Six Man Utd players at risk of missing out on a place at the 2026 World Cup

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Manchester United are expected to have a lot of representation at the 2026 World Cup.

As with every major international tournament, the 2026 World Cup will grant opportunities to Manchester United scouts. 

48 countries will compete at the finals, four years on from when a Lionel Messi-inspired Argentina were triumphant in Qatar.

United have one player from that Argentina squad, with Lisandro Martinez recovering from a serious knee injury. 

Next summer’s World Cup will be held across three countries — the United States, Mexico and Canada.

Not every United player will get the chance to represent their country on the biggest stage. Disappointment will be felt whether it be because of failure to qualify or not being selected.

United In Focus looks at five players who could miss out on a place at the 2026 World Cup.

Harry Maguire – England

Although Harry Maguire has made seven appearances under Ruben Amorim so far this season, the experienced centre-back continues to be overlooked by Thomas Tuchel. That is unlikely to change unless the Three Lions have to make changes due to injuries.

It doesn’t bode well for Maguire that he hasn’t been selected for the England squad since the September 2024 international break. That’s almost a year ago, so perhaps the writing is on the wall for the United centre-back.

After being one of Gareth Southgate’s most trusted players and missing out on Euro 2024 due to injury, this will come as a major blow to Maguire.

Mason Mount – England

Tuchel was a big admirer of Mason Mount during his time at Chelsea, but the German coach has not selected the midfielder since becoming England manager.

Mount has missed out on selections since the 2022 World Cup in Qatar due to injury and a lack of match fitness. With a place in Amorim’s plans this season, there is a chance Mount will get selected once he stays fit and performs for most of the season.

A strong individual season from Mount could see him on the plane to the United States, Mexico and Canada next year.

Meanwhile, Mount has been receiving plaudits in training from his teammates.

Luke Shaw – England

The last time Luke Shaw was called up for the England squad was for Euro 2024.

Despite being injured, Shaw was included in the final 26-man squad announced by Southgate.

Shaw has been unable to get near the England squad ever since. His time in an England shirt appears limited under Tuchel.

Kobbie Mainoo – England

Kobbie Mainoo may be a fans’ favourite, but he isn’t playing enough games for United to warrant a place in a World Cup squad.

The 20-year-old has been cast aside at United and has been overlooked by Tuchel in recent squads.

Mainoo could go back to playing for England under-21s to work on his fitness at least, as well as ensuring his development doesn’t stall.

England are on course to qualify for the World Cup, but Mainoo is struggling to prove himself with limited game time under Amorim. He was one of nine United players to miss out on an international call this month.

Benjamin Sesko – Slovenia

Slovenia are making it difficult to qualify because they are not winning enough of their qualifiers, after a scoreless draw with Kosovo on Friday night.

Unlike the other players on this list, Benjamin Sesko regularly features for his country.

That means Sesko is at risk of missing out on a place at the World Cup, and it’s all down to a poor qualifying campaign.

Sesko hasn’t scored in his past six matches for Slovenia.

Matthijs de Ligt – Netherlands

Matthijs de Ligt has had a decent start to the season as one of United’s best performers, but Ronald Koeman left him out of the recent Netherlands squad.

De Ligt has been blamed for previous mistakes in a Netherlands shirt, and it remains to be seen if he will get back into the team before the World Cup.

This is a huge blow for De Ligt but only time will tell if Koeman has second thoughts about leaving the former Ajax centre-back out of his squad for the tournament.

At the age of 26, De Ligt has made 51 appearances for the Netherlands and has plenty of experience playing at the highest level.