The Netherlands have announced that Arsenal defender Jurriën Timber has been ruled out of the FIFA World Cup. The Dutchman has been dealing with a groin injury and has not recovered in time.
In an official statement on X (formerly Twitter), the Netherlands confirmed that the medical staff has taken a call on the right-back, just days before the FIFA World Cup kicks off. He is currently with the national team in the United States, but will leave the camp after the friendly against Uzbekistan.
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The statement read:
“Jurriën Timber misses the 2026 World Cup. The 24-year-old defender has not recovered sufficiently from a groin injury to take part in the World Cup in a medically responsible manner. In consultation with the medical staff, it has therefore been decided that Timber will leave the national team’s pre-camp in New York after the game against Uzbekistan. We’re with you, Jurriën”
Timber had missed a chunk of the Arsenal matches towards the end of the season, but made it back for the UEFA Champions League final. He played in the second half after coming on for Cristhian Mosquera in the 65th minute.
He also had hip and ankle issues during the 2025/26 season, which saw him miss 14 matches for club and country, with 13 of them coming since the start of 2026. He also missed 10 games in the 2024/25 season due to various issues.
Ronaldo Koeman, the Netherlands head coach, has since called up Lutsharel Geertruida of Sunderland as the replacement for the Arsenal star. They kick off their campaign against Japan on Sunday, before taking on Sweden and Tunisia in the group stage.
Arsenal players dealing with injury issues ahead of FIFA World Cup
Jurriën Timber is not the only Arsenal player dealing with injury issues ahead of the FIFA World Cup. While the Dutchman has been pulled out of the squad, William Saliba remains with the France national team.
The defender has back issues, and reports suggest he will require surgery this summer. However, Didier Deschamps has since announced that all his players will be available for the group stage matches and the friendlies.
The France national team boss added that Saliba has been playing despite the issue for several weeks. He believes that the 120 minutes against PSG in the UEFA Champions League final made it a little harder for the defender to recover, but is confident that the Arsenal man will play at the World Cup.
Edited by Sripad