Real Madrid

Knee injuries ended the World Cup campaigns of Real Madrid pair Rodrygo and Éder Militão before they had started, confirmed when Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti named his 55-man preliminary squad on 9 May 2026 . Ancelotti's final 26, announced on 18 May, then cut Rodrygo outright alongside veteran defender Thiago Silva, as the coach recalled Neymar for a fourth World Cup instead .

For a club whose players are regular fixtures in Brazil's squad, the effect was to leave Real Madrid without a representative in Ancelotti's final selection, a gap driven by fitness rather than form and one that persisted through the tournament's conclusion.

Two Real Madrid players complicated England's World Cup squad planning in May 2026. Trent Alexander-Arnold, now at Real Madrid, was recalled to a provisional 55-man squad on 12 May after three consecutive omissions, while doubts grew over Jude Bellingham's hamstring injury, which Real Madrid's own medical staff had initially assessed as less serious than it proved .

By the 22 May final-26 announcement, Alexander-Arnold was cut again despite being in club form, while Bellingham's hamstring had cleared in time to make the squad . Both players' club, rather than their country, ended up the more stable presence through the selection saga.