Chelsea's Ben Chilwell to miss World Cup through injury, England defender confirms

Chelsea defender Ben Chilwell receives medical treatment during the Blues' Champions League game against Dinamo Zagreb.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Chelsea defender Ben Chilwell has confirmed he will play no part in England's World Cup campaign in Qatar following a scan on his hamstring injury.

The left-back was injured playing for the Blues against Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League on Wednesday and had to be helped off by medical staff.

After the match, Chelsea manager Graham Potter admitted that Chilwell's hopes of being fit in time for the World Cup were "not looking positive" and the bad news was confirmed on Saturday.

"Following the injury sustained in our recent game against Dinamo Zagreb, Ben has undergone a scan on his hamstring," Chelsea said in a statement on their website.

"Results show that Ben has suffered a significant injury and the defender is unfortunately expected to miss the World Cup."

And shortly afterwards, Chilwell ruled out a quick recovery in time for Qatar 2022.

"Following my ACL injury I worked so hard to make sure I was ready for the World Cup. It has always been a dream of mine. Unfortunately, this won’t be possible following my scan results," he wrote on Twitter.

"I’ll do all I can to get back playing for Chelsea ASAP. Thanks for the messages of support."

Ben Hayward
Weekend editor

Ben Hayward is a European football writer and Tottenham Hotspur fan with over 15 years’ experience, he has covered games all over the world - including three World Cups, several Champions League finals, Euros, Copa America - and has spent much of that time in Spain. Ben speaks English and Spanish, currently dividing his time between Barcelona and London, covering all the big talking points of the weekend on FFT: he’s also written several list features and interviewed Guglielmo Vicario for the magazine.