One of the bigger storylines going into France's camp for the 2026 FIFA World Cup wasn't how Kylian Mbappe was going to fit into the lineup, or how Didier Deschamps would line up his stacked attacking department, but it would be surrounding the health of their star defender, William Saliba.
Saliba, who went into the camp fresh off a long season with Premier League champions and Champions League runners-up Arsenal, was struggling to maintain fitness due to a nagging back injury that he suffered earlier in the season. It was only aggravated further when the Frenchman took to the pitch against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final in late May, the last match ahead of the international camp for Les Bleus.
It was originally reported that Saliba would be doubtful to appear in France's camp for the upcoming global spectacle, but according to a recent report, he's made some significant progress towards getting back onto the field for his national team.
Saliba makes return to the training pitch
🚨🇫🇷 Excellent news for France and Didier Deschamps: William Saliba returns to team training.
Arsenal defender feels better, @FabriceHawkins reports. pic.twitter.com/yynxifglCZ
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 13, 2026
As stated by Fabrizio Romano, Saliba has returned to the national team's training camp.
While this isn't the news that some of the French fans might have wanted, as it doesn't guarantee his appearances in the group stage of the competition, it does show that he's taking the right steps to getting back to action.
If Saliba is to get back to full fitness and make an appearance for Les Bleus, it would be the second World Cup campaign that he'd been a part of, having played in the 2022 tournament in Qatar. Apart from his lone appearance in Qatar, Saliba has gotten more caps during the recent EUROs and UEFA Nations League campaigns.
For now, France will get ready for their World Cup opener against Senegal, with kick-off against the AFCON finalists slated for 3:00 p.m. EST on Tuesday afternoon.
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