World Cup 2026 Starting Lineups, Notable Injury News and Potential Replacements

Injuries unfortunately play a role in every major international soccer tournament.

The list of players unavailable for the 2026 FIFA World Cup is quite extensive with Brazil's Rodrygo, France's Hugo Ekitike and the Netherlands' Xavi Simons among the injured stars.

There's also a handful of injuries to watch heading into the start of group stage, including two key ones in the United States versus Paraguay matchup on Friday night.

Canada's top star Alphonso Davies is in doubt for the tournament as well.

The Bayern Munich man has already been ruled out for Friday's opener against Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Chris Richards and Julio Enciso

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Friday's USA-Paraguay game has two vital injury storylines attached to it.

USMNT center-back Chris Richards declared himself fit to play on Wednesday. He missed both pre-tournament friendlies.

Richards should be in the starting XI if he is healthy. He is the best defender on the American roster. The USMNT missed his presence in the two friendlies against Germany and Senegal in which the World Cup co-host conceded on four occasions.

The news doesn't seem to be as positive for Enciso, who was stretchered off in Paraguay's pre-World Cup friendly against Nicaragua.

The Strasbourg midfielder is one of the top young talents in the 48-team field, but he could be sidelined for at least one game.

An official update on Enciso will likely come on Thursday in the pre-match press conference.

Mauricio, a 24-year-old based in Brazil with Palmeiras, was Enciso's direct replacement in the Nicaragua friendly.

Miguel Almiron and Antonio Sanabria will still start up top for Paraguay, but the creativity in attack will take a hit if Enciso is unable to go.

Alphonso Davies

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Alphonso Davies' status is a massive question mark for co-host Canada.

Davies is out for Friday's Group B opener against Bosnia and Herzegovina and could miss more time.

Canada is simply just a better version of itself with the Bayern Munich man on the field.

Davies has the third-most international goals on Canada's World Cup roster behind forwards Cyle Larin and Jonathan David.

Liam Millar and Tajon Buchanan both started on the flanks in Canada's two pre-World Cup friendlies. They would be tasked with replacing Davies' attacking production from that area of the field.

Canada would ideally love to have Davies available for every group-stage game, but it would be a significant development if he could be available for Matchday 3 against Switzerland, which is the toughest game of Group B for the co-host.

William Saliba

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William Saliba started France's final match before the World Cup.

That's a big development for the Arsenal center-back, who has been dealing with back issues for quite some time.

Saliba is a starter in the Les Bleus setup and appears ready to go for France's World Cup opener against Senegal on June 16.

France has the opportunity to rotate its squad on Matchday 2 against Iraq, so we might see Dayot Upamecano alongside Ibrahima Konate for that contest.