With the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the USA, Canada, and Mexico concluding and the new season fast approaching, the focus has quickly shifted back to club competitions. In just 30 days, the Premier League season will kick off. However, the preparation status of each team varies drastically, not due to differences in preseason schedules or squad strength, but rather the impact of the World Cup.
For established Premier League giants, the World Cup is a major obstacle. With national team players' holidays postponed, teams have a severe shortage of available players for pre-season preparation, completely disrupting their plans. Many national team players won't return until August 10th, just 11 days before the Premier League opener.
Of the 20 Premier League teams, defending champions Arsenal and runners-up Manchester City were the most affected. Manchester City players topped the list in total World Cup playing time, reaching 5,555 minutes. Ballon d'Or winner Rodri—who suffered from knee and groin injuries last season and had previously suffered an anterior cruciate ligament rupture—played almost every minute of Spain's matches. Haaland continued his hot scoring form at the World Cup, netting 7 goals in 5 appearances for Norway.
Manchester City also made a signing during the World Cup, bringing in Elliott Anderson from Nottingham Forest for £116 million. The midfielder played 634 minutes in England's third-place finish, partnering with Rice and Bellingham in midfield.
Seven Premier League players returned with their championship medals, including Arsenal's David Raya, Martin Zubimendy, and Mikel Merino. The Gunners had a total of 16 players participating in the USA-Mexico World Cup, with eight reaching the semi-finals, accumulating a total of 4734 minutes of playing time.
For Arteta, bad news is that Willian Saliba suffered a back injury during France's semi-final match against Spain and is expected to be out for a long time.
However, it's not surprising that Manchester City and Arsenal occupy the top two spots on the list. Both teams have the most players participating in the World Cup, with Manchester City fielding 19 players and Arsenal having three fewer.
Crystal Palace were a major surprise when their squad was announced. They have 12 players on the roster, fewer than only the top two teams in last season's Premier League. Crystal Palace's total playing time is also considerable – ranking fifth with 2748 minutes.
Crystal Palace's players will take home two medals: Jeremi Pino lifted the trophy with Spain, while Dean Henderson started in England's 6-4 victory over France in the third-place match. However, their playing time was far less than that of several of their teammates. Daichi Kamada, Daniel Muñoz, Lerma, Shadi Riad, Ismaila Sarr, and Chris Richards contributed the majority of the 2748 minutes played.
Unsurprisingly, Liverpool, Aston Villa, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, and Chelsea also made it into the top eight, while Fulham and Sunderland were in the top ten.
Following Spain's victory over Argentina in the final on Sunday, Liverpool's squad now includes both World Cup champions and runners-up. New signing Victor Muñoz did not play for Spain but won a medal. Alexis McAllister, on the other hand, impressed for Argentina, ultimately earning only a silver medal.
Fulham's Sandberg and Oscar Bob are part of the Norwegian team, which performed well but was eliminated by England in the quarterfinals.
Aston Villa's Amadou Onana's World Cup journey ended in tragedy when he suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in Belgium's round of 16 victory over hosts the United States.
Manchester United do not have any players from the 2026 World Cup-winning squad, but they do have runners-up Lisandro Martinez. However, it is worrying that he was forced to leave the field due to injury in the final.
Each of the three newly promoted teams has two players participating in the World Cup. Ipswich Town had no players make an appearance, while Coventry City and Hull City players have accumulated 220 minutes of playing time.
However, Hull City's squad size decreased as Croatian goalkeeper Ivo Pandur transferred to Rangers in Scotland midway through the World Cup.
Premier League club players' playing time in the World Cup
1. Manchester City: 5555 minutes
2. Arsenal: 4734 minutes
3. Liverpool: 3740 minutes
4. Aston Villa: 3509 minutes
5. Crystal Palace: 2748 minutes
6. Manchester United: 2651 minutes
7. Tottenham Hotspur: 2595 minutes
8. Chelsea: 2591 minutes
9. Fulham: 2326 minutes
10. Sunderland: 2131 minutes
11. Brighton: 2048 minutes
12. Nottingham Forest: 1850 minutes
13. Newcastle United: 1498 minutes
14. Everton: 1323 minutes
15. Bournemouth: 1045 minutes
16. Brentford: 623 minutes
17. Leeds United: 620 minutes
18. Hull City: 167 minutes
19. Coventry: 53 minutes
20. Ipswich: 0 minutes
