Xavi Simons ruled out for season, World Cup after ACL injury

Xavi Simons’ right-knee ACL rupture landed as a double setback, ending his Tottenham season and shutting him out of the Netherlands’ World Cup campaign. The 23-year-old was hurt in the second half of Tottenham Hotspur’s Premier League match at Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday, then confirmed he was “heartbroken” as the scale of the injury became clear.

Tottenham confirmed on April 26, 2026 that Simons ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee and will undergo surgery in the coming weeks before beginning rehabilitation with the club’s medical staff. The injury arrived in a 1-0 win at Wolves, Tottenham’s first Premier League victory since December, a result that carried real weight in a season shaped by relegation pressure. Simons had already become part of that survival fight after joining Spurs from RB Leipzig in August 2025.

The loss is severe because Simons had been one of Tottenham’s sharper sources of invention. In 27 Premier League appearances in 2025-26, he scored two goals and added five assists, giving Spurs a direct runner and creator who could connect midfield to attack. With Simons gone, Tottenham must replace not just his numbers but his ability to turn possession into chances in a team still trying to climb clear of danger.

The blow extends far beyond north London. FIFA confirmed on April 26 that Simons will miss the 2026 World Cup for the Netherlands, removing a player with 34 caps and six international goals from Ronald Koeman’s squad. The Dutch qualified by topping UEFA Group G on November 17, 2025 and will meet Japan in Dallas, Sweden in Houston and Tunisia in Kansas City in Group F. FIFA had described Simons as part of a balanced midfield unit alongside Frenkie de Jong, Ryan Gravenberch and Tijjani Reijnders, and his absence forces the Netherlands to reshuffle that core before a tournament they have never won.

Simons’ international record underlines the scale of the loss. He made his Netherlands debut against the United States in the round of 16 at Qatar 2022, then became the youngest Dutch player to appear in a World Cup knockout match and scored in the 3-1 win. For a country that has reached three World Cup finals, in 1974, 1978 and 2010, only to lose each one, losing a player of Simons’ age, experience and creative range is a significant setback on both sides of the Atlantic.