Arsenal will kick off the 2026/27 season as Premier League champions for the first time since the Invincibles era. Since winning the title after such a long wait, the expectations at the Emirates have rightly changed. Mikel Arteta no longer has to convince people that his methods work; he just needs to keep them working. But could the World Cup throw a spanner in the works?
The Majority of Players Are At the World Cup
Arsenal will have the majority of their first team players involved at the World Cup. The England contingent alone consists of Declan Rice, Eberechi Eze and Bukayo Saka, with the latter not ready to play every game according to Three Lions boss Thomas Tuchel. Spain have included David Raya, Mikel Merino and Martin Zubimendi, but it remains to be seen how much the trio play. Add in Martin Odegaard for Norway, William Saliba for France, Kai Havertz for Germany and the rest of the players at the tournament, and it means Arteta will be overseeing somewhat of a skeleton squad for the initial stages of pre-season.
The Risks Are Real
Arteta has navigated post-tournament disruption previously. After Euro 2024, Arsenal’s international players returned late to pre-season but still helped the club mount a title challenge. However, the scale here is slightly different. There will be more matches at this World Cup than ever before, which means more accumulated minutes and a longer tournament overall. You can’t dismiss the toll it will take on players who were involved throughout Arsenal’s Premier League and Champions League campaigns.
Injuries occurring during the opening months of the season are often due to not enough rest between seasons and poor pre-season preparation. The likes of Saliba, Gabriel and Rice have played a lot of football already, and returning to a Premier League campaign inside four or so weeks is a risk.
But There Is an Upside
The counterargument is that international tournaments can keep players sharp in a way that pre-season friendlies can’t. High-stakes knockout football in July could translate into form and confidence that carries through to August.
Saliba goes into the World Cup with France as one of the best central defenders in the world, and a good tournament will only reinforce that. Martin Odegaard will captain Norway at their first World Cup in 28 years, which will be a huge moment for him. Some positives can come off the back of the tournament, that’s for sure.
Final Thoughts
Arsenal will mount a title defence in 2026/27. The hope will be that the players come back in as good a condition as possible from North America. If Tuchel’s words are anything to go by, teams will be looking to manage the minutes of players to keep them fresh and prevent injury, which is certainly a positive for the Gunners.
