared optimistic when he briefly interacted with the media, signaling the sprain may not be severe.
If the injury is a mild Grade 1 sprain as expected, Saliba could return to action within one to two weeks. This would potentially allow him to feature for Arsenal in their upcoming Premier League match against Nottingham Forest and the Champions League opener against Athletic Bilbao shortly after. His recovery timeline will be closely monitored by both club and country.
Arsenal, however, continues to face challenges with injuries, as key players including Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz, and Gabriel Jesus remain sidelined. Additionally, the availability of Ben White and Christian Norgaard is uncertain for matches following the international break, leaving the squad’s depth under pressure as they prepare for a crucial part of the season.
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