Toluca confirms Marcel Ruiz injury and midfielder will miss the 2026 World Cup

The injury crisis for the Mexican national team continues as Marcel Ruiz is confirmed to miss the 2026 World Cup due to an injury he suffered while playing for Toluca against San Diego FC.

Earlier this week, Toluca played San Diego in the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions Cup Round of 16 at the Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, California.

In the first half, Ruiz suffered an injury after attempting to get a losse ball in the air. Ruiz immeditaely felt his knee and went down in pain. Ruiz was taken off the pitch and wallked to the bench. Many fans believed he was fine after seeing him walk off but that was not the case.

Toluca confirmed that the player suffered an ACL injury, which could see Marcel Ruiz out of action for nearly 8 months. This rules him out for the 2026 World Cup this summer, which is three months away.

"Toluca FC informs that our player Marcel Ruiz has suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture and a medial meniscus injury in his right knee during the first leg of the Round of 16 match in the CONCACAF Champions Cup in San Diego.

Our midfielder will undergo surgery in the coming days, and the recovery time will depend on his progress."

Toluca FC

Ruiz was set to be a starter for Mexico at this World Cup, but now follows Luis Malagón on the sidelines with an unfortunate injury.

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