PSV Eindhoven announced on Sunday that their captain, Gerdy Schouten, suffered an ACL injury during the match against Utrecht, and will therefore miss the 2026 World Cup for the Netherlands.
Schouten sustained the injury in the second half of Saturday’s 4-3 victory, twisting his knee and being stretchered off the pitch.
PSV confirmed that further tests conducted on Sunday confirmed the nature of the injury, which typically requires a recovery period of six to nine months for a full return to play.
Reuters quoted Schouten as saying: “When it happened, I immediately felt something was wrong. You still have a glimmer of hope that it’s not too bad, but unfortunately, it turned out to be otherwise. It’s a huge shock at the moment, but I’ll get over it quickly.”
Schouten has made 40 appearances for PSV Eindhoven in all competitions this season, including 28 league matches, as the team closes in on its third consecutive title.
Internationally, Schouten has earned 17 caps for the Netherlands national team since his debut in 2022, most recently playing the full 90 minutes in last week’s friendly draw against Ecuador.
