Tottenham Hotspur attacking midfielder Xavi Simons has confirmed he will miss the 2026 World Cup after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament during Sunday’s Premier League fixture at Wolverhampton Wanderers, with the 23-year-old Netherlands international ruling himself out of the tournament in a personal statement. Simons sustained the injury at Molineux when his right leg became trapped in the turf during a duel with Wolves defender Hugo Bueno, forcing him off on a stretcher after 63 minutes. His recovery is expected to extend into 2027, ending his season and his involvement at next year’s World Cup.
Roberto De Zerbi had named Simons in his starting line-up at Molineux. He collapsed immediately after twisting the knee, received treatment on the pitch and left the field on a stretcher. The club has framed the diagnosis as an ACL tear, the standard nine-to-twelve month layoff that typically rules players out of an entire calendar year of major football.
The timing leaves both Tottenham and the Netherlands without one of their most creative options. Simons is the side’s main link between midfield and attack, and his absence forces De Zerbi to redesign the front three for the closing weeks of the Premier League season. For the national team, the loss arrives weeks before squad planning begins for the 2026 finals.
“They say life can be cruel… today, that’s exactly how I feel. My season ended abruptly and I’m still trying to process it. Honestly, I’m heartbroken,” Simons said.
The statement is unusually direct for a player still inside the first 24 hours of a serious diagnosis. Most footballers wait for medical confirmation before publicly ruling themselves out of a major tournament, so Simons clearly accepts the prognosis and is not waiting on a second opinion.
“All I wanted was to fight for my team… and now, that opportunity has been taken from me, just like the World Cup,” he added.
That line carries the most significance for the Netherlands. It removes any ambiguity about whether the player or his medical staff might push for an aggressive return in time for the summer, which is the route some ACL patients have taken in recent years. Simons has effectively closed that door himself.
