Hugo Ekitike ruled out of 2026 World Cup after suffering 'serious injury' in Liverpool UEFA Champions League defeat to PSG

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Hugo Ekitike has been ruled out of the end of the season and the 2026 World Cup after sustaining a "serious injury" in Liverpool's defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday.

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Ekitike went down off the ball in the 30th minute of the second leg, with The Reds going on to fall to a 4-0 aggregate defeat in the tie.

The France international was seen grasping his ankle and was eventually stretched off the pitch.

And on Wednesday France head coach Didier Deschamps said that Ekitike will miss this summer’s FIFA World Cup in Canada, USA and Mexico.

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"Hugo suffered a serious injury on Tuesday evening against PSG. The severity of his injury will unfortunately prevent him from finishing the season with Liverpool and participating in the World Cup," Deschamps said in a statement on the French Football Federation website.

"Hugo is one of the dozen young players who have made their debuts with the national team in recent months. He had perfectly integrated into the group, both on the pitch and off it. This injury is a huge blow for him, of course, but also for the France team.

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"His disappointment is immense. Hugo will regain his top form, I'm convinced of it. But I wanted to express all my support to him, as well as that of the entire staff. We know he'll be fully behind the France team, and we're all thinking of him very strongly."

After Tuesday's game, Liverpool manager Arne Slot had said Ekitike's injury looked "really bad," with his side set to return to action against bitter rivals Everton in the Merseyside derby on Sunday.

"It doesn't look good, that is clear," Slot said. "I didn't see him at half-time and after the game he was already home. I have not spoken to him yet."

Liverpool fell to a 2-0 defeat in the first leg at the Parc des Princes thanks to goals from Desire Doue and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.

Their loss in the second leg was the result of two goals from 2025 Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele.

Liverpool’s hopes of producing another stunning Champions League comeback appeared to receive a boost when the teams heets were revealed.

Their starting XI included a trio of big-money summer signings in the form of Ekitike, Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz.

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All three stars have missed portions of the season because of injury, with Isak only recently returning from a long layoff owing to a broken fibula.

Slot was happy to see all three signings play together, with the Dutchman pleased to have Isak back in the squad.

"For 88 minutes until tonight, we have played with Florian, Alex and Hugo. We added about 27 to that," he said. "I would be surprised if we add more minutes to that this season. The good thing is Alex is back."

France will get their World Cup campaign underway against Senegal on June 16 before also taking on Iraq and Norway in Group I.

The 2018 winners will take on the Ivory Coast in a pre-tournament friendly on June 4, but there is still no official confirmation that the forward will be available for selection.

PSG will play the winner of Bayern Munich’s quarter-final clash with Real Madrid, with the second leg live on TNT Sports and HBO Max. The German giants won the first leg at the Bernabeu 2-1.

Stream the Premier League, men’s and women’s FA Cups, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Conference League and more football live on TNT Sports and HBO Max.

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