Liverpool star Jeremie Frimpong still has a chance to play at the World Cup thanks to a special loophole.
Jeremie Frimpong still has a chance to play in the 2026 World Cup even though he was left out of Ronald Koeman’s Netherlands squad in a surprising decision.
Koeman picked three Liverpool players for the 26-man team heading to North America: Virgil van Dijk, Ryan Gravenberch, and Cody Gakpo. The squad also includes 14 Premier League players, like Arsenal’s Jurrien Timber and Tottenham’s Micky van de Ven, along with Nathan Ake and Tijjani Reijnders from Manchester City, plus players from Sunderland, Brighton, Chelsea, Bournemouth, and West Ham.
Unfortunately, Frimpong didn’t make the cut, despite having 15 caps for the Netherlands. He had a tough first season in the Premier League after joining from Bayer Leverkusen and has also been dealing with injuries. Koeman said he left Frimpong out because of his fitness concerns and recalled a friendly against Ecuador when Frimpong got injured shortly after coming on.
Frimpong hasn’t spoken publicly about the decision yet, but there’s still hope for him. Although the squad was announced, teams don’t have to submit their final World Cup lists to FIFA until June 1. So, if a Dutch player gets injured before then, Frimpong could be called up as a replacement. After June 1, changes are only allowed if a player has a serious injury or illness, and replacements can be made up to 24 hours before the first game.
Koeman took a bit of a risk by including Arsenal defender Timber, who has been out with an ankle injury since March. Timber has been working hard to get back, even joining full training, and hopes to be ready for the Champions League final. If Timber can’t play, that could open the door for Frimpong to join the team.
Here’s the Netherlands squad:
Goalkeepers: Bart Verbruggen (Brighton), Robin Roefs (Sunderland), Mark Flekken (Bayer Leverkusen)
Defenders: Jurrien Timber (Arsenal), Micky van de Ven (Tottenham), Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool), Nathan Ake (Manchester City), Jorrel Hato (Chelsea), Denzel Dumfries (Inter Milan), Jan Paul van Hecke (Brighton)
Midfielders: Ryan Gravenberch (Liverpool), Tijjani Reijnders (Manchester City), Frenkie de Jong (Barcelona), Teun Koopmeiners (Juventus), Marten de Roon (Atalanta), Quinten Timber (Marseille), Guus Til (PSV), Mats Wieffer (Brighton)
Forwards: Brian Brobbey (Sunderland), Memphis Depay (Corinthians), Cody Gakpo (Liverpool), Justin Kluivert (Bournemouth), Noa Lang (Galatasaray), Donyell Malen (Roma), Crysencio Summerville (West Ham), Wout Weghorst (Ajax)
Before the World Cup starts, the Netherlands will play warm-up friendly matches against Algeria and Uzbekistan. Their Group F campaign begins with a game against Japan on June 14 in Arlington, Texas, followed by matches against Sweden on June 20 in Houston and Tunisia in Kansas City to finish the group stage.