William Saliba Injury Update: French Centre Back Leaves The Pitch In The First Half Against Spain

Things have gone from bad to worse for France as they have been dealt another blow after going behind against Spain in the semifinal of the FIFA World Cup 2026. Les Blues started strongly, keeping La Roja on the back foot, with their intense pressing and smart attacking play.

However, Lucas Digne gave away a cheap penalty after striking Lamine Yamal high on the thigh, and Mikel Oyarzabal dispatched the spot kick superbly to give Spain the lead in the 22nd minute. Just ten minutes later, one of the best centre-backs in the world currently, William Saliba, went down on the floor, totally uncontested.

So, is William Saliba injured? What's the status of William Saliba injury? Let's find out.

William Saliba Taken Off In Semifinal Against Spain

The William Saliba injury came in the 30th minute, when he went to the ground all of a sudden and signalled to the France national football team bench for a substitution. The medical staff examined him for a while, and he was taken off. Crystal Palace's Maxence Lacroix replaced him, who featured for the entirety of the 90 minutes against Norway in the group stages.

The William Saliba injury update seems to be a potential hamstring injury, but the extent of the injury is not known as of now. Nothing can be concretely said about the William Saliba return date, even if France manage to come back and beat Spain to qualify for the final of the World Cup.

As things stand, William Saliba will play no further part in the France vs Spain match.