Liverpool and France forward Hugo Ekitike will miss the 2026 FIFA World Cup after rupturing his Achilles tendon during Liverpool’s Champions League quarterfinal second-leg defeat to Paris Saint-Germain.
The 23-year-old sustained the injury on Tuesday night at Anfield, where Liverpool lost 2-0 and exited the competition with a 4-0 aggregate loss.
Television footage showed Ekitike pointing to his Achilles as medical staff attended to him before he was carried off on a stretcher.
Ekitike joined Liverpool from Eintracht Frankfurt last July for £69 million and has scored 17 goals across all competitions this season.
For France, he has earned eight caps and scored two international goals against Ukraine in a World Cup qualifier and against Brazil in a friendly both in his country’s last four matches.
He has started three of the last six international games and had been considered the primary understudy to Real Madrid striker Kylian Mbappé.
The 2026 World Cup is scheduled to be held in the United States, Mexico, and Canada from June 11 to July 19.