The World Cup quarterfinals are set and so are the injury reports. Every team still alive is holding its breath on a handful of key players, and a few big names are already done for the tournament.
Kylian Mbappe came off in France’s 2-0 win over Morocco on Thursday after taking a knock to the ankle. Morocco defender Issa Diop clipped him just after France took the lead, and Mbappe was down grabbing his ankle. He walked off fine in the 78th minute with ice wrapped around the joint, but he played it down afterward. “I have a minor ankle injury, but I’m completely fine,” Mbappe said. “Mateta was in a better position to play the remaining minutes.” So that one looks manageable. France gets five days before the semifinal against Spain or Belgium.
Aurelien Tchouameni is the one that might actually keep France up at night. He’s missed the last two games with a lingering groin problem. The team says he’s been doing individual recovery work, but nobody’s confirmed whether he’ll be ready for Tuesday.
England’s backline has been held together with tape and hope all tournament. Marc Guehi picked up a hamstring strain against Mexico, so his status for the Norway quarterfinal is up in the air. England initially thought it was just fatigue, but now they’re calling it a minor injury. Guehi wants to play and thinks he can, but that’s a wait-and-see situation. Declan Rice has been dealing with a sickness bug and missed two practices ahead of Saturday. The staff is trying to keep it contained, but that’s not a great sign for their midfield setup.
Reece James has been out with a hamstring issue for England’s last three matches. He did return to training before the Norway game, so there’s some hope he could play. England has been short at right-back all tournament, so getting him back would be a big lift.
Jordan Henderson’s World Cup ended in the weirdest possible way. After England beat Mexico, he jumped over an advertising hoarding, landed wrong, and broke his arm. Surgery was successful, but he’s out for the rest of the tournament. He’s sticking with the team in Kansas City anyway.
Belgium lost Amadou Onana for the rest of the World Cup — and a big chunk of next season — when his knee buckled during a twist in the round of 16 win over the US. He ruptured his ACL. That’s a six-month recovery minimum. Belgium also has Zeno Debast sitting out the Spain quarterfinal because his club, Sporting CP, told the national team he’s not medically cleared to play. Belgium’s own doctors disagree, but the club has the final say.
Spain’s winger group is basically decimated. Yeremy Pino hurt his collarbone against Uruguay. X-rays showed it was just a sprain, not a fracture, but he hasn’t played since. Nico Williams posted on social media that the injury — a groin problem from the same Uruguay game — was “one of the worst days of my life.” He called the play “completely unnecessary.” He hasn’t played since either. Victor Munoz, Liverpool’s new signing, hasn’t played at all in the tournament because of a calf issue that got worse when he suffered another muscle injury.
Argentina got Cristian Romero back from a knee injury for the Cape Verde match, but then Facundo Medina limped off with a calf problem in that same game and missed the win over Egypt. They’ll need bodies against whoever comes next.
The quarterfinals start Saturday. Every team with a banged-up star is hoping for a few more days of healing. That’s the World Cup at this stage — it’s not just about who’s best. It’s about who’s actually healthy enough to play.
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