As we hit the later rounds of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the upcoming 2026-27 club season draws ever nearer. We take a look the clubs that may selfishly be relieved at the early World Cup exits from their players.
It’s hard to conceive of, given that we all remain in thrall to the 2026 World Cup, but the English Premier League kicks off in less than two months on August 21. Hot on its heels is Ligue 1, which starts August 23, and Germany’s Bundesliga, getting underway on August 28.
For players on teams which go deep in this summer’s tournament, there is precious little time to be found between international duty and reporting back to their club teams to begin the arduous slog of another season. A consequence of our now seemingly year-round soccer schedule, this jam-packed calendar had drawn the ire of players, coaches, and fans alike. Your favorite players are frequently going 90-plus minutes, twice a week, 11 months out of the year.
This physical and mental redlining jacks up the risk of injury and burnout, but what are clubs to do? Nearly each fixture carries such importance that it is nearly impossible to introduce any sort of NBA-style “load management” into the equation.
So while the world’s biggest clubs will be no doubt proud to see their stars shining on the international stage, you’d have to imagine that managers and sporting directors back home have their fingers crossed behind their backs, hoping and praying for their top players to make an early exit from North America and get themselves a healthy recovery period.
Giants such as Germany, the Netherlands, and Japan have already crashed out in dramatic fashion. Which clubs, then, will be happiest at getting some of their prized assets back ahead of schedule?
Sunderland
Eliminated: Brian Brobbey (Netherlands), Wilson Isidor (Haiti), Nilson Angulo (Ecuador), Simon Adingra (Côte d’Ivoire), Robin Roefs (Netherlands), Arthur Masuaka (DR Congo), Noah Sadiki (DR Congo)
The club from Northeast England is the undisputed champion of the “get your players back early” sweepstakes. Manager Regis Le Bris shocked the footballing world when he guided a Sunderland group that many had nailed on for relegation to a miraculous seventh place in the EPL table, five spots above hated rivals Newcastle United. That was enough to secure Europa League qualification, representing only the second continental competition qualification in club history.
It’s all well and good to finish in the European places when you don’t have pesky midweek games to worry about. But how will Sunderland cope with extensive Europa League away days?
Le Bris will be thrilled that the Netherlands chucked it away on penalties against Morocco, guaranteeing that new hot commodity Brian Brobbey will be back in training camp tout de suite. Arthur Masuaka and Noah Sadiki both went nearly the full 90 minutes for Congo in their near-miss against England, but one Harry Edward Kane conspired to send them back on the early flight to the UK.
Simon Adingra will be ruing not getting off the bench in Côte d’Ivoire hard-fought loss to Norway, but manager Emerson Fae seemed unable to forgive him for spurning a golden shooting opportunity late on in the Elephants’ dramatic loss to Germany. The speedy winger suffered a rough first season with the Black Cats, and was sent on loan to Monaco during the January transfer window. Le Bris will be glad to have him back under his tutelage, as Adingra seems poised to add some valuable squad depth in what will surely be a hectic season.
Arsenal
Eliminated: Piero Hincapie (Ecuador), Kai Havertz (Germany), Viktor Gyokeres (Sweden)
The Gunners broke a 24-year dry spell and dispelled the notion that they were serial bottlers by claiming the Premier League trophy this past May. What’s even more impressive: they made a plodding run to the Champions League final on the back of a formidable defense.
If Arsenal wishes to retain its domestic title and go one further (as it has done each of the last three seasons) in Europe, it will need to make sure that its attack is firing on all cylinders. Mikel Arteta must have been punching the air in triumph when Kai Havertz telegraphed his penalty to Paraguayan keeper Orlando Gill, sending the Germans packing in the Round of 32. Havertz has been plagued by nagging leg injuries the last couple of seasons, and one gets the impression that a tranquil summer on the treatment table at London Colney is just what the doctor ordered.
Viktor Gyokeres and Sweden thudded out against a France side they wouldn’t beat in a million chances, but the silver lining is that the former Sporting juggernaut will benefit immensely from a full preseason’s preparations. Piero Hincapie seemed like he might have intentionally gotten himself sent off for covering his mouth in a confrontational situation rather than have to stick around to witness the Mexican celebrations in Ecuador’s round of 32 matchup.
Given that Arteta has inherited a bit of Guardiola-esque gamesmanship when it comes to international availability (his players have a habit of coming down with nagging injuries just before international breaks, lately), he will be eager to get his boys back on the training pitch as soon as possible.
Bayern Munich
Eliminated: Joshua Kimmich (Germany), Leon Goretzka (Germany), Manuel Neuer (Germany), Jonathan Tah (Germany), Jamal Musiala (Germany), Aleksander Pavlovic (Germany), Kim Min-Jae (South Korea), Hiroki Ito (Japan), Bara Sapoko Ndiaye (Senegal), Konrad Laimer (Austria)
Bayern pride may be intrinsically linked to German success at the Big Dance, but ahead of a season in which they’re trying to get back to form in the Champions League, they’ll need all hands on deck.
While the Bavarians probably won’t see the likes of Frenchmen Michael Olise and Dayot Upamecano for quite some time, they will have to content themselves with having their German core back on home soil nice and early.
The Germans impressively managed to show both arrogance and timidness in their losses to Ecuador and Paraguay, while only barely eking out a win against Ivory Coast in the group stage. Joshua Kimmich seemed petulant, Jamal Musiala was only a shell of his former dynamic self, and Jonathan Tah was forced to take his first-ever penalty after four of his teammates reportedly refused to step up to the spot.
Manuel Neuer’s best days are clearly behind him. (What’s German for time comes for us all?) Vincent Kompany will no doubt be eager to give his German contingent a metaphorical kick up the rear end to get them ready to go again in the Champions League.
Kim Min-Jae was the captain of a disappointing South Korea team that could’ve defended better, and has understandably caught an earful from South Korean fans and pundits alike. A return to the less-pressure-packed Allianz Arena might be a welcome change for him.
Bara Sapoko Ndiaye came in at the very tail end of Senegal’s epic collapse at the hands of Belgium (countryman Nicolas Jackson will not be returning to Munich), and Hiroki Ito put in an admirable 90 minutes in an ultimately futile effort against Brazil.
Liverpool
Eliminated: Virgil van Dijk (Netherlands), Cody Gakpo (Netherlands), Ryan Gravenberch (Netherlands), Florian Wirtz (Germany), Wataru Endo (Japan), Alexander Isak (Sweden)
New manager, who dis?! Liverpool failed spectacularly to defend their Premier League title of two seasons ago, and showed Arne Slot to the door in favor of Andoni Iraola. Basque managers: so hot right now.
When the Netherlands fell to the Atlas Lions of Morocco in what might have been the worst penalty shootout in World Cup history, Iraola found himself lucky enough to have the aging Dutch spine of his Liverpool team back ahead of schedule. Virgil van Dijk doesn’t have the legs that he once did, but he’s shown signs of being able to modify his game to suit his, let’s say, reduced mobility. He’ll benefit from time off and rotation once the Prem season gets underway. Cody Gakpo, on the other hand, has been dealing with his partner’s tragic miscarriage, and one gets the impression that he would do well with some time with his family away from the limelight.
Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak, despite the massive sums paid for them, were disappointments in their first season at Anfield. Isak only just managed to make his way back to the squad after a horrific leg break against Tottenham in December, while Wirtz struggled to adapt to the physical nature of English football. He did, however, manage to accumulate 17 goal involvements last season, and only time will tell how having a full season under his belt will benefit him going forward. Thanks to Germany’s elimination at the hands of the Albirroja of Paraguay, Wirtz will have plenty of time to gain chemistry with the other members of Liverpool’s attacking line.
Al-Hilal
Eliminated: Darwin Nunez (Uruguay), Salem Al-Dawsari (Saudi Arabia), Naser Al-Dawsari (Saudi Arabia), Mohammed Kano (Saudi Arabia), Moteb Al-Harbi (Saudi Arabia), Hassan Al-Tambakti (Saudi Arabia), Ali Lajami (Saudi Arabia), Sultan Mandash (Saudi Arabia), Kalidou Koulibaly (Senegal)
Al-Hilal are the big dogs of the Saudi Pro League, having captured a record 21 titles in their history, in addition to four Asian Champions League trophies. Much like Bayern Munich and Germany, the Riyadh-based club has long formed the backbone of the Saudi national team, a point of pride for supporters. Many foreigners sat up and took notice at last summer’s Club World Cup, in which they bested Manchester City in a 4-3 thriller en route to an impressive quarterfinal appearance.
But the Blue Waves have not captured the domestic title in two seasons, having succumbed last time out to hated rivals Al-Nassr and that Cristiano Ronaldo fellow. The pressure is mounting on new-ish manager Simone Inzaghi to get the best out of his expensively-assembled squad.
The Demon of Piacenza will be over the moon at having his Saudi core back well in advance of the Pro League’s August 13 kickoff. Darwin Nunez and Uruguay were shambolic in their group stage elimination, with the corn-rowed striker doing his best to make sure that he didn’t have to play in those bothersome knockout rounds. Kalidou Koulibaly was dropped by manager Pape Thiaw after costly mistakes against Norway and France, and the former Napoli man will surely be thrilled to see the back of the Senegal camp once and for all.
Newcastle United
Eliminated: Malick Thiaw (Germany), Nick Woltemade (Germany), Yoane Wissa (DR Congo), Anthony Elanga (Sweden)
Any good sportswashing project is contingent on results, darn it! (The Saudi-inspired away shirts do little to beat the allegations.) Newcastle found out just how tricky it is to balance Champions League participation with the demands of the English Premier League in the 2025-26 season. While the Toon Army finished a respectable 12th in the League Phase, they were humiliated in the Round of 16 by Barcelona to the tune of an 8-3 aggregate defeat. Couple that with a 12th-place finish in the EPL, seven spots down from a year prior, it’s a minor miracle that manager Eddie Howe will be returning to the touchline at St. James’ Park next season.
The Magpies have been hit with a bit of an exodus of some of their best players, with the likes of Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali striking out for greener pastures. Further Newcastle success on the domestic front will hinge on getting production from three of last season’s biggest signings: Nick Woltemade, Yoane Wissa, and Anthony Elanga.
Elanga scored one of the goals of the tournament with a curling left-footed beauty against Japan, but offered little in Sweden’s limping defeat to France. While not particularly injury-prone, Elanga did miss a spell between December and January of last season after suffering a knock against Chelsea.
Woltemade made little impact against Paraguay for Germany, and went on to miss his penalty badly in the ensuing shootout. While he burned brightly at the start of last season, he faded quickly. Given that he was a late signing from Stuttgart, he’s another who could benefit from a full preseason under Howe.
Wissa netted three times in the World Cup, including a spectacular header to peg back Portugal in a thrilling 1-1 draw. The brass on Tyneside will be praying that his World Cup form carries into the domestic season.
