Full list of players missing World Cup through injury – from Pogba to James
The World Cup will get underway on Sunday as hosts Qatar take on Ecuador in the opening match of the tournament.
As the best players in the world descend on the Middle East for the tournament, a selection of stars are set to be forced to watch the action from home after missing out through injury. Due to the summer temperatures in Qatar, the World Cup is being played in the middle of the season for the first time, which some pundits believe has contributed to the number of players suffering injuries.
With that in mind, here is a rundown of the players that are missing the World Cup due to injury.
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Giovani Lo Celso
Former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder will not appear for Argentina at the World Cup after undergoing surgery to treat a hamstring injury suffered playing for Villarreal.
However, Roma's Paulo Dybala has recovered from a freak injury he picked up back in October in time to be named in the squad.
Alexis Saelemaekers
AC Milan winger Alexis Saelemaekers will also be absent from the World Cup after he was ruled out for the rest of the year.
The Belgian international suffered a serious knee injury back in September and is not expected to return to action until January at the earliest.
Arthur Melo
Brazil will be without on loan Liverpool midfielder Arthur Melo in Qatar after a long-term muscular issue sidelined him earlier this season.
Ben Chilwell
Ben Chilwell had been in line for a place in England's squad for the World Cup before he picked up a hamstring injury playing for Chelsea against Dinamo Zagreb at the start of the month.
The full-back was visibly emotional as he made his way off the pitch before later leaving Stamford Bridge in on crutches.
Reece James
Another Chelsea defender who is not in the England squad due to injury is Reece James who was overlooked due to doubts he would recover from a knee problem.
James has not played since picking up the injury against AC Milan last month and was informed he was not in the squad by Gareth Southgate as a result.
Paul Pogba
Paul Pogba has yet to play for Juventus since signing from Manchester United in the summer due to a knee injury. Having undergone surgery on the injury, Pogba will also be absent from this month's tournament in Qatar.
N'Golo Kante
France will also be without N'Golo Kante, who was a member of the side which won the previous World Cup in Russia. Kante has been ruled out until the new year after he also underwent surgery to fix a hamstring injury he has been suffering from.
Presnel Kimpembe
Didier Deschamps' injury woes continue in defence, with Presnel Kimpembe's fitness issues meaning he was left out of the squad for the tournament.
The Paris Saint-Germain defender has not played for the club for several weeks in the build-up to the tournament and has not recovered in time to appear.
Christopher Nkunku
France's problems have continued this week after the players met up for the tournament as Christopher Nkunku was ruled out of the tournament at the last minute.
Nkunku was forced to withdraw from the squad after he was sidelined by a reckless tackle from team-mate Eduardo Camavinga during France's first training session.
Marco Reus
German midfielder Marco Reus will once again miss out on the chance to appear at a major tournament after failing to recover from an ankle injury he picked up playing for Borussia Dortmund.
Timo Werner
The four-time world champions will also be without Timo Werner after he also injured his ankle earlier this month, limping off during RB Leipzig's Champions League win over Shakhtar Donetsk.
Amine Harit
Morocco have been forced to replace Amine Harit in their squad after the midfielder suffered a serious knee injury during his final club match before the tournament.
Harit was visibly distressed as he was stretchered off during Marseille's Ligue 1 victory over Monaco on Sunday.
Georginio Wijnaldum
Although Matthijs de Ligt has recovered from a groin injury in time to play for the Netherlands, Louis van Gaal will be without Georginio Wijnaldum.
The former Liverpool midfielder broke his leg playing for Roma back in August and is not currently expected to return until the start of January at the earliest.
Diogo Jota
Portugal have suffered a string of injuries to Premier League-based players ahead of the tournament, with Diogo Jota amongst those who will not feature.
Jota was stretchered off with a calf injury against Manchester City last month and was almost immediately ruled out of the World Cup.
Pedro Neto
Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Pedro Neto will also play no part in Qatar having been sidelined since the start of October. He is not due to return from an ankle injury until the final week of the tournament at the earliest.
Ricardo Pereira
Ricardo Pereira is the third Portuguese internationals to miss out on the tournament through injury. Pereira has yet to play for club or country this season after suffering an Achilles injury in August and does not currently have a return date.
Sadio Mane
Sadio Mane became the latest player to be ruled out on Thursday evening, despite initially being named in the Senegal squad for the tournament.
The Bayern Munich star was forced off with a leg injury during his side's dominant win over Werder Bremen last week, just days before the squads were finalised.
Mikel Oyarzabal
Having omitted a number of high-profile players from his squad, Spain boss Luis Enrique will also be without winger Mikel Oyarzabal.
The Real Sociedad man is currently nearing a return from a ruptured cruciate ligament which has kept him out of action since March of this year.
Kepa Arrizabalaga
Injury concerns have also seen Kepa Arrizabalaga miss out on a place at the tournament due to fitness concerns. Injury forced the Chelsea goalkeeper to miss each of their last four matches before the World Cup break.
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