Will Schouten participate in the 2026 FIFA World Cup after surgery?

MSTERDAM: The Netherlands’ Will Schouten will not be participating in the FIFA World Cup as he went through a surgery on Sunday, giving the team a big blow ahead of the global tournament’s arrival.

Jerdy Schouten underwent surgery due to a severe anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in his knee.

The Central Defensive Midfielder (CDM) sustained severe injury in his knee during a match against FC Utrecht while playing for PSV Eindhoven on Saturday. Schouten twisted his knee in the second half of the 4-3 victory and had to be taken off on a stretcher, leaving the fans in awe.  

ACL injury required surgery, as reported by medical examinations, which is expected to sideline him for six to nine months. Fans felt grief and wished him a speedy recovery after hearing about the advice given to him regarding the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup.

His entry as a key player into the Netherlands team came after playing in every game at the 2024 Euros.

Other key players will also not be part of the US-Canada-Mexico-hosted FIFA World Cup 2026.

Gianluigi Donnarumma and Alessandro Bastoni

Italian footballer Gianluigi Donnarumma will not be participating in the US-Canada-Mexico-hosted FIFA World Cup, as the Italian national team failed to qualify for the tournament. Alessandro Bastoni also suffered the same cause to qualify for the tournament.

Robert Lewandowski

Robert Lewandowski is not part of the 2026 FIFA World Cup because his national team, Poland, failed to qualify for the tournament.

Victor Osimhen

The African forward Victor Osimhen is not featuring in the major FIFA-affiliated tournaments, as his side, Nigeria, failed to qualify for the tournament.

Dominik Szoboszlai

The Hungary Midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai is not part of the 2026 global tournament as Hungary failed to qualify for the tournament.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia

The Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and the Georgian national team’s prominent player, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, will be absent from the 2026 FIFA World Cup.  The reason is that his national team, Georgia, failed to qualify for the tournament. He is also involved in FIFA-sanctioned events, the football governing body has said.  

Bryan Mbeumo

Cameroon featured Bryan Mbeumo, who is also not part of the FIFA Series to be held in March. He is managing minor fitness, especially muscle-related issues. He stayed at his club, Man United, to recover safely rather than risk injury aggravation during the international break.

Benjamin Sesko

As of April 2026, Benjamin Sesko is not part of the 2026 FIFA World Cup because his national team, Slovenia, failed to qualify for the tournament.

Marc-André ter Stegen has also been sidelined from the German 2026 FIFA World Cup setup due to a severe injury setback, specifically a torn hamstring requiring surgery in February 2026.