Liverpool and France striker Hugo Ekitike will be absent from the 2026 World Cup due to a serious injury sustained during his team’s Champions League defeat to Paris Saint-Germain, as confirmed by his national team manager Didier Deschamps on Wednesday.
The 23-year-old collapsed while clutching his lower right leg, with a suspected ruptured Achilles tendon, in the first half of Liverpool’s 2-0 loss to PSG in the quarter-final second leg of the Champions League.
Deschamps, in a statement issued by the French football federation, stated, “Unfortunately, the seriousness of (Ekitike’s) injury will prevent him from completing the season with Liverpool and participating in the World Cup.”
Expressing his solidarity with Ekitike, Deschamps acknowledged the setback not only for the player but also for the French national team, emphasizing the coaching staff’s full support for the player.
Ekitike, who joined Liverpool last summer for a fee of £79 million ($105.5 million), has netted 17 goals in 45 appearances across all competitions. Making his debut for France in a World Cup qualifier in September last year, he has been a key figure for Les Bleus, contributing two goals and an assist in his eight international appearances.
