What FIFA rules say about England swapping Jordan Henderson before the Norway game
Jordan Henderson will miss the rest of the World Cup after a surprising injury following England’s 3-2 win over Mexico. So, can coach Thomas Tuchel bring in another player?
Right after celebrating with fans at the Estadio Azteca on Sunday night, Henderson slipped while climbing over a barrier and hurt his wrist badly. The 36-year-old had to leave the field on a stretcher and needed oxygen, with medical staff and teammates around him.
He was taken to a hospital in Mexico City and didn’t return to England’s base in Kansas. According to talkSPORT, Henderson is waiting to be moved for surgery to fix a broken bone in his wrist.
Tuchel said about the injury: “He hurt his wrist and is in the hospital, so it’s quite serious. It’s sad he won’t be with us now. I don’t know the process from here.”
But can England call up someone new to take Henderson’s place?
FIFA rules say teams can only add a replacement up to 24 hours before their first group game. For England, that deadline was the match against Croatia on June 17. Before that game, Trevoh Chalobah replaced Tino Livramento after an injury, but after the tournament started, no new players can be added.
So, England will continue with a 25-player squad. Losing Henderson is tough, even though he hasn’t played much so far; he made his 90th appearance for England as a substitute against Panama.
FIFA’s 2026 World Cup rules explain: a player on the final list can only be replaced by someone from the provisional list if there’s a serious injury or illness before 24 hours of the team’s first match. FIFA must approve any exceptions with proper medical proof. Once replaced, the injured player loses their team accreditation, and the new player gets their shirt number.
For goalkeepers, replacements can happen anytime during the tournament if there’s a serious injury or illness, but FIFA must also approve this.
So, unfortunately for England and Henderson, the team has to push forward with the current squad.