Fantasy Premier League returns soon, with the Premier League kicking off on Friday, August 21st 2026! Here is the breakdown of Premier League players expected to miss or be doubtful for the start of the 2026/27 season, to help with building your team.
The first table outlines players whose return is delayed due to reaching the final weekend of the 2026 World Cup (France, England, Spain, and Argentina) and who must undergo a mandatory rest period. The second table details players sidelined due to injuries or other setbacks. It is not necessarily black and white - some doubtful players could be limited to a benching in Gameweek 1 before a start/increased minutes.
I have attempted to use some common sense and assessment based on how involved players were during the tournament (for example Raya reaching the final but not playing a minute all tournament, therefore has a reasonable chance of still playing in Gameweek 1).
| Scheduling Phase | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| World Cup Semifinals | July 14 – 15 | Spain, France, Argentina, England |
| Third-Place Play-off | July 18 | France and England |
| World Cup Final | July 19 | Spain and Argentina |
| Mandatory Passive Recovery | July 20 – August 10 | Mandatory three-week complete detraining and physiological reset |
| Club Re-entry & Testing | August 10 – 12 | Return to clubs |
| Premier League Kick-off | August 21 | Gameweek 1 commences - high probability of managed minutes or complete omission |
1. Sidelined or Highly Doubtful due to World Cup Progression
These players progressed to either the Third-Place playoff or the World Cup Final on July 18–19, 2026. Due to mandatory recovery protocols, they will not report back to club training until at least August 9–12, leaving them with fewer than 11 days of preparation until 2026/27 begins.
| Player | Club | National Team | Gameweek 1 Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Declan Rice | Arsenal | England | Highly Doubtful |
| Martín Zubimendi | Arsenal | Spain | Doubtful |
| David Raya | Arsenal | Spain | Doubtful |
| William Saliba | Arsenal | France | Out (injury) |
| Bukayo Saka | Arsenal | England | Highly Doubtful |
| Noni Madueke | Arsenal | England | Doubtful |
| Eberechi Eze | Arsenal | England | Highly Doubtful |
| Mikel Merino | Arsenal | Spain | Highly Doubtful |
| Emiliano Martínez | Aston Villa | Argentina | Highly Doubtful |
| Ezri Konsa | Aston Villa | England | Highly Doubtful |
| Morgan Rogers | Aston Villa | England | Highly Doubtful |
| Ollie Watkins | Aston Villa | England | Slight doubt |
| Enzo Fernández | Chelsea | Argentina | Highly Doubtful |
| Malo Gusto | Chelsea | France | Slight doubt |
| Reece James | Chelsea | England | Highly Doubtful |
| Jean-Philippe Mateta | Crystal Palace | France | Doubtful |
| Yeremy Pino | Crystal Palace | Spain | Doubtful |
| Jordan Pickford | Everton | England | Doubtful |
| Alexis Mac Allister | Liverpool | Argentina | Highly Doubtful |
| Víctor Muñoz | Liverpool | Spain | Doubtful |
| Rodri | Manchester City | Spain | Highly Doubtful |
| James Trafford | Manchester City | England | Doubtful |
| Elliot Anderson | Manchester City | England | Highly Doubtful |
| Rayan Cherki | Manchester City | France | Doubtful |
| Nico O'Reilly | Manchester City | England | Highly Doubtful |
| Marc Guéhi | Manchester City | England | Highly Doubtful |
| Kobbie Mainoo | Manchester United | England | Doubtful |
| Marcus Rashford | Manchester United | England | Doubtful |
| Lisandro Martínez | Manchester United | Argentina | Highly Doubtful |
| Dan Burn | Newcastle United | England | Highly Doubtful |
| John Stones | No club | England | Highly Doubtful |
| Djed Spence | Tottenham Hotspur | England | Highly Doubtful |
| Marcos Senesi | Tottenham Hotspur | Argentina | Highly Doubtful |
| Cristian Romero | Tottenham Hotspur | Argentina | Highly Doubtful |
| Pedro Porro | Tottenham Hotspur | Spain | Highly Doubtful |
2. Players Out/Doubtful due to Injuries
The following players currently have injuries and could miss the start of the season (or are already ruled out for a longer period).
| Player | Club | Reason / Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Amadou Onana | Aston Villa | Ruptured ACL at the World Cup |
| Manuel Ugarte | Manchester United | Knee ligament rupture at the World Cup |
| Jordan Henderson | Brentford | Fractured wrist / broken arm during celebrations |
| Estêvão Willian | Chelsea | Grade 4 hamstring injury (pre-tournament) |
| William Saliba | Arsenal | Back injury sustained during World Cup semi-final |
| Ben White | Arsenal | Significant medial knee ligament injury |
| Jurrien Timber | Arsenal | Groin injury |
| Boubacar Kamara | Aston Villa | Knee injury |
| Alysson | Aston Villa | Muscle injury |
| Ryan Christie | Bournemouth | 3 match ban |
| Rico Henry | Brentford | Hamstring injury |
| Antoni Milambo | Brentford | Knee injury |
| Jamie Gittens | Chelsea | Hamstring injury |
| Roméo Lavia | Chelsea | Knock |
| Wesley Fofana | Chelsea | 2 match ban |
| Adam Wharton | Crystal Palace | Ankle injury |
| Borna Sosa | Crystal Palace | Knock |
| Cheick Doucouré | Crystal Palace | Knee injury |
| Eddie Nketiah | Crystal Palace | Hamstring injury |
| Jack Grealish | Everton | 3 match ban |
| Joachim Andersen | Fulham | Foot injury |
| Anton Stach | Leeds United | Ankleinjury |
| Sean Longstaff | Leeds United | Hernia |
| Hugo Ekitike | Liverpool | Achilles injury |
| Wataru Endo | Liverpool | Foot injury |
| Giovanni Leoni | Liverpool | Knee injury |
| Stefan Bajcetic | Liverpool | Hamstring injury |
| Jayden Danns | Liverpool | Hamstring injury |
| Conor Bradley | Liverpool | Knee injury |
| Benjamin Šeško | Manchester United | Shin injury |
| Matthijs de Ligt | Manchester United | Back injury |
| Tino Livramento | Newcastle United | Thigh injury |
| Lewis Miley | Newcastle United | Leg injury |
| Fabian Schär | Newcastle United | Ankle injury |
| Joelinton | Newcastle United | Thigh injury |
| Murillo | Nottingham Forest | Muscle injury |
| Callum Hudson-Odoi | Nottingham Forest | Thigh injury |
| Nicolò Savona | Nottingham Forest | Knee injury |
| Romaine Mundle | Sunderland | Knock |
| Xavi Simons | Tottenham Hotspur | Knee injury |
| Mohammed Kudus | Tottenham Hotspur | Thigh injury |
| Wilson Odobert | Tottenham Hotspur | ACL injury |
| Dejan Kulusevski | Tottenham Hotspur | Knee injury |
| Ben Davies | Tottenham Hotspur | Ankle injury |
What about the most expensive player in FPL, Haaland? Norway's elimination from the World Cup in the quarter-finals occurred early enough to provide the Manchester City forward with his required summer holiday and sufficient pre-season rest before domestic play begins. Therefore should be fine for Gameweek 1, as with all players and teams above we will receive firm updates from all managers in their Gameweek 1 press conferences, which take place just before the first game of the season. In the interim this article should help with your squad building!
Who has the best opening fixtures? Read here: https://fpl.page/article/fpl-best-fixtures-ticker-tool-2627.