Arsenal’s Jurrien Timber has been named in the Netherlands’ World Cup squad, in another sign that he’s on the verge of returning to fitness.
The Netherlands have announced their squad for the 2026 World Cup, and Arsenal’s Jurrien Timber has made the cut alongside his twin brother Quinten.
There’s no doubt that Timber would have been an easy player to call up under normal circumstances, given he’s a top-quality defender for club and country. But the player’s injury issues raised some concerns over whether he’d be able to make this summer’s tournament.
Ronald Koeman had said as much just last week, telling the media that Timber’s World Cup was still very much in doubt.
“Jurrien has been dealing with this for quite some time. It has been a rollercoaster ride,” Koeman said then. “He is training again to see if he can make the Champions League final, and be available for the World Cup, but it does not look rosy at the moment.”
It seems the picture is a bit brighter for Timber now, at least in the case of the World Cup.
Koeman must believe there’s a decent chance that the player will be fit enough to make an impact with his team at the tournament, which kicks off on June 11th, with the Netherlands’ first game on June 14th.
With any luck, Timber will also be fit enough to be available for the Champions League final on Saturday, but his involvement against Paris Saint-Germain remains uncertain.
Arsenal World Cup call-ups
- Sweden – Viktor Gyokeres
- France – William Saliba
- Belgium – Leandro Trossard
- Brazil – Gabriel Magalhaes and Gabriel Martinelli
- Germany – Kai Havertz
- Norway – Martin Odegaard
- England – Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, Eberechi Eze, and Noni Madueke
- Spain – David Raya, Martin Zubimendi, and Mikel Merino
- Netherlands – Jurrien Timber
World Cup squad announcement schedule
Only one Arsenal player is still waiting on their call-up, with Ecuador due to announce whether or not Piero Hincapie has made the cut on June 1st.