England's Ben White avoids surgery, but World Cup status in doubt

Field Level Media|published: Wed 13th May, 13:33 2026

Arsenal's Ben White during the Carabao Cup final against Manchester City in London on March 22, 2026.

England defender Ben White will not require surgery for a knee injury suffered on Sunday, but his season for Arsenal is over and his status for next month's World Cup is in significant doubt.

Arsenal confirmed Tuesday that White had suffered a "significant medial knee ligament injury" during the team's 1-0 win over West Ham. The team has three matches remaining as Arsenal attempts to win the Premier League and Champions League.

White, 28, was a somewhat surprising call up by England in March given that he had not featured for the national team since 2022 amid reports of a falling out with the former coaching staff. He went on to make appearances against Uruguay and Japan, and scored in a 1-1 draw against Uruguay.

England manager Thomas Tuchel is expected to announce his World Cup roster on May 22. The squad will play pre-World Cup friendlies against New Zealand in Tampa, Fla. on June 6 and against Costa Rica in Orlando four days later.

England's World Cup base camp will be in Kansas City. Their Group L schedule begins against Croatia in Arlington, Texas, on June 17, followed by matches against Ghana in Boston on June 23 and Panama in Foxborough, Mass., on June 27.

--Field Level Media

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