World Cup 2026: Jordan Henderson not ruled out of finals after surgery on broken arm
Jordan Henderson has not been ruled out of England's World Cup campaign after undergoing successful surgery for a broken arm suffered during celebrations following the Three Lions' victory over Mexico on Sunday.
The 36-year-old Brentford midfielder sustained the freak injury when he fell awkwardly after attempting to jump over the advertising hoardings at the side of the pitch. He was carried away on a stretcher while receiving oxygen, but Henderson has since posted to social media that he remains optimistic about his prospects.
Surgery was performed at the Kansas City Orthopaedic Institute, where England's basecamp is located for the tournament. Henderson posted on Instagram: "Surgery done Let's get ready for the big one Saturday" and thanked "all the staff that looked after me at Kansas city orthopaedic institute Especially the three surgeons who carried out the operation."
The midfielder will remain with the squad for the duration of the tournament as England prepare to face Norway in the quarter-final in Miami on Saturday. Despite his injury, Henderson has indicated he is not willing to accept that his World Cup is over.
His teammates have supported this sentiment. Morgan Rogers said Henderson "is not going to rule himself out in either way" and praised his influence on the group, declaring "He's the heartbeat of the group." Rogers added: "To see him this morning smiling and still as happy as he ever is no matter what's happened in the last 48 hours is so nice for us to just see him and hopefully we can get him back out on the pitch as soon as possible."
Defender Dan Burn also expressed optimism about Henderson's recovery prospects, saying "hopefully they're still up for him to play in the tournament." Burn reflected on the incident, explaining he felt guilty as Henderson had attempted to replicate his jump over the hoardings.
Henderson made one appearance as a substitute in England's 2-0 group stage win over Panama, becoming the first men's player to play at four World Cups. England manager Thomas Tuchel is reportedly set to instruct his players to avoid similar incidents during future celebrations.