French striker Hugo Ekitike will miss the 2026 FIFA World Cup after rupturing his Achilles with the injury set to keep him out of action for an extended period.
Ekitikie suffered the serious injury in Liverpool’s 2-0 loss to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in a UEFA Champions League second leg quarterfinal match in the 2025-2026 season.
Liverpool exited the competition via a 4-0 aggregate loss to PSG and the Reds misery was compounded by the loss of Ekitike who was stretchered off the field after picking up the injury in the 22nd minute.
According to ESPN, Ekitike will miss this year’s World Cup for France; the 2026 World Cup runs from June 11 to July 19 in the United States of America, Canada and Mexico.
France has been drawn in Group I with Iraq, Senegal and Norway with the French featuring in the final game in the past two World Cups and winning the 2018 edition.
In his first season with Liverpool following a high profile move from German side Eintracht Frankfurt, 23 year old Ekitike has 17 goals and six assists in 45 games in all competitions.
