Canada’s Ismaël Koné to miss rest of 2026 World Cup after leg surgery
Canada international Ismaël Koné will miss the remainder of the 2026 FIFA World Cup after successfully undergoing surgery to repair a broken leg sustained during Canada’s Group B match against Qatar on Thursday.
The 24-year-old was forced off the field in the 56th minute after suffering a freak injury when his leg appeared to bend awkwardly following a clumsy tackle by Assim Madibo, who was immediately shown a red card by the referee.
Canada went on to win the match 6-0, with Jonathan David scoring a hat-trick.
A statement from the Canada national team on Friday said that Koné underwent surgery to repair a lower-limb injury and will not return for the remainder of the World Cup.
“Last night, Ismaël Koné underwent successful surgery to repair a lower limb fracture. He is expected to make a full recovery but will miss the remainder of the FIFA World Cup 2026. You will come back stronger, Isma!” the national team said.
Reacting on Instagram after the procedure, the Sassuolo player thanked fans for their support and said he would be back stronger.
He said, “Your love and support has been felt, honestly thank you so much. You can’t even imagine how grateful l am to everyone who reached out and that has me in their prayers
“I wanted you to know that I love you guys from the bottom of my heart, and our brotherhood is everything to me. What you guys did yesterday will stay with me forever. I’ll be back very soon, and we’ll keep making more memories together.”
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