The 2026 World Cup is rapidly approaching, and France is considered one of the juggernauts of the tournament. However, a recent injury update involving DF William Saliba has French supporters refreshing their phones in hopes of seeing a positive development pertaining to his status for the World Cup.
Saliba reportedly suffered a back injury a few weeks ago, and there are doubts he’ll be fit enough to suit up for France when the World Cup kicks off.
Over on PrizePicks Team Picks, you can make a prediction on whether certain players will play in the 2026 World Cup and earn a real-money payout if you’re correct. For example, a $100 entry on a player to participate in the World Cup at a 2.5x payout would return $250.
Below, we’ll break down the latest Saliba injury update, followed by how the news impacts World Cup picks for Saliba and France on PrizePicks.
Make your Saliba 2026 World Cup picks on PrizePicks for this year's tournament.
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Will Saliba Play in the 2026 World Cup?
On Thursday, June 4, at 3:10 p.m. ET, France is scheduled to take on the Ivory Coast in an international friendly as a tune-up match for the World Cup. It would come as a surprise if Saliba was active against the Ivory Coast, though manager Didier Deschamps doesn’t appear to be fretting his potential absence — at least not yet.
France won’t begin the group stage of the World Cup until June 16 against Senegal, so there’s time for Saliba to manage his injury and attempt to get fit. At the same time, there are talks of him potentially needing surgery, though there’s a chance he elects to fight through the ailment and undergo surgery after the tournament concludes.
Along with helping Arsenal secure the Premier League title, Saliba logged 120 minutes for the Gunners in the Champions League final loss to PSG on May 30. Despite Saliba dealing with the injury with Arsenal in the final weeks of their domestic campaign, there were no reports of him dealing with any limitations during training.
With Saliba at World Cup training camp for France, only time will tell if he’s available — and fully fit — once the meaningful matches begin.
Make your 2026 World Cup predictions on the tournament winner, group winners, and more on PrizePicks Team Picks.
Saliba and France Picks for 2026 World Cup
Here are some top Saliba and France picks on PrizePicks for the 2026 World Cup. Check out more of our World Cup picks and predictions on Playbook.
The payouts below indicate real-money earnings if a prediction is correct on PrizePicks; for example, a 2x on a $100 entry would pay out $200 on PrizePicks Team Picks.
The lower the payout multiplier, the higher the chance of the outcome occurring, according to user picks. Player and Team Picks data is live at the time of writing and is subject to change.
Lock in your Saliba 2026 World Cup picks on PrizePicks now.
Saliba to Win the Golden Ball: Yes 14.28x | No N/A
Saliba is undoubtedly a dominant defender, but he isn’t likely to win the Golden Ball, which is given to the best player in the World Cup. His 14.28x payout is tied for the third-highest payout on PrizePicks Team Picks.
France being a contender for this year’s World Cup certainly aids Saliba’s chances for the award, though his uncertain health could be costly. Saliba was part of the 2022 France World Cup squad, where they finished as runners-up to Argentina in Qatar.
Although Saliba made one appearance in the 2022 World Cup, he’s evolved into a premier defender. Besides helping Arsenal secure the most clean sheets (19) in the Premier League this season, Saliba was also crucial in helping the Gunners log the most clean sheets (9) in the Champions League, via FotMob.
Along with being healthy, Saliba would need France to deliver dominant defensive performances to have any chance of winning the Golden Ball, which has never been won by a defender since its inception in 1982.
France to Win 2026 Men’s World Cup: Yes 5x | No 1.16x
As the nation that finished second in the 2022 World Cup and the winner of the 2018 World Cup in Russia, it comes as no surprise that France has the second-shortest payout to win the 2026 World Cup. France would lose 4-2 on penalties against Argentina in 2022, so they’ll certainly use that loss as motivation this time around.
It goes without saying that France has the attacking options to make a deep run in this year’s tournament. But will Saliba and the back line perform well enough to avenge their defeat in 2022? France is tied with Spain for the lowest payout to win the 2026 World Cup (5x) on PrizePicks Team Picks.
If Saliba is unable to start or play without limitations, France would likely need to turn to a defensive pairing of DF Dayot Upamecano and DF Ibrahima Konate. This would be a massive hit to France’s back line.
France to Win 2026 World Cup Group I: Yes 1.44x | No 2.63x
Ahead of this year’s World Cup, France was drawn into Group I alongside Norway, Senegal, and Iraq. France is the heavy favorite to finish atop the group, but Norway is led by F Erling Haaland, and Senegal has a case to qualify for the knockout stage.
Norway holds the second-lowest payout (3.7x), Senegal is third (7.14x), and Iraq is fourth (33.33x) to win Group I.
While France is No. 1 in the FIFA Men’s World Rankings, Norway is 31st, Senegal is 14th, and Iraq is 57th.
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Make Saliba World Cup Picks on PrizePicks
After dealing with a back injury in the final weeks of the Premier League and Champions League seasons, Saliba could be a questionable call for the start of the 2026 World Cup. While he logged all 120 minutes in the UCL final, Saliba seemingly wasn’t playing at full health, and surgery is an option.
Will Saliba be active for France in the World Cup, or will his potential absence loom large for one of the powerhouses in the tournament?
You can make your Saliba and 2026 World Cup picks on PrizePicks and PrizePicks Team Picks to earn real money on World Cup games. Just pick players, predict More or Less on their projected stats like shots or goals, and cash in if you’re correct.
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Stick around with the Playbook for continued World Cup predictions, picks, and analysis through the end of the tournament.
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