Arsenal and Netherlands defender Jurrien Timber will miss the 2026 World Cup after failing to recover in time from a groin injury. This information was confirmed by the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) on Monday.
Timber encountered a groin issue in March and was sidelined for an extended period. Although he still featured in the UEFA Champions League final against PSG, the 24-year-old center-back was ultimately not medically fit to participate in the biggest football festival on the planet.
In an official announcement on social media, the KNVB stated: “The 24-year-old defender has not sufficiently recovered from his groin injury to be able to safely participate in the World Cup from a medical standpoint.”
“After consulting with the medical staff, we have decided that Timber will leave the Dutch national team’s training camp in New York following the match against Uzbekistan.”
Following Timber’s withdrawal, head coach Ronald Koeman decided to call up Sunderland defender Lutsharel Geertruida as a replacement to the 26-man squad for the 2026 World Cup. Geertruida has made 21 appearances for the Dutch national team. The player also featured in the friendly match between the Netherlands and Algeria on June 3, despite not being in the initial official squad.
Meanwhile, Aston Villa left-back Ian Maatsen is currently the last remaining player on the standby list for the Oranje. The Netherlands national team played a friendly match against Uzbekistan in New York on June 9 before officially embarking on their 2026 World Cup journey.
Speaking to the Dutch broadcaster NOS, Koeman shared: “Over the past few days, we felt this could be the final decision. Last night and this morning, we continued to converse with Jurriën, and unfortunately, we had to come to this conclusion. With Timber, we had 8 defenders. If he withdraws, the team only has 7 men in defense, and that is not enough. We had to make a decision.”
Nevertheless, Koeman asserted that he does not blame Arsenal for his player having to bid farewell to the World Cup. He shared: “You cannot blame the club, and I don’t want to do that either. However, it is clear that those minutes played did not help the recovery process. If he only had to play one more game in the near future, there might still be a chance. But for a major tournament like the World Cup, that is not feasible.”
The Netherlands national team will begin their 2026 World Cup campaign with a clash against Japan on June 15, before facing Sweden and Tunisia respectively in the group stage.
