Paris Saint-Germain forward Ousmane Dembele is set for a spell on the sidelines after sustaining a hamstring injury while on international duty with France, Afrosport reports.
Les Bleus secured a 2–0 victory over Ukraine in their opening Group D fixture of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers at the Tarczynski Arena in Wrocław, Poland, on Friday. Michael Olise opened the scoring, while captain Kylian Mbappe added a second late on.
Dembele, who was introduced as a second-half substitute for club team-mate Desire Doue, was forced off in the 81st minute due to a muscular issue. He was replaced by Liverpool striker Hugo Ekitike, who was making his senior international debut.
The 28-year-old was already a doubt for the match, having picked up a similar problem in PSG’s 6–3 Ligue 1 victory over Toulouse last Saturday. He was substituted in the 70th minute of that game as a precaution.
Reports now suggest that the Ballon d’Or nominee could be out of action for up to six weeks. PSG are reportedly furious, having notified the French national team’s medical staff of Dembele’s condition and expressed concerns over the increased risk of aggravation without proper recovery time.
Further concerns have arisen with the withdrawal of Doue, who has withdrawn from the France squad and returned to Paris for further assessment on a calf injury. This double injury blow comes at a crucial time for PSG, with a challenging run of fixtures ahead.
The French champions face Lens in Ligue 1 on 14 September, before kicking off their UEFA Champions League title defence against Atalanta just three days later. Subsequent clashes include high-profile encounters with Marseille, Barcelona, Lille, Strasbourg, and Bayer Leverkusen over the next six weeks.
Meanwhile, France will host Iceland at the Parc des Princes on Tuesday in their next World Cup qualifier, with both Dembele and Doue set to miss the match.
