Internationals: Saliba starts as Timber pulls out | International | News


William Saliba started France’s 3-1 victory over Northern Ireland ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

After missing France’s defeat against the Ivory Coast, Wilo started alongside Bayern’s Dayot Upamecano at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy in Lille.

It was Upamecano’s teammate, Michael Olise, who stole the show, netting a fine hat-trick in the 3-1 triumph in northern France.

Wilo played the first half before being subbed, with Crystal Palace’s Maxence Lacroix coming on in his place.

Les Bleus now travel to America ahead of their first World Cup group match against Senegal on Tuesday, June 16.

TIMBER PULLS OUT OF WORLD CUP

While one player was warming up for the World Cup, another was pulling out of the squad.The

Netherlands confirmed on social media that Jurrien Timber will miss the finals in Mexico, Canada and the USA.

Jurrien, who returned to action during the Champions League final, has pulled out with a groin injury and been replaced by Lutsharel Geertruida, who spent last season on loan with Sunderland.

In a statement, the Dutch FA said: “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 national team’s pre-camp in New York after the game against Uzbekistan.”

Copyright 2026 The Arsenal Football Club Limited. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to www.arsenal.com as the source.



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