World Cup 2022 injury list: Benzema, Mane, Nkunku and…

World Cup 2022 injury list: Benzema, Mane, Nkunku and every player ruled out

Karim Benzema became the latest high-profile absentee to be ruled out of the 2022 World Cup after suffering an injury.

France and Real Madrid superstar Benzema suffered a thigh problem that will see him sidelined for the tournament in Qatar, which gets underway on Sunday.

Benzema's injury came after Bayern Munich forward Sadio Mane was confirmed to be missing the World Cup when the Bayern Munich attacker suffered an injury to his fibula against Werder Bremen.

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The former Liverpool man joins the growing list of global superstars that will miss out on the historic tournament in Qatar.

Mane was initially a doubt for Senegal's group opener with the Netherlands but will miss the entirety of the competition. The news come days after RB Leipzig and France talent Christopher Nkunku was sidelined with a knee injury that he suffered training with Didier Deschamps' side.

England have injury concerns of their own. Kyle Walker suffered a hip injury during Manchester City's rout over rivals Manchester United yet despite not playing a minute of competitive football since the drubbing, he was included in Gareth Southgate's squad.

James Maddison also made the Three Lions boss sweat as he was forced off in the first-half of Leicester City's 2-0 win over West Ham, days after he was handed a place on the plane to Qatar.

However, they were rocked by injuries in the build-up to this month's tournament. Chelsea full-backs Reece James and Ben Chilwell were both ruled out after picking up injuries during the Blues' Champions League campaigns.

James had stepped up his recovery in an attempt to be fit for the biggest footballing event of the year but was forced to put his World Cup hopes on hold.

Former Chelsea striker Timo Werner also saw his dreams dashed when he suffered an ankle injury against Shakthar Donetsk in the Champions League. Diogo Jota is also sidelined after picking up a serious calf injury during Liverpool's 1-0 win over Manchester City.