26 Days To The 2022 World Cup: 5 Premier League Players Confirmed Out Of Qatar

Chelsea midfielder and France national team N'Golo Kante will miss the Qatar 2022 World Cup. (Photo: Instagram/@ngklante)

JAKARTA — The World Cup is one of the biggest football tournaments in the world. This event is always an opportunity for several countries to show their strength.

This year's Qatar World Cup is scheduled to start on November 20 and end on December 18, 2022. However, several English Premier League players will certainly miss this quadrennial competition due to injury.

The following are five players who will certainly not be able to contribute to their country:

Arthur Melo (Liverpool)

The Brazil international is one of the English Premier League players who is certain to miss Qatar through injury. Arthur joined Liverpool on loan from Juventus last summer, but has not featured for the first team since joining the club.

The 26-year-old is expected to be out for three to four months, ending his hopes of appearing in the most prestigious event. However, Melo's absence is not a major blow for Brazil because this country has an abundant stock of players in midfield.

Pedro Neto (Wolverhampton Wanderers)

Neto is one of the players who will miss the upcoming World Cup due to an ankle injury. He got the injury when he strengthened his team against West Ham on October 1 yesterday.

Just like Brazil, the absence of Neto is definitely not a big loss for the Portuguese national team. Because the team made by Fernando Santos still has names like Rafael Leão and Ricardo Horta.

The 22-year-old has made eight appearances for Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League this season, but he is yet to score or assist.

Reece James (Chelsea)

The Englishman was in fine form, scoring once and providing an assist for Chelsea in seven Premier League appearances before picking up the injury.

James picked up a knee injury in the away win against AC Milan in the European Champions League on 11 October. The injury means he is expected to be out for at least eight weeks.

Therefore, the 22-year-old will miss the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. His position in the England squad is also expected to be replaced by Trent Alexander-Arnold or maybe Kyle Walker.

N'Golo Kante (Chelsea)

The French national team player is one of the most energetic midfielders. His presence in midfield is very important for the tactician Didier Deschamps. However, Kante has only made two appearances so far due to persistent injuries.

This injury problem ensured he had to miss several months, including the World Cup later this year. The 31-year-old is currently recovering after undergoing hamstring surgery.

Kante's absence is definitely a big blow for France as he played an important role when helping his country secure Russia's 2018 World Cup trophy.

Aurelien Tchouameni will most likely replace Kante in midfield.

Diogo Jota (Liverpool)

Jota made just four Premier League appearances for Liverpool before he picked up the injury. The 25-year-old picked up a muscle problem during Liverpool's 1-0 win against Manchester City on 16 October.

Jota's absence is a huge blow for Portugal as he is an integral part of Fernando Santos' squad. Portugal will start their campaign in this year's edition of the competition against Ghana in Group H on 24 November.