Five stories that could impact World Cup: Infantino on Iran, Estevao injury, Mbappe sparks criticism

How new injuries might pressure coaches to make tough calls with less than 70 days before the start of the tournament

The 2026 World Cup is approaching, and as the club season nears its conclusion, developments across the soccer world are already shaping the squads set to travel to the United States, Canada and Mexico this summer. Injuries, and players performing well or struggling can also have an impact on nations as managers make their final decisions about the rosters. Let's now take a look at the five most interesting stories of the week about the World Cup.

Hakimi injured 'for weeks' 

PSG winger and Moroccan star Achraf Hakimi will be out "for weeks" and will miss the second leg of the Champions League semifinal against Bayern Munich this week, the French club has announced. The former Inter and Borussia Dortmund player suffered an injury in the first leg of the exciting 5-4 first leg in Paris last week and was hurt in a collision with Bayern Munich's Konrad Laimer. "Having sustained an injury to his right thigh during the match against Bayern Munich, Achraf Hakimi will be out of action for the next few weeks", PSG have announced. He's expected to be back in time for the summer World Cup, but with the tournament to start in less than 70 days, his recovery will be monitored by both Morocco and PSG medical staff. 

What's going on with Kylian Mbappe? 

What happened to Kylian Mbappe? The French striker and Real Madrid star is currently injured, as the Spanish side announced, revealing a problem in the semitendinosus muscle of his left leg. Mbappe is currently recovering from injury, but his recent appearance in Italy with his partner has sparked debate in Spain about his level of involvement with a team that is still in the midst of its season. Alvaro Arbeloa's Real Madrid will face Barcelona on Sunday at the Spotify Camp Nou, a match that could determine the LaLiga race in favour of Hansi Flick's Barcelona and the French striker won't be able to be back in time. Mbappe should be fine to play the World Cup with France this summer, as he's expected to be back before the end of the season with his LaLiga team. 

Infantino reiterates Iran will play at the World Cup 

FIFA president Gianni Infantino said again last week that Iran will take part in this summer's World Cup as scheduled, despite the fact that the country's delegation was missing from FIFA Congress. 

"Of course, Iran will be participating at the FIFA World Cup 2026 and of course, Iran will play in the United States of America and the reason for that is very simple because, dear friends, we have to unite," Infantino said during a speech. 

However, Iran's delegation was the only one missing as the remaining 210 FIFA member associations convened for the annual congress in Canada. Those officials were also absent for Tuesday's meeting of the AFC Congress, which also took place in Vancouver.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino insists Iran will 'of course' compete in U.S.A. as scheduled at the World Cup Pardeep Cattry

The latest on Estavao for Brazil

Estevao's participation in the 2026 World Cup is in danger. The Chelsea winger has suffered a grade-four hamstring injury, and he's in doubt to play the tournament for the team led by Italian legendary coach Carlo Ancelotti, who will also have to deal with the injury of defender Eder Militao, who will also miss the tournament this summer. The medical team of the Brazilian FA is set to travel to London this week, according to multiple reports in Brazil, to assess the situation of the Chelsea star. His absence would represent another setback for Ancelotti, who must also decide whether to call up Neymar, as the forward remains a doubt for the World Cup and was not called in the latest round of games in March. 

More money at the World Cup 

FIFA announced last week that it will award a total of $871 million in prize money for this summer's World Cup in North America, marking a further 15% increase from previously announced figures. The revised amount includes an additional $1 million per team for both preparation and qualification, along with more than $16 million in subsidies for team delegation costs and expanded ticket allocations. The decision was approved by the FIFA Council during a meeting held in Canada, two days before the annual FIFA Congress. World football's governing body had earlier set the prize pool at $727 million for the 2026 tournament, already a record figure. By comparison, $440 million was distributed at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The expansion of the tournament from 32 to 48 teams has been a key factor driving the significant increase in prize money.