N'Golo Kanté expected to miss World Cup with hamstring injury

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By Doug McIntyre
FOX Sports Soccer Writer

N'Golo Kanté is expected to miss the 2022 World Cup in Qatar because of the hamstring injury he originally suffered in the summer, according to multiple reports on Friday. The ball-winning defensive midfielder has not appeared since then for Les Bleus or his club, Chelsea of England's Premier League.

Kanté, 31, has a history of hamstring issues. He's been sidelined since limping out of Chelsea's 2-2 tie with Tottenham on Aug. 14.

Blues manager Graham Potter confirmed that Kanté had reinjured himself during his recovery but stopped short of giving a timetable for his return. However, outlets in both France and England said he won't be available until January at the earliest. The World Cup begins on Nov. 20.  

"It's a setback so it's not good news," Potter told reporters Friday during a press conference. "Anything other than that at this stage, I can't give you anything more."

A central figure for French coach Didier Deschamps four years ago as Les Bleus claimed their second World Cup title, Kanté started in all seven games, including the 4-2 victory over Croatia in the final. Just one of France's 23 players — central defender Raphaël Varane — logged more minutes at the 2018 event.

Real Madrid's Aurélien Tchouaméni is probably the leading candidate to replace Kanté in Deschamps' first-choice French lineup. The 22-year-old is off to a terrific start to the La Liga season following his $80 million-plus summer transfer from Ligue 1 side Monaco.

The absence of Kanté could be compounded by the loss of another midfield star from 2018, the attack-minded Paul Pogba. Pogba is racing to be healthy in time for Qatar after undergoing knee surgery last month. He was hurt while playing a preseason match for Italian club Juventus.

Friday's news is just the latest calamity for France, which enters the World Cup having won just once in their last six outings. There have been distractions away from the field, too. Pogba was the victim of an extortion plot allegedly involving his brother, while star forward Kylian Mbappe boycotted a pre-World Cup photoshoot over a since resolved  image-rights dispute with the French Football Federation.

Deschamps' squad begins the defense of their trophy on Nov. 21 against Australia. They'll meet Denmark — which beat France twice in UEFA Nations League play this year, including last month in their final game before traveling to Qatar — before closing out group play against Tunisia.

History isn't on Les Bleus side. The other time France entered a World Cup as the titleholder, in 2002, they failed to score a single goal. They were also eliminated in the group stage in 2010, four years after reaching the final.

One of the leading soccer journalists in North America, Doug McIntyre has covered United States men’s and women’s national teams at multiple FIFA World Cups. Before joining FOX Sports in 2021, he was a staff writer with ESPN and Yahoo Sports. Follow him on Twitter @ByDougMcIntyre.