Zinchenko to miss World Cup 2026 qualifiers due to injury: what it means for the national team.

Nottingham Forest defender Oleksandr Zinchenko will not be able to help the Ukrainian national team in the October qualifying matches for the World Cup due to an injury he sustained in the game against Sunderland.

According to inkorr.com: Oleksandr Zinchenko was injured during the match against Sunderland on September 27. Although he continued to play until the final whistle, the results of the medical examination confirmed the presence of an injury. As a result, he will miss the upcoming matches both for his club and the national team.

After two rounds of the qualifying stage for the World Cup 2026, the Ukrainian national team has only one point and is in third place in Group D. The next matches for Serhiy Rebrov's team will be against Iceland and Azerbaijan.

The results of the recent matches of the Ukrainian national team

In the second round of the qualifiers, the Ukrainian national team drew with Azerbaijan, finishing the match with a score of 1:1. The next game will be against Iceland.

In the previous qualifying match for the 2026 World Cup, the team lost to France with a score of 0:2. This match took place in Wroclaw, Poland, where Ukrainian fans supported the team by unveiling a banner reading 'Fortress of Europe'.

The loss of Oleksandr Zinchenko, a key defender, could significantly impact the Ukrainian team's chances in the upcoming matches, especially considering their unsatisfactory start in the qualifiers for the World Cup 2026.

These events emphasize the importance of each player in the national team lineup at this time, especially given that without Zinchenko, it will be difficult for Ukraine in the upcoming meetings. The next matches against Iceland and Azerbaijan will be an important test for the team seeking to improve its results and climb the tournament table.