England and Tottenham Hotspur right-back Djed Spence has confirmed he will compete at the 2026 FIFA World Cup wearing a protective face mask, after sustaining a broken jaw in a Premier League clash last month.
The 25-year-old suffered the injury in a collision with Chelsea striker Liam Delap and was forced to wear the mask during Spurs’ final league fixture of the season against Everton — a sight set to become familiar on football’s biggest stage over the coming weeks.
Speaking to reporters on Monday June 8, Spence played down any suggestion the injury could derail his tournament, offering a characteristically stoic assessment of his situation.
“It’s a little bit uncomfortable but it is what it is,” he said. “I’ve got a broken jaw so I have to wear it throughout the tournament. It’s something I will have to get used to. It’ll be three months until it’s fully healed, so it’s a long time.”
Despite the discomfort, the defender was quick to dismiss fears that the fracture might have put his World Cup place in jeopardy, drawing on a touch of dry humour to make his point.
“It was painful but luckily I play football with my feet and not my jaw. So I was all good,” Spence quipped.
Eyes on Croatia, Ghana and Panama
With his place in the squad secured and his spirit clearly undiminished, Spence will be part of an England side that opens their World Cup campaign against Croatia in Dallas on June 17. The Three Lions will subsequently face Ghana and Panama in the group stage — a run of fixtures that promises to test the depth and resolve of Gareth Southgate’s squad.
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For Spence, the mask will serve as both a physical shield and a reminder of the fine margins that define elite football. If his attitude is anything to go by, it will do little to blunt his hunger for a breakout tournament on the global stage.