Injuries at the 2026 FIFA World Cup: performance, preparation and player welfare
08 October 2026
Mark Johnson, PE and Sport Subject Advisor
For those teaching and studying physical education and sport, the FIFA World Cup provided more than entertainment. It offered a valuable opportunity to examine the impact of training load, injury prevention, recovery strategies and player welfare at the highest level of sport.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup was a particularly interesting, because injuries played a significant role both before and during the tournament, affecting individual performances, team tactics and match results.
Sports injuries and recovery are covered in the following Cambridge OCR qualifications:
Why were injuries such a significant issue?
Modern footballers are exposed to unprecedented physical demands. For top players competing at the highest level, the fixture schedule is relentless and the recovery time between fixtures is limited. Players arrived at the World Cup following long domestic club seasons mostly in Europe, South America and Asia, and many will also have played in continental cup competitions and several international fixtures.
Several fixtures at this World Cup were also played at high altitude and in high temperatures and humidity, which further increased player fatigue levels and therefore the risk of injury.
Defensive midfielder Declan Rice, who was hampered with injury and illness throughout the World Cup, had played in 64 matches for Arsenal and England in the 2025-26 season, before the World Cup even started. Although he was one of England’s stand out performers throughout the tournament, he was not at his best in every game, and pundits did raise concerns about his fatigue levels and the impact of this on his performance.
From a sports science perspective, the following factors need to be carefully considered:
- Overtraining and accumulated fatigue
- Recovery and regeneration methods
- Workload management
- Injury prevention strategies
- Long-term athlete welfare.
The impact of pre-tournament injuries
One of the major talking points before a ball was even kicked was the players that weren’t even named on the squad lists due to injuries. Several nations entered the competition missing major players, who would have potentially influenced games and been the stars of the tournament.
Brazil, one of the pre-tournament favourites, were significantly affected, losing many star performers due to pre-tournament injuries, including:
- Rodrygo – right anterior cruciate ligament and medial meniscus
- Eder Militao – right bicep femoris tendon
- Estevao – hamstring.
This significantly impacted their style of play and results. Brazil’s Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti does have a more defensive approach to the game than previous Brazil coaches, but this, coupled with the absence of injured high-quality attacking players, meant we didn’t really get to see “Jogo Bonito”.
Similarly, other teams who were tipped to do well didn’t progress as far in the tournament as expected. The Netherlands were missing Jurrien Timber, Matthijs de Ligt and Xavi Simons, while Japan were without experienced performers such as Wataru Endo, Takumi Minamino and Kaoru Mitoma. Germany had an unexpected third disappointing World Cup in a row, missing influential players such as Serge Gnarby and Lennart Karl.
This highlights the concept that international sporting success is influenced not only by technical and tactical preparation, but also by the availability of the nation’s top performers. A team's performance capacity can be significantly reduced when key players aren’t available.
Neymar: managing risk and reward
The case of Neymar provided an excellent example of the challenges surrounding return-to-play decisions in elite sport.
Despite ongoing concerns regarding his fitness due to a calf injury, Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti selected Neymar in his World Cup squad. There was some speculation that Ancelotti had faced considerable pressure from the media and former players such as Romario to select Neymar. However, he claimed that the final decision was his and that he had not been swayed by external pressures or sentiment. He stated that he felt Neymar could make a positive contribution in the latter stages of the tournament, if they carefully managed his playing time in the earlier matches.
The rationale was clear: even with reduced match fitness, Neymar possessed the technical ability and creativity to influence games in critical moments.
In fact, Neymar’s influence and impact was very limited, he came on in Brazil’s third group game against Scotland for the final 14 minutes, when they were comfortably winning. He then came on for the final 23 minutes and scored a consolation penalty in the final minute as they lost 2-1 to Norway in the quarter finals.
Some would question whether Ancelotti made the right decision in selecting him. Would he have been better choosing a fully-fit player, who might have been able to offer the squad more than Neymar’s reputation and past exploits?
This situation raises important questions that sports injury practitioners and students should frequently ask:
- When is an athlete ready to return to competition?
- How should medical teams evaluate risk?
- Can performance ever be prioritised over welfare?
- What role does psychology play in rehabilitation?
Elite sport regularly requires a balance between performance objectives and athlete wellbeing, making Neymar’s situation a valuable contemporary example.
Injuries sustained during the tournament
Obviously, injuries did not stop once the tournament began. As the intensity increased, several high-profile players suffered problems that affected both individual and team performance.
Brazil suffered further problems when Raphinha sustained a hamstring injury during the group stage. Former Liverpool star Mohamed Salah struggled to reach his best for Egypt due to an ongoing hamstring strain. England also managed ongoing fitness issues involving Reece James and Declan Rice, and an unfortunate incident during victory celebrations ended Jordan Henderson’s tournament having seen him only play for six minutes.
From a physiological perspective, many of these injuries involved soft tissue structures, particularly muscle groups associated with repeated sprinting, acceleration and deceleration. These movement patterns are characteristic of modern football, where players frequently perform maximal efforts throughout a ninety-minute game.
What can students learn from these injuries?
The 2026 World Cup provides a relevant and engaging context for a range of curriculum topics.
Injury prevention
Students can investigate how warm-ups, programmes and strength training contribute to reducing injury risk. The tournament demonstrated that even world-class athletes remain vulnerable when training and competition demands become excessive.
Recovery methods
Elite teams increasingly use evidence-based recovery strategies including:
- nutrition planning
- hydration monitoring
- sleep optimisation
- physiotherapy
- cryotherapy and recovery modalities
- GPS load tracking.
These interventions are designed to maximise recovery and minimise the likelihood of injury recurrence.
Psychological effects of injury
Injury can have profound consequences beyond the physical symptoms experienced by performers. Athletes may experience anxiety, reduced confidence and concerns about returning to pre-injury performance levels. Missing a World Cup represents a particularly significant psychological challenge given the prestige and rarity of the event.
Squad depth and team dynamics
The tournament also reinforced the importance of squad depth. Teams with a larger pool of high-quality players were generally better equipped to cope with injury disruption than those heavily reliant on a small number of star performers.
Conclusion
The 2026 FIFA World Cup demonstrated that injury management is a fundamental component of elite sporting success. While technical skill, tactical organisation and physical fitness remain essential contributors to performance, the availability of star players increasingly determines how far teams can progress in major tournaments.
For teachers and students of Cambridge OCR PE, the tournament provides an excellent contemporary case study through which to explore sports injuries, rehabilitation, recovery, training load and athlete welfare. Ultimately, the 2026 World Cup reminded us that success in modern sport depends not only on maximising performance, but also on keeping performers healthy enough to perform when it matters most.
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About the author
Mark joined Cambridge OCR as a PE and Sport Subject Advisor in 2018. He graduated from Staffordshire University with a BSc in Sports Studies, having previously completed an HND in Sports Science and Sports Injuries at Nottingham Trent University. After university he worked as a residential social worker, delivering the PE provision for a group of 11 to 16-year-olds with challenging behaviour. He then moved into PE teaching, spending a year at his old secondary school before lecturing Sports Studies and Sports Science at an FE College for nearly 15 years. During that time he delivered, assessed and internally moderated a range of Level 1-3 qualifications including Cambridge OCR. Alongside his education career Mark has also been a sports therapist, nutritionist and fitness coach at several rugby clubs for nearly 25 years.