The 2026 World Cup ended with glory for Spain as they beat Argentina 1-0 after extra time in a tempestuous final in which Enzo Fernandez was sent off for the losing side.
Alexis Mac Allister and co fell just short in their quest to become the first back-to-back champions since Brazil in 1962, with his new Liverpool teammate Victor Munoz part of the victorious squad, although he didn’t play a single minute at the tournament.
The duo were among eight Reds who were participating at the finals, and with each of them progressing beyond the group stage, it meant that their returns to Merseyside have been delayed, although some may now be on the cusp of linking up with Andoni Iraola’s squad.
On Monday, the Liverpool Echo‘s Ian Doyle outlined when LFC fans can expect to see the club’s World Cup participants back in the fold for their club.
Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz and Ryan Gravenberch are set to be the first to return, with that trio due to link up with the Reds next weekend ahead of the second match of their pre-season tour to the USA (against Wrexham on 29 July).
Alisson Becker ‘could return for the final match’ against Leeds on 2 August, although Dutch pair Virgil van Dijk and Cody Gakpo ‘are both in line for extended breaks’, while finalists Mac Allister and Munoz ‘won’t report back to the AXA Training Centre until well into next month’.
Liverpool FC also stated in their announcement of the initial 31-player squad for the United States tour that ‘further senior players will join the group later in the tour after their World Cup commitments’.
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LFC generally allow players three weeks off after they’ve finished their participation at a summer international tournament, although the delayed return dates for Van Dijk and Gakpo (who exited the competition 21 days ago) indicate that this isn’t a hard-and-fast rule.
The Dutch forward will be given all the time that he needs before returning to the fold, with he and his partner Noa van der Bij having suffered the personal tragedy of losing their unborn son in late June.
Mac Allister and Munoz are unlikely to be involved until the final match of the pre-season programme (against Como at Anfield on 16 August), given their prolonged World Cup participation, so their preparation time with Iraola will be rather limited prior to the new Premier League campaign.
At least the imminent returns of Gravenberch, Wirtz and Isak will give them plenty of time to become attuned to the new head coach’s way of working, and Alisson’s mooted return ahead of the Leeds game in 13 days’ time is also a welcome development.
Hopefully once Liverpool begin their 2026/27 season in earnest against Newcastle on 23 August, Iraola will have the bulk of his first-team squad available to him, other than those players who are recovering from long-term injuries.
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