The players who will miss Euro 2024 due to injury

Cameron Smith

• Updated: 21 Apr 2024 15:46 BST
• 5 min read

UEFA Euro 2024 is now just six weeks away, with fans of international football eagerly anticipating the biggest soccer event of the year.

As a result, national team managers will now be planning on how they want to set up during the competition and which players are in the running for selection.

The Euro 2024 draw will also no doubt play a role in their thinking as each manager drafts up their tactical blueprint for the group stages.

READ MORE: Which teams have qualified for Euro 2024?

However, one thing out of their control is the availability of their eligible players. Although most players will expect to be fully fit for the tournament, there are always a handful of stars cruelly denied the chance to represent their country due to injury and Euro 2024 is no different.

READ MORE: When does Euro 2024 start? Date of opening game and opening ceremony

What players will miss Euro 2024 with injury?

Although the tournament is still some weeks away, there are a number of players already at risk of missing out on selection due to injury.

Chelsea defender Wesley Fofana may not have been selected for France anyway, due to the array of centre-back talent at Didier Deschamps’ disposal, but he will likely be ruled out entirely after suffering an ACL injury during the summer of 2023.

The Frenchman is expected to recover before the tournament, but his injury track record means that nothing is certain.

Spain’s Gavi also picked up an ACL injury while on international duty in November. The Barcelona midfielder is still missing and he is extremely unlikely to feature at Euro 2024 through injury.

Ivan Perisic (Croatia) and Tyrone Mings (England) both have ACL injuries too and are at risk of missing Euro 2024 through injury. The latter may find his spot within Gareth Southgate’s squad has been taken by the likes of Marc Guehi, Levi Colwill and Fikayo Tomori in any case.

Italy forward Domenico Berardi suffered a major Achilles injury in March 2024 that will likely keep him out of action until 2025, leaving him with no chance of playing in the Euros. The Azzurri have also been robbed of Destiny Udogie, the Tottenham left back undergoing an operation for a quadriceps injury at the end of April that will not see him return until next season.

Austria look almost certain to be without their captain David Alaba, who tore his ACL just a week before Christmas. It was the third ACL tear of the season at Real Madrid, after Eder Militao and Thibaut Courtois suffered the same injury.

The latter has confirmed that he will not be in Belgium's squad for the Euros. He told Sporza, as per Fabrizio Romano, in December 2023: "If I’m lucky I can play one game in May, but I won’t force it - and I will not go to the Euros.

“Real Madrid have made it very clear that they want me to recover 100% and certainly not to make a comeback too early. I don't want to betray that trust."

Courtois will miss the Euros for Belgium, as after returning to Los Blancos training, he suffered a relapse and won't make the tournament.

Sven Botman and Boubacar Kamara will also miss Euro 2024 after suffering ACL injuries.

Botman has never received a senior Netherlands cap but he was included in their squad back in October, while Kamara has five senior France appearances.

Netherlands are also likely to be without first-choice left-back Quilindschy Hartman after he suffered a knee injury while in action for Feyenoord. He is set to miss the rest of the season and Euro 2024.

Luke Shaw faces a race against time to feature for England following his latest knee injury. However, the Manchester United left-back could still be included in Gareth Southgate's squad. Reece James is also extremely likely to miss out due to injury.

Scotland midfielder Lewis Ferguson has become the latest international to suffer an ACL injury, with his club Bologna confirming that he will be out until the 2024/25 season.

Sandro Tonali (Italy) will miss Euro 2024 due to a worldwide ban for illegal betting, while Paul Pogba (France) will also skip the finals due to a four-year worldwide ban for a failed doping test in August 2023, although neither are included on the list as they are not absent due to an injury.