Arsenal, Aston Villa, and Manchester United have been ranked among Premier League clubs mostly impacted by injuries and possible World Cup fatigue after the conclusion of the 2026 edition of the global soccer bonanza.
The competition in North America spanned six weeks and concluded on Sunday, July 19, 2026, in a finale at MetLife Stadium, where Spain edged Argentina 1-0 in the final in New Jersey to claim the ultimate honours.
Premier League kickoff
With more than 150 Premier League players at the tournament, concern now turns to how their involvement could impact their clubs, with the Premier League season beginning in just over four weeks on Friday, August 21, 2026.
When combining factors including minutes played, players used, injuries, potential injury durations, and recency of appearances in an overall impact index, Arsenal comes out as the most impacted club, according to Sky Sports.
Unai Emery’s Aston Villa, Manchester United, and Spurs are next on the list, with Manchester City coming fifth, despite having had more players feature at the tournament than any other side.
Read: Arsenal trio, Rodri, and EPL players who won the 2026 World Cup
Manchester City were the most represented Premier League club, with 16 of their players featuring at the tournament.
The former champions also topped the list in terms of minutes played too, with a combined total of 5,595 putting them well ahead of next-highest Arsenal, who totalled 4,224, with Spurs third on 3,318.
The Gunners already lost William Saliba to a back injury in France’s semi-final defeat to Spain.
Arsenal revealed that the centre-back will be assessed to ascertain the duration and extent of the injury after the World Cup.
This comes as Mikel Arteta’s team is considered to be actively looking to strengthen across key departments.
Between the post-World Cup injury setbacks, Leandro Trossard departing the English champions, and missing out on primary targets, Arteta and the club’s hierarchy now face the task of reinforcing their ranks ahead of the new campaign.
Among the key additions the Gunners could go for include the very stars who lit up the global games in North America.
Brazil midfielder Bruno Guimarães leads Arsenal’s list of potential transfer targets. Meanwhile, Villa’s Ezri Konsa is being tipped as short-term defensive cover as concerns grow over William Saliba’s fitness.
