Mikel Arteta called it "an accident waiting to happen." With the World Cup five weeks away, the accident is already in progress.
Kylian Mbappe is nursing a hamstring injury. Lamine Yamal is out for the rest of the club season. Estevao — Chelsea's teenage Brazilian — has picked up a hamstring problem of his own with conflicting reports on whether he'll recover in time. Mohamed Salah scared everyone with a hamstring scare too, though that one appears to have settled down.
None of those four are confirmed out yet. But the sheer volume of high-profile players going down in the final weeks before a tournament is a damning indictment of a calendar that has been stuffed beyond reason — an expanded Champions League, a supersized Club World Cup, and now the biggest World Cup in history, all stacked on top of each other.
The ones already gone
Some squads won't have the luxury of waiting to see how fitness holds up. Hugo Ekitike ruptured his Achilles in April — that's a six-month recovery minimum, meaning France lose a dangerous forward and possibly a large chunk of his next club season too. Rodrygo and Eder Militao are both out for Brazil. Serge Gnabry tore his adductor in training and won't be in Germany's squad. Xavi Simons is done with an ACL. Cameron Carter-Vickers and Patrick Agyemang — both Achilles injuries — won't be representing the United States on home soil.
- Argentina: Joaquin Panichelli (ACL); Cristian Romero (knee, World Cup status unconfirmed)
- Brazil: Eder Militao (hamstring), Rodrygo (ACL), Estevao (hamstring, doubtful)
- France: Hugo Ekitike (Achilles)
- Germany: Serge Gnabry (adductor)
- Netherlands: Xavi Simons (ACL)
- United States: Cameron Carter-Vickers (Achilles), Patrick Agyemang (Achilles), Miles Robinson (leg, hasn't played since April 18)
The ones on the watch list
Rodri is the name that keeps coming up. He missed most of last season with ACL damage, returned, and has now been sidelined again with a groin injury. Pep Guardiola has offered positive noises about his recovery — and he should play again before the season ends — but the fact that Spain's most important midfielder keeps breaking down is a legitimate concern for Luis de la Fuente. A Spain side without a fit Rodri is a notably different proposition, and their tournament odds reflect a lot of assumptions about him being available and sharp.
Luka Modric broke his cheekbone last month but is expected to make Croatia's squad. Achraf Hakimi is sidelined with a thigh injury for Morocco. Algeria goalkeeper Luca Zidane — yes, Zinedine's son — is a doubt after a facial collision. Cristian Romero has been ruled out for the club season with a knee injury, but Tottenham have given no timeline, leaving Argentina in limbo over one of their first-choice centre-backs.
Mbappe and Yamal are both expected to feature despite their respective setbacks — France and Spain will be relieved. But every week between now and the opening fixtures carries risk, and this list has been getting longer, not shorter.
Arteta's "accident waiting to happen" line wasn't a prediction. It was a description of something already underway.
