No cloud without a silver lining. Learning that a teammate has been injured is never pleasant. Even less so when the injury is worse and more serious than expected. But in this case, Ben White’s setback offers hope – and perhaps even a small boost – to Trent Alexander-Arnold. With the World Cup just around the corner, and after the blow of being left out during the last international break in March, the Real Madrid player’s presence at the tournament now looks less far-fetched and more realistic.

After AS spotted the Arsenal right-back leaving London Stadium last Sunday, passing through the mixed zone with his right knee immobilized, Mikel Arteta confirmed the worst fears in a press conference: “It looks like a long-term injury. Right now, we are worried about when we will be able to get him back. That will not happen for many, many weeks.”

Ben White may miss Champions League final and World Cup 2026

White was treated on the pitch after 28 minutes of West Ham-Arsenal following an awkward landing and was forced to leave the field. The 28-year-old England defender, in tears and limping heavily, needed help from a member of the medical staff to make his way to the dressing room. The images suggested his season had ended there, in east London. Goodbye to the Champions League final on May 30 and goodbye to the World Cup with the Three Lions.

Along with Arteta’s “it does not look good” in the post-game press conference, the British press reported: “The Arsenal defender is expected to miss the rest of the season due to a knee ligament injury in his right knee. The exact severity of the injury has not yet been determined, but the initial prognosis suggests that Ben White may have suffered a medial collateral ligament injury.” His absence could range from one to three weeks or, in the worst-case scenario, more than eight. Bad news for Arteta and Arsenal... and good news for Trent.

In March, despite Reece James’s absence through injury, Thomas Tuchel opted to call up Tino Livramento and Djed Spence for the friendlies against Uruguay and Japan. Alexander-Arnold stayed in Madrid, left out even from a 35-man squad. “It is a difficult decision, and Trent is a big name, a huge talent with an impressive career. I know what he can bring us, but I have chosen others. The players in camp for the right-back position must push themselves to the maximum to earn their place on the plane that will take us to the World Cup,” the England manager said at the time.

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His absence, added to the previous nine months without an England call-up, suggested Alexander-Arnold had been all but ruled out for the trip to the United States, Mexico and Canada. He has not played for England since June 2025, in a qualifier against Andorra. Back then, he was still a Liverpool player. Yet hope remains.

Reece James and Livramento’s fragile physical condition, together with White’s injury, has now been followed by the Real Madrid full-back’s inclusion in Tuchel’s 55-man preliminary list submitted to FIFA. On Friday, May 22, the German will announce which 26 English players will represent the Three Lions at the 2026 World Cup, and Alexander-Arnold, who has 34 senior caps, could be one of them. His objective is clear: to help, alongside teammate and friend Jude Bellingham, deliver England’s second star.

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