Netherlands’ Arsenal defender Jurrien Timber will miss the World Cup, and he has been replaced by Sunderland’s Lutsharel Geertruida, Yankee Scores reports.
The defender, who played in the Champions League final in May, had already been unavailable for the last few matches of the Premier League season because of a groin injury.
Jurriën Timber misses the 2026 World Cup.
The 24-year-old defender has not recovered sufficiently from a groin injury to take part in the World Cup in a medically responsible manner. In consultation with the medical staff, it has therefore been decided that Timber will leave the… pic.twitter.com/r6Wu8FRCfP
— OnsOranje (@OnsOranje) June 8, 2026
“The 24-year-old defender has not recovered sufficiently from a groin injury to take part in the World Cup in a medically responsible manner”, a statement from Netherlands said.
“In consultation with the medical staff, it has therefore been decided that Timber will leave the national team’s pre-camp in New York after the game against Uzbekistan. We’re with you, Jurrien.”
Timber has been out of action since sustaining the injury at the end of March in a league game against Everton.
The player missed all their last seven league matches, during which the team became champions, playing only as a substitute in the final match of the Champions League.
The player has played 23 matches for the Dutch national team, the latest one being in November 2025.
The young player joined his twin brother, Quinten, who plays for Marseille, in getting a call-up for the Dutch national team, on May 26 by posting, “We once prayed for moments like this. Now we’re living them together. Thank You, Jesus.”
