The Netherlands head coach, Ronald Koeman, has received a serious setback ahead of the start of the 2026 World Cup, following confirmation of the absence of one of the generation’s key talents due to a serious injury likely to jeopardize his international career in the coming months.
The 2026 World Cup, co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States, will begin on June 11 at the stadium in Mexico City, before concluding on July 19 at the New York-New Jersey stadium. This edition is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated and most contested in World Cup history.
The Dutch squad will play in Group F, alongside Tunisia, Japan and Sweden, in a group that appears balanced, but not without challenges.
The setback concerns the confirmed absence of the Dutch star Xavi Simons for the 2026 World Cup, after a serious injury sustained with his club, Tottenham Hotspur, in the English Premier League.
The injury occurred during the match between Tottenham and Wolverhampton. The player was forced to leave the field in the 63rd minute after being struck in the knee, raising concerns from both the medical staff and the coaching staff.
The Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano, a transfer market specialist, indicated on his X account that medical examinations had revealed an anterior cruciate ligament rupture in Xavi Simons. This injury will keep him off the pitch until the end of the season, with a return expected in 2027.
