The 2022 FIFA World Cup is the first to be held in November and December, and the timing has already had an impact on the participating teams.
The World Cup had to be moved from the usual June-July window due to sweltering heat in host country Qatar. While the schedule change will create better playing conditions for players, it has also posed challenges for many teams.
As the World Cup tournament falls in the middle of the European club season, rather than the customary off-season, this means that any players injured in the weeks leading up to the World Cup are at risk of missing the tournament.
In previous editions, these players have had several weeks to recover before the tournament kickoff, but this time there is the precious time between the break from club play (November 14) and the start of the World Cup on Sunday, November 20.
World Cup Injuries 2022
As the 2022 FIFA World Cup gets underway, there are a significant number of injuries to track. These are some of the big names who will miss the tournament in Qatar:
Diego Carlos (Brazil)
Arthur Melo (Brazil)
Gabriel Jesus (Brazil)
Alex Telles (Brazil)
Karim Benzema (France)
Lucas Hernandez (France)
N’Golo Kante (France)
Mike Maignan (France)
Presnel Kimpembe (France)
Paul Pogba (France)
Christopher Nkunku (France)
Giovani Lo Celso (Argentina)
Joaquin Correa (Argentina)
Nicolas Gonzalez (Argentina)
Amine Harit (Morocco)
Diogo Jota (Portugal)
Reece James (England)
Ben Chilwell (England)
Georginio Wijnaldum (Netherlands)
Rodrigo Bentancur (Uruguay)
Sadio Mane (Senegal)
Here are the most high-profile injury cases:
Neymar (Brazil)
Alex Telles (Brazil)
Danilo (Brazil)
Kyle Walker (England)
James Maddison (England)
Harry Kane (England)
Memphis Depay (Netherlands)
Nuno Mendes (Portugal)
Danilo Pereira (Portugal)
Cesar Azpilicueta (Spain)
Son Heung-min (South Korea)