Arsenal defender Jurriën Timber has detailed the difficult decision to withdraw from the Netherlands' World Cup squad in the United States due to an ongoing injury, as reported by Dutch media on June 29, 2026.
The 24-cap international consulted extensively with national team coach Ronald Koeman and medical staff before Lutsharel Geertruida was named as his replacement.
"Was not easy to make that decision," said Timber.
Upon arriving at the training camp in America, Timber attempted to train at full intensity but found his physical condition insufficient.
"When I arrived in America I tried to train to the maximum, that ultimately did not work.
So then we had to make the decision, that was difficult," he said.
Timber deliberated heavily and sought advice from various members of the national setup before finalizing his departure.
"I have had many conversations with the coach, the assistant coaches, Quinten and of course all the other teammates.
Ultimately, I made the right choice," said Timber.
The defender revealed that reaching the Champions League final with Arsenal had given him hope, despite lingering recovery issues.
"About everything. Doubt.
But also a bit of certainty, because I had reached the Champions League final, but I had not come out of it completely well.
It was actually already a miracle that I had reached that final," said Timber.
Although he featured as a 66th-minute substitute against Paris Saint-Germain and played through extra time, Timber dismissed the notion that the extended minutes caused his World Cup absence.
"It was a miracle that I reached the Champions League final.
You live towards that with the club, but it's not that because of that extra time I couldn't go to the World Cup anymore," said Timber.
His physical limitations became undeniable ahead of a scheduled warm-up fixture, forcing the ultimate decision.
"My thoughts went up and down.
I had the hope and the feeling that I would be able to make it, but the day before the exhibition match against Uzbekistan I couldn't even train at maximum.
Then it stopped," said Timber.
Unable to provide scheduling guarantees to Koeman, Timber acknowledged that previous timeline setbacks influenced the realistic assessment of his fitness.
"I couldn't give that certainty to the national coach either.
Also because in the months before I already thought I would be back earlier, that also didn't work out," said Timber.
Despite watching from the sidelines, Timber remains engaged and expressed excitement for the upcoming round of 16 match against Morocco.
"It is not difficult to watch. I am really enjoying it.
I am also really looking forward to the match against Morocco," said Timber.
While recognizing the strength of the opposition, Timber expects a positive outcome for the Dutch national team.
"Morocco is a good team, it will be a nice game, but I do think a good victory for Oranje," said Timber.
The tournament holds a unique significance for Timber as his twin brother, Quinten Timber, is a member of the active squad.
"That is only fun. It even feels as if a part of me is just there.
It is his first major tournament, so I am especially super happy and proud of him," said Timber.
Quinten has fully recovered from a minor concussion sustained during the initial training camp and has re-entered full team activities.
"He feels good, is in a good place and has therefore just joined the team again," said Timber.
