Spain's World Cup Dream Delayed: ACL Blow to Samu Omorodion Forces a Rethink

Spain's World Cup 2026 setback

Spain received a harsh blow ahead of next summer's World Cup 2026 in North America. The World Cup draw placed them in Group 8 with Saudi Arabia, Cape Verde, and Uruguay.

Group context and qualification

Spain had already booked their spot in the finals by finishing first in European Qualifying Group 5, collecting 16 points and finishing three clear of Turkey.

Porto announced on Tuesday that Samu Omorodion sustained an ACL tear in his right knee after scans following the team's match against Sporting CP.

The forward, who had started the game, suffered a right knee twist and an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

Porto said he would undergo further evaluations in the coming days, meaning additional tests are on the way.

The injury will sideline him for months and rules him out of the World Cup.

Coach Luis de la Fuente had trusted Omorodion regularly and he was expected to be in Spain's 26-man squad for the finals in Mexico, the United States, and Canada.

This season he has scored 13 goals in 20 appearances and was on track to equal the 19-goal tally he posted last season.

The striker has four caps for Spain and had been a regular in the World Cup qualifiers as well as the Nations League finals against France in June, and in qualifiers versus Bulgaria and Turkey.

Punchline 1: The knee has decided to take a World Cup break too, apparently.

Punchline 2: When the ball sees an ACL, it mutters that plan B is enough to keep the drama going.