Netherlands suffer tough blow as Matthijs de Ligt ruled out of 2026 FIFA World Cup

It is common in the months leading up to every World Cup for important players to be ruled out because of injuries, dealing major blows to their respective national teams. This time, the bad news came for the Netherlands, as Matthijs de Ligt has officially been ruled out.

“After 6 months of treatment and working hard to get back, surgery was the only option left,” the Dutch defender wrote Friday in a post published on his official Instagram account, alongside a photo of himself in a hospital bed.

“I’m disappointed I couldn’t help the team the last 6 months and obviously missing out on the World Cup,” De Ligt later added, referring to his lengthy absence with Manchester United this season and the missed opportunity to play for the Netherlands this summer in North America.

Finally, the 26-year-old shared an optimistic message regarding his future after undergoing back surgery on Friday: “I am looking forward to doing everything to get back in front of the fans and feeling better again.”

De Ligt appeared in just 14 matches for Manchester United this season across the Premier League and Carabao Cup, scoring one goal. In December, he began dealing with back problems that ultimately prevented him from returning to the field, effectively ending his club season.

Bad news for the Netherlands

Matthijs de Ligt had not been a priority for head coach Ronald Koeman in recent years, especially while playing a secondary role at Bayern Munich. However, after arriving at Manchester United, the defender had regained importance, to the point of starting in the Netherlands’ final match of 2025, a 4-0 victory over Lithuania in November.

However, because of his back issues, De Ligt was unavailable for the March FIFA international break, and now surgery has officially ruled him out of the 26-man squad that will compete in the World Cup. It marks the second major loss for Koeman, as Xavi Simons was also ruled out weeks ago because of a serious knee injury.

Japan also dealing with injuries

The Netherlands will compete in Group F of the 2026 FIFA World Cup alongside Tunisia, Sweden and Japan. The Asian side also suffered a significant setback this week that will affect preparations for the tournament in North America.

“Kaoru Mitoma will not be part of Japan squad for the World Cup 2026, decision confirmed,” reporter Fabrizio Romano wrote Friday on his official X account. “Brighton winger, out due to hamstring injury suffered recently as he won’t recover in time.” In addition, another of Japan’s stars, Takumi Minamino, has also been ruled out because of a knee injury suffered in December.