Paul Pogba out of World Cup 2022: Latest news on the injury forcing him to miss Qatar with France squad

Paul Pogba was a critical component of the 2018 France World Cup winning side, but Les Bleus will now have to trek into the 2022 FIFA World Cup without the mercurial midfielder.

Previously missing time with a knee injury that has kept him out of action all season thus far, and had his World Cup hopes hanging by a thread, Pogba suffered a new injury during recovery that will now cause him to definitively miss the tournament in Qatar.

Defending champions France, already sweating Pogba’s health among a host of other injury concerns, are now left extremely thin in midfield.

Les Bleus are still considered one of the favorites at the tournament, yet no country has repeated as World Cup champions since Brazil in 1962, and France’s chances at ending that long skid just got a little bit slimmer.

MORE: In-depth look at the France squad at the 2022 FIFA World Cup

Paul Pogba out of World Cup

Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba has been officially ruled out of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, with his agent issuing a statement on October 31 to erase any lingering doubts.

Pogba had been struggling with a knee injury since the summer, and while his rehab had focused on returning in time for the World Cup, that will no longer be possible after he picked up a new injury.

Without Pogba, the France midfield looks unusually thin, and the defending champions will have to get creative given potential absences, including at other positions.

MORE: Everything about Group D at the World Cup, including France

Pogba injury update, timeline for Juventus return

Paul Pogba has has not featured at all during the 2022/23 season for his club Juventus, and was definitively ruled out from participating in the 2022 FIFA World Cup on October 31

Pogba arrived at Juventus in the summer of 2022 on a free transfer from Manchester United, but has yet to make a single competitive appearance because of a knee injury suffered during preseason. Pogba could have opted to have surgery for his torn meniscus, but instead attempted to rehab his way back onto the field in order to give himself a chance of being fit for the World Cup.

Unfortunately, those hopes were dashed when he suffered a setback during recovery, picking up a subsequent thigh injury that cemented his absence from the 2022 World Cup.

No timeline for his return has been given at this point. Pogba was evaluated in the United States by professor Volker Musahl, who is an orthopedic surgeon in Pittsburgh, Pa., and the team physician for the University of Pittsburgh football team.

“Paul Pogba, in light of the recent radiological examinations performed at J|Medical and the consultation carried out in Pittsburgh by Prof. Volker Musahl for the evaluation of the knee, needs to continue his rehabilitation program,” said Juventus in a statement on the morning of October 31.

What Pogba’s agent said

Paul Pogba’s agent Rafaela Pimenta told the media that the French midfielder would be unavailable for the 2022 FIFA World Cup after his latest injury.

“Following yesterday and today’s medical review in Torino and Pittsburgh, it is extremely painful to inform [that] Paul will still need recovery time from his surgery,” Pimenta said. “For this reason, Paul will not be able to join the Juventus squad before the World Cup break nor the French National Team in Qatar.

“If wishful thinking would change things, Paul would be playing tomorrow. But what changes things are hard work, resilience and discipline, all of which are the only things in Paul’s mind at these challenging times. Paul will continue working giving his very best to be back on the pitch for the fans and his team as soon as possible.”

Pimenta is Pogba’s new agent following the passing of his former agent Mino Raiola back in April 2022. She worked closely with Raiola for nearly two decades before taking over upon Raiola’s death.

France World Cup squad with Pogba out

While it was always looking likely that Paul Pogba’s presence at the World Cup was wishful thinking, the confirmed absence leaves the France midfield extremely thin. Les Bleus could also be without the injured N’Golo Kante, who would have likely started alongside Pogba had the two been healthy.

Real Madrid duo Aurelin Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga were always likely to make the roster, but now the two could be looking at significant World Cup playing time, especially Tchouameni who has carved out a consistent role with Los Blancos in the wake of Casemiro’s departure to Manchester United.

Behind those two are Marseille’s Matteo Guendouzi and Pogba’s Juventus teammate Adrien Rabiot, both of whom are starters at clubs sputtering for consistency and form. Boubacar Kamara is also struggling with a knee injury and may not be available, while Jordan Veretout and Youssouf Fofana are less than inspiring options for a World Cup championship contender.

France potential midfielders at World Cup 2022

Paul Pogba injury history

Since rising to international prominence at Juventus and then at the 2018 World Cup, Pogba has consistently struggled with injuries that have interrupted his form and his ability to remain on the pitch.

His time at Manchester United was especially full of injury trouble. It began in 2017, during the run-up to the 2018 World Cup, as a thigh injury kept him out of action for 12 matches and saw him miss a number of international games. He would return in time to make the 2018 World Cup squad, however, and he helped France lift the trophy in Russia.

After the tournament, Pogba missed a whopping 39 matches through the 2019/20 campaign with an ankle injury, only able to see the field 22 times across all competitions that season as Man United finished a distant third in the Premier League table.

After returning for the latter stages of that campaign, he was shelved again soon after, missing a combined 26 matches across the 2020/21 and 2021/22 seasons thanks to hamstring injuries that ruined the latter half of his latest spell at Old Trafford.

Now, a meniscus injury suffered in the 2022 summer tour of the United States with his new club Juventus has shelved Pogba for the entirety of the 2022/23 season to date, and the latest thigh injury will add complications to his recovery process.

Paul Pogba age: Is this his last World Cup?

At 29 years old, this is likely not Paul Pogba’s last chance to see a World Cup tournament, but it certainly complicates the future.

Pogba will be 33 years old by the time the 2026 World Cup comes around, and given his injury history, it’s unclear whether he can maintain an elite level of performance to be considered for international duty with France.

With 91 caps under his belt for the French national team, Pogba remains a fixture of the Blues midfield setup, but he will have to prove himself all over again if a new manager takes over for the four-year cycle leading into the 2026 tournament.

Paul Pogba World Cup career

Paul Pogba has appeared in two World Cups throughout his time with the French national team.

His first came in 2014, where France would run through Group E, topping the table above Switzerland, Ecuador, and Honduras with two wins and a draw. They would run into a buzzsaw in the quarterfinals, however, as they fell 1-0 to eventual champions Germany, who would go on to famously embarrass host nation Brazil 7-1 in the semifinals.

Pogba got another chance for World Cup glory in 2018, and he made it count. After topping Group C above Denmark, Peru, and Australia, France downed Argentina 4-3 in the Round of 16 in a thrilling match that included a memorable Benjamin Pavard stunner.

They would defeat Uruguay and Belgium in the next two rounds, both via clean sheets, before topping Croatia 4-2 in the World Cup final. Pogba scored France’s third goal in that final, which would eventually stand up as the game-winner.