Netherlands lose Jurriën Timber to injury ahead of World Cup

Netherlands defender Jurriën Timber has been ruled out of the 2026 FIFA World Cup because of an ongoing groin injury. He had been named in the squad in the hope of recovering in time, but the Dutch team has now confirmed he will not be fit to take part in the tournament.

Timber will leave the Netherlands’ pre-World Cup camp after their 2–1 friendly win over Uzbekistan. He is set to be replaced by Lutsharel Geertruida, with teams allowed to make injury-related changes up to 24 hours before their opening World Cup match.

The Netherlands said Timber has not recovered enough from the injury to participate “in a medically responsible manner.” Head coach Ronald Koeman said the decision had been building over the previous couple of days and was finally made after discussions with Timber and the medical staff.

Koeman explained that losing Timber leaves the squad short of defensive options. He said the team had eight defenders with Timber included, but only seven without him, which was not enough for a World Cup campaign. He added that Geertruida was already familiar with the squad and could step in without too much disruption.

Timber’s injury has been a lingering problem for nearly three months, dating back to his club season with Arsenal. He missed the remainder of the domestic campaign, although he did return for the Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain, where he came off the bench and played a long spell including extra time. That intense comeback appears to have been too much, too soon for his recovery.

Geertruida, who spent last season at Sunderland, has already been involved in recent Netherlands camps and has 21 international caps. He played briefly in the friendly against Algeria earlier this month and now looks set to be part of Koeman’s World Cup plans.

The Netherlands begin their World Cup campaign against Japan on June 14, before facing Sweden on June 20 and Tunisia on June 25. They are regarded as the favourites to win Group F, but Timber’s absence is still a notable blow to their defensive depth.