Jordan Henderson

Jordan Henderson will miss the remainder of England's 2026 World Cup after breaking his wrist in a fall from advertising hoardings while celebrating the 3-2 win over co-host Mexico at the Estadio Azteca on 5 July. FIFA rules barred England from naming a replacement, as the squad-amendment deadline had already passed. He remained unavailable through England's run to the semi-final, where they lost 2-1 to Argentina, and was still out for the third-place playoff against France in Miami on 18 July.

Henderson is a midfielder who progressed through Sunderland's academy before joining Liverpool in 2011, where he captained the club to the 2019 Champions League and the 2020 Premier League title, its first in three decades. He Left Liverpool in 2023 for a controversial move to Saudi Arabia's Al-Ettifaq, before a swift return to European football with Ajax and, subsequently, Brentford. He has won more than 80 caps for England.

England's squad announcement on 22 May named Henderson for a fourth World Cup, equalling Sir Bobby Charlton's record of England appearances at the tournament. The wrist injury, and the surgery it required, ended his tournament after two matches, denying him the chance to ADD to that record on the pitch; his value as a dressing-room leader alongside a younger core built around Bellingham and Saka was instead limited to the sidelines for England's run to the last four.