Arsenal players at the World Cup: Injuries, goals & other updates

All you need to know about Arsenal players at the World Cup, updated daily.

Ten Gooners have flown out to Qatar to compete for their respective nations at the 2022 World Cup, but how are each of them performing? Follow here for daily updates on goals, injuries and other announcements.

For a full list of Arsenal players playing at the 2022 World Cup, click here.

Sat 10 Dec – Heartbreak for Bukayo Saka while William Saliba doesn’t feature

Despite France’s attempt to ensure he left Doha with no ankles, Saka once impressed for England as he won the penalty which led to Harry Kane’s equaliser. However, Kane’s errant second spot kick meant the Three Lions crashed out with Saka being substituted in the closing stages. On the opposite side, Saliba didn’t feature for Les Bleus but he’s Arsenal’s only semi-finalist in Qatar.

Fri 9 Dec – No minutes for Gabriel Martinelli as Brazil lose

Tite opted to keep Martinelli on the bench throughout Brazil’s quarter-final tie with Croatia which went all the way to penalties. The pre-tournament favourites were eliminated after tasting defeat in the shootout.

Tue 6 Dec – Granit Xhaka exits the competition

Switzerland were thumped 6-1 by Portugal in their round of 16 clash which means Xhaka will now join up with the Arsenal squad in Dubai. The Arsenal midfielder once again completed 90 minutes.

Mon 5 Dec – Gabriel Martinelli comes off the bench for Brazil

Tite reverted to his strongest XI as Brazil dazzled against South Korea in their round of 16 tie. They were 4-0 up at half-time which meant there was plenty of scope for rotation in the second period. As a result, Martinelli played the last 18 minutes.

Mon 5 Dec – Takehiro Tomiyasu’s penalty shootout heartbreak

Tomiyasu was fit enough to start his first game of the 2022 World Cup on Monday as Japan took on Croatia in the last 16. The Arsenal defender almost gifted Ivan Perisic an early goal before settling into the contest at right-back. He played all 120 minutes, eventually shifting into a right centre-back position, but he did not take a penalty as the dark horses crashed out of the competition.

Sun 4 Dec – Bukayo Saka scores in England win

Saka returned to the England starting XI for their round of 16 tie against Senegal. The winger started alongside Harry Kane and Phil Foden in the front line, with Saka proving why he deserves to be in the team with a crafty finish in the second-half to triple England’s advantage. A daunting challenge awaits Saka and the Three Lions in the quarter-finals.

Sat 3 Dec – Matt Turner’s USA exit the competition

Turner’s World Cup came to an end on Saturday as the Dutch breached the USA defence three times in their round of 16 clash. These were the first three goals Turner had conceded from open play all tournament.

Fri 2 Dec – Gabriel Jesus disappoints but Martinelli impresses

The two Arsenal boys were handed starts with Brazil already through to the knockouts. Jesus disappointed up top as he was hooked after the hour (it’s since been revealed that he was struggling with a knee injury before the tournament even got underway) but Martinelli was arguably Brazil’s best performer on the night.

Fri 2 Dec – Granit Xhaka riles up Serbia

Xhaka led Switzerland to a 3-2 victory over Serbia on Friday night which saw them progress into the round of 16. The Swiss captain loves this fixture and he was keen to p*ss off every single Serbian player and supporter in this game. He received his first booking of the competition late on.

Fri 2 Dec – Thomas Partey exits the competition

Partey played yet another 90 minutes for Ghana as they fell to a 2-0 defeat to Uruguay which saw them exit the World Cup.

Thu 1 Dec – Takehiro Tomiyasu makes another substitute appearance

Tomiyasu’s minutes are being carefully managed by Japan as he played the final quarter of their 2-1 victory over Spain on Matchday 3. Japan’s victory saw them top Group E and eliminate Germany.

Wed 30 Nov – William Saliba finally makes his World Cup debut

Saliba wasn’t named in France’s heavily rotated starting XI against Tunisia, but he did play the final 27 minutes as a substitute in a surprising defeat for the French. It seems that he’ll struggle to get on the pitch should France progress deep into the competition.

Tue 29 Nov – Bukayo Saka & Aaron Ramsdale unused for England, Ben White taken ill

Gareth Southgate rotated his side for England’s final group game against Wales which saw Saka drop to the bench and fail to get on. Ramsdale was once again unused, while White missed out due to illness.

Tue 29 Nov – Matt Turner keeps another clean sheet

Turner once again started between the sticks for the USA and kept his second clean sheet as his side qualified for the round of 16. The Arsenal shot-stopper had just one save to make.

Mon 28 Nov – Granit Xhaka impresses against Brazil and doesn’t “smash” Arsenal teammates

Swiss captain Xhaka completed 90 minutes against Brazil on Matchday 2, impressing in the single pivot. Gabriel Jesus played 17 minutes and was unlucky not to set up Vinicius Junior after some excellent hold-up play. Gabriel Martinelli wasn’t used by Tite.

Mon 28 Nov – Thomas Partey plays full 90 for Ghana

The Arsenal midfielder held down the fort in Ghana’s midfield as they beat South Korea 3-2 in one of the games of the tournament.

Sun 27 Nov – Takehiro Tomiyasu unused for Japan

Despite helping Japan turn the tide against Germany, Tomiyasu didn’t earn any minutes in their detrimental 1-0 defeat to Costa Rica.

Sat 26 Nov – William Saliba unused for France

Saliba, once again, was an unused substitute as the holders secured their place in the round of 16 with a 2-1 win over Denmark.

Fri 25 Nov – Bukayo Saka fails to test Matt Turner

England and the USA played out a forgettable stalemate as Turner commanded his box superbly. Ramsdale’s number two was barely tested in the contest as Saka endured a quiet outing. The Arsenal winger fired over his best chance at goal in a 78-minute performance. Both Ramsdale and White were unused substitutes.

Thu 24 Nov – Gabi’s come off the bench in Brazil’s opener

Richarlison stole the show for Brazil against Serbia before he was replaced by Jesus with a little over ten minutes remaining. Martinelli made his World Cup debut as he came on for the final few minutes.

Thu 24 Nov – Thomas Partey plays 90 minutes for Ghana

Ghana tasted defeat in their group opener against Portugal despite a spirited second-half showing. Partey played the entirety of the bout.

Thu 24 Nov – Granit Xhaka leads Switzerland out against Cameroon

Xhaka led his Swiss side out for the very first time at a World Cup as they earned a 1-0 win over Cameroon. The midfielder was used in an advanced role, but he didn’t quite enjoy the success we’ve seen with Arsenal this season.

Wed 23 Nov – Takehiro Tomiyasu helps Japan complete stunning comeback

Tomiyasu came on at half-time of Japan’s clash with Germany as Hajime Moriyasu switched to a back five to combat Germany’s overload down the left. The Arsenal defender played as a centre-back and performed superbly well as Japan fought back before completing an incredible turnaround.

Tue 22 Nov – William Saliba unused for France

Saliba didn’t see any action as France came from behind to beat Australia 4-1 on Matchday 1.

Mon 21 Nov – Bukayo Saka stars on World Cup debut

Aaron Ramsdale and Ben White were unsurprisingly unused substitutes for England’s 6-2 win over Iran, but Saka stole the show on his World Cup debut. Arsenal’s starboy scored twice in the emphatic victory.

Mon 21 Nov – Matt Turner plays 90 minutes against Wales

USA’s World Cup campaign got off to an excellent start as Timothy Weah gave them a first-half lead against Wales amid an impressive display. Turner was a bystander before the Welsh came back firing after the restart. The USA goalkeeper made a brilliant save to deny Ben Davies, but there was little he could do to deny Gareth Bale from equalising from the spot.