Doping ban, knee injuries and Monaco exile: why Pogba missed France's World Cup squad

Paul Pogba has no place in France’s 2026 World Cup squad, with the 33-year-old midfielder himself acknowledging that a return to Les Bleus was always an unrealistic target given his severe lack of match sharpness.

The midfielder’s road back to football has been long and difficult. In February 2024, Pogba was handed a four-year doping ban after testing positive for non-endogenous testosterone metabolites. The Court of Arbitration for Sport later reduced the suspension to 18 months after accepting that his ingestion of the banned substance was not intentional, allowing him to return to competitive action from March 2025.

His comeback has been undermined by persistent knee injuries. Pogba joined AS Monaco on a two-year deal in the summer of 2025 following the termination of his Juventus contract, but missed large portions of the 2025-26 season and was left out of Monaco’s Champions League knockout squad entirely.

France manager Didier Deschamps has made clear he retains a personal fondness for Pogba, but could not justify a call-up on reputation alone. With France boasting exceptional depth in central midfield, Pogba needed to be playing regularly to have any realistic chance of forcing his way back into contention.

Pogba has been candid about his situation, describing a potential return to the national team as an “ultra-bonus” rather than an immediate priority. He says his focus is on regaining full fitness and securing consistent minutes for his club.

Despite missing the squad, Pogba has travelled to the United States this summer in a commercial capacity as an official ambassador for Adidas. He has also expressed a strong desire to visit the French camp and support Deschamps, who is expected to step down after what is set to be his final major tournament in charge of Les Bleus.

France face Morocco in the quarter-finals on Thursday evening at Boston Stadium in Massachusetts — a rematch of their 2022 semi-final in Qatar — and will be looking to advance without the man who was so central to their triumph eight years ago.