Arsenal centre‑back William Saliba faces a bleak chance of joining France’s 2026 World Cup squad after a back injury sidelined him in early June. Scans scheduled for Monday will determine severity, but medical staff expect a lengthy rest period that could rule him out, and could jeopardise Arsenal’s defensive plans next season.

Saliba contributed 50 appearances out of Arsenal’s 63 matches this season, anchoring a defence that secured the Premier League title and reached the Champions League final. His absence leaves Didier Deschamps with a depleted backline that now relies on Lucas Digne, the Hernández twins, Ibrahima Konaté, Jules Koundé, Maxence Lacieux and Dayot Upamecano, for both club and country this summer.

France sit in Group I with Senegal, Iraq and Norway, and the loss of one of the world’s top centre‑backs weakens a side already touted as a favourite. The squad’s omission of Real Madrid midfielder Eduardo Camavinga underscores depth concerns, but Deschamps must now reshape his defence without Saliba if Les Bleus hope to lift the trophy in the knockout stages.