France's World Cup 2026 campaign ended in disappointment as Spain secured a 2-0 victory to reach the final, but the match brought further misery for Arsenal as centre-back William Saliba was forced off with an injury during the semi-final clash in Arlington, Texas.
The 25-year-old defender had to be substituted after just half an hour of play. Saliba went down while in possession of the ball, clutching his lower back. After medical assessment, Saliba was ruled unable to feature for the full 90, and he was replaced by the Crystal Palace defender Maxence Lacroix, who is a transfer target for Chelsea and had warmed up vigorously before replacing the Arsenal star.
At the time of Saliba's departure, France were already trailing 1-0. Spain's Mikel Oyarzabal opened the scoring from the penalty spot after Paris Saint-Germain left-back Lucas Digne misjudged a high ball and kicked through Lamine Yamal inside the penalty area. Spain eventually ran out 2-0 winners to book their place in the final.
Saliba's early exit comes after the defender admitted he had been managing a persistent back injury throughout the summer tournament. Speaking before France's group stage fixture against Iraq, the centre-back revealed he had been playing through pain for both club and country.
"I've had some minor niggles for several months," Saliba told reporters. "I’ve been gritting my teeth because there was the Champions League and the Premier League. But the coaching staff are handling it very well."
He added: "The World Cup comes round only once every four years, so you’ve got to grit your teeth. I’m not at 100 per cent, but there are plenty of players who aren’t at 100 per cent either – you can’t make excuses."
Despite managing the issue without major setbacks leading up to the semi-final, the injury finally caught up with Saliba, leaving Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and France boss Didier Deschamps concerned over the extent of the defender's back problem.
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