Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka absent from Arsenal v Dortmund Emirates Cup final as both on post-World Cup breaks

Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka did not feature in Arsenal’s Emirates Cup final against Borussia Dortmund at the Emirates Stadium in London on August 9, 2026, because both players were part of the England squad that finished third at the FIFA World Cup 2026 and are on post-tournament breaks. Arsenal named a squad without the pair for the pre-season friendly while the club prepares for the upcoming domestic campaign.

The Emirates Cup came three days after Arsenal’s 1-3 defeat to Real Betis, a result the Mikel Arteta-led side sought to respond to ahead of the 2026-27 season. Arsenal enter the new campaign off a season in which they won the English Premier League after more than two decades and reached the UEFA Champions League final, losing to Paris Saint-Germain in a shootout. The club’s pre-season fixtures have been used to rotate players and assess squad fitness ahead of competitive matches.

Several other regulars were also absent as they recover from World Cup duty, with Eberechi Eze, Mikel Merino, Martin Zubimendi, William Saliba, David Raya and Noni Madueke among those on a post-World Cup break. Notably, France’s Saliba sustained an injury during the semifinal against Spain and is not yet confirmed to join the squad anytime soon. Arteta’s selection choices for the Emirates Cup reflected those absences.

With those players unavailable, Arsenal’s matchday selection featured Kepa as first-choice goalkeeper and Gabriel Magalhaes leading the defensive unit. Martin Odegaard was deployed in midfield to help control possession and Viktor Gyokeres started as the lone striker. Mikel Arteta still managed to put up a squad to face Dortmund despite the number of players resting after international duty.

Arsenal’s next scheduled fixture is against newly promoted Coventry City at the Principality Stadium on August 16, a competitive match that follows their pre-season programme. That game will be among the club’s first opportunities to assess returning players in a domestic setting.

Rice and Saka are currently on break following England’s World Cup campaign and might return in time for the Community Shield fixture against Manchester City.