Jeremie Frimpong was left out of the Netherlands’ 26-man squad for the World Cup, but there may still be a way in for him.
Jeremie Frimpong could still play in the 2026 World Cup – despite being controversially dropped from Ronald Koeman’s Dutch squad.
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Three Liverpool stars made Koeman’s 26-man squad for the championship in North America: Virgil van Dijk, Ryan Gravenberch and Cody Gakpo are all included.
The squad consists of a total of 14 Premier League players, including Arsenal’s Jurrien Timber, Tottenham’s Micky van de Ven, Manchester City duo Nathan Ake and Tijjani Reijnders – as well as stars from Sunderland, Brighton, Chelsea, Bournemouth and West Ham.
But there was no place for Frimpong – the man with 15 caps for the Netherlands.
The wing-back struggled through his first season in the Premier League after his move from Bayer Leverkusen, and Koeman eventually chose to scrap him due to recent injury problems.
“I didn’t take out Frimpong because of what I saw during the season,” Koeman said of the omission.
– More physical problems. Remember the game against Ecuador [friendly in March], when he came on at half-time and had to go off again with an injury soon after. I had to make a choice, and I chose a different solution on the right wing.
Frimpong has not yet commented on the disappointment – but there is still a possibility that he could play in the United States.
Because the World Cup squads, even if they have been announced, will not be sent to FIFA until June 1.
This means that if a Dutch player is injured, Frimpong can be called in as a replacement. The same situation applies to all players who have not been selected in a World Cup squad.
After the deadline of 1 June, nations can only make changes in the event of serious injury or illness. And they can only be replaced up until 24 hours before the team’s first game in the championship.
Koeman has included Arsenal’s Jurrien Timber – who has been out with an ankle injury since March.
He is fighting to be match ready for the upcoming Champions League final, after finally completing full training with Arsenal. The inclusion of Timber is a bet from Koeman – and his situation could give Frimpong an unlikely path back into the squad.
The Netherlands’ 26-man squad for the World Cup – in its entirety
Goalkeepers: Bart Verbruggen (Brighton), Robin Roefs (Sunderland), Mark Flekken (Bayer Leverkusen)
Defenders: Jurrien Timber (Arsenal), Micky van de Ven (Tottenham), Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool), Nathan Ake (Manchester City), Jorrel Hato (Chelsea), Denzel Dumfries (Inter Milan), Jan Paul van Hecke (Brighton)
Midfielders: Ryan Gravenberch (Liverpool), Tijjani Reijnders (Manchester City), Frenkie de Jong (Barcelona), Teun Koopmeiners (Juventus), Marten de Roon (Atalanta), Quinten Timber (Marseille), Guus Til (PSV), Mats Wieffer (Brighton)
Attackers: Brian Brobbey (Sunderland), Memphis Depay (Corinthians), Cody Gakpo (Liverpool), Justin Kluivert (Bournemouth), Noa Lang (Galatasaray), Donyell Malen (Roma), Crysencio Summerville (West Ham), Wout Weghorst (Ajax)
The Netherlands will face Algeria and Uzbekistan in warm-up matches before kicking off Group F with a match against Japan on June 14 in Arlington, Texas.
Then Sweden awaits on June 20 in Houston, before the group stage ends against Tunisia in Kansas City.
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