--- description: Ahead of England's first match in the tournament, the 25-year-old soccer player said the protective brace won't affect his game. title: Why England Player Djed Spence Is Wearing a Mask at the World Cup image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf13d442d634bfedd/6a31673090e79d10e763719f/spence-mask-june10.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Sports](/section/sports/) ## Sports Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [World Cup](/tag/world-cup/) ## World Cup Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Why England Player Djed Spence Is Wearing a Mask at the World Cup by [Callum Sutherland](/author/callum-sutherland/) ## Callum Sutherland Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Reporter Jun 16, 2026 9:44 PM CUT  England's Djed Spence during a friendly match at the Inter&Co Stadium in Orlando, Florida, on June 10, 2026. England's Djed Spence during a friendly match at the Inter&Co Stadium in Orlando, Florida, on June 10, 2026.Bradley Collyer—Getty Images by [Callum Sutherland](/author/callum-sutherland/) ## Callum Sutherland Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Reporter Jun 16, 2026 9:44 PM CUT Soccer fans tuning into the [FIFA World Cup](https://time.com/article/2026/05/27/fifa-world-cup-2026-complete-guide/ "undefined") this summer may be curious as to why one of the England players is wearing a protective mask. Djed Spence, 25, will be wearing a brace around his jaw for all of the tournament’s matches, after a [collision with another player](https://x.com/DjedSpence/status/2056864115910447270 "undefined") during a Premier League game in May left him with a broken jaw. “It is a bit difficult with the heat… it’s different, but I’m getting used to it,” the Tottenham Hotspur defender [said,](https://youtu.be/WlhaspGjY%5FA?t=361 "undefined") when asked about the newest addition to his kit. “But it's not really going to affect my game." According to BBC Sport, Spence previously [said](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/ced4039n504o "undefined") it “will be three months until it is fully healed… but luckily I play football with my feet and not my jaw, so it is all good." Spence could be seen wearing the headgear during England’s 3-0 win against Costa Rica on June 10 in the team’s final friendly before the World Cup. It’s far from the first time a player has had to wear protective gear in a high-profile tournament. At EURO 2024, France captain Kylian Mbappé donned a mask after breaking his nose in a collision during his team’s opening game. Some fans [likened the mask](https://time.com/6994862/euro-2024-france-soccer-captain-kylian-mbappe-mask-wearing-reason/ "undefined") to the one famously worn by Batman.  Kylian Mbappé wearing a protective mask during a quarter-final game in Hamburg, Germany, on July 5, 2024. Robbie Jay Barratt—Getty Images At this year’s World Cup—which is being [hosted across Canada, Mexico, and the U.S](https://time.com/article/2026/06/11/fifa-world-cup-final-halftime-show-performers-lineup-schedule-how-to-watch/ "undefined").—England’s first official game on June 17 sees the Thomas Tuchel-managed squad take on Croatia. For Spence, who made his England debut in September as a second-half substitute, his inclusion in the team is a resounding vote of confidence. When asked why he selected the defender for his 26-man squad, despite him registering no goals or assists for Tottenham in the 2025/2026 season, Tuchel [said](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/PJI5z34rBxs "undefined"): “He was excellent in every single match that he played for us \[England\].” “He brings something to the group that we don’t have, in his profile. I think he loves defending. He’s the fastest player in our squad and he loves to defend one-on-ones,” he added. Tuchel went on to admit that Spence’s performance at Tottenham had been a concern discussed behind the scenes prior to the March camp. He praised Spence’s “excellent” performance in [England’s game against Uruguay](https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1263566142584346 "undefined") after those talks, and said that showed he could “really trust him.” The England men’s team hasn’t won the World Cup since it hosted the tournament in 1966. Both the players and the fans are hoping this will be the year the team gets to lift the trophy once more. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/article/2026/06/10/why-england-player-djed-spence-is-wearing-a-mask-at-the-world-cup/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/article/2026/06/10/why-england-player-djed-spence-is-wearing-a-mask-at-the-world-cup/"},"headline":"Why England Player Djed Spence Is Wearing a Mask at the World Cup","datePublished":"2026-06-16T21:44:04.000Z","dateModified":"2026-06-16T21:48:27.300Z","description":"Ahead of England's first match in the tournament, the 25-year-old soccer player said the protective brace won't affect his game.","url":"https://time.com/article/2026/06/10/why-england-player-djed-spence-is-wearing-a-mask-at-the-world-cup/","keywords":["World Cup","News Desk"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf13d442d634bfedd/6a31673090e79d10e763719f/spence-mask-june10.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Callum Sutherland","jobTitle":"Reporter","url":"https://time.com/author/callum-sutherland/"}],"articleSection":"Sports","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf13d442d634bfedd/6a31673090e79d10e763719f/spence-mask-june10.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"spence-mask-june10.jpg","caption":"","creditText":"Bradley Collyer—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/sports/","name":"Sports"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/world-cup/","name":"World Cup"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/article/2026/06/10/why-england-player-djed-spence-is-wearing-a-mask-at-the-world-cup/","name":"Why England Player Djed Spence Is Wearing a Mask at the World Cup"}}]}] ```