Xavi Simons Ruptures ACL, Misses Rest of Season and 2026 World Cup

Tottenham Hotspur and Netherlands midfielder Xavi Simons confirmed he will miss the rest of the season and the FIFA World Cup after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee.

“Tottenham Hotspur and Netherlands midfielder Xavi Simons says his football season has “come to an abrupt end” after suffering a serious knee injury that has ruled him out of the FIFA World Cup”

Al Jazeera

The injury occurred during Tottenham’s 1-0 win at Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday, when Simons went down following a collision with Wolves defender Hugo Bueno and was carried off on a stretcher.

Al Jazeera

BBC reported that Simons was carried off in the second half of the match, while Al Jazeera said he left the pitch on a stretcher in the 63rd minute.

Tottenham said in a statement, “We can confirm that Xavi Simons has ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee,” and added, “Xavi will undergo surgery in the coming weeks and, following that, will then begin his rehabilitation with our medical team.”

Simons described the moment in an Instagram post, writing, “They say life can be cruel and today it feels that way,” and “My season has come to an abrupt end and I’m just trying to process it. Honestly, I’m heartbroken. None of it makes sense.”

Multiple outlets tied the timing of the injury to Spurs’ survival push, with BBC noting the club remained in the relegation zone and were “two points from safety with four games left.”

The BBC also placed the World Cup start date as 11 June, with the Netherlands beginning their Group F campaign against Japan on 14 June, underscoring the scale of what Simons will miss.

The injury unfolded at Wolverhampton Wanderers’ ground, with multiple reports describing Simons being helped back to his feet before going down again.

BBC said Simons “was carried off on a stretcher in the second half of Tottenham's 1-0 win at Wolves on Saturday,” after he fell following a collision with Hugo Bueno and then went down again.

BBC

Al Jazeera specified that Simons was “left clutching his right knee in pain” and that the club confirmed he had ruptured his ACL.

Sky Sports put the moment earlier in the match clock, saying Simons went down “in the 58th minute” and that he collapsed in front of Tottenham’s medical staff before leaving Molineux on a stretcher.

FotMob likewise described him being carried off during the second half, and it stated that Lucas Bergvall took his place in the 63rd minute.

The Guardian described Simons being stretchered off “at Molineux in the 63rd minute after twisting his knee in the turf as he chased a ball towards the byline,” emphasizing the physical mechanics of the injury.

Across the accounts, Tottenham’s response was consistent: the club said Simons would undergo surgery in the coming weeks and then begin rehabilitation with their medical team, and Simons himself framed the loss as both personal and competitive.

In his message, Simons wrote, “All I’ve wanted to do is fight for my team and now the ability to do that has been snatched away from me… along with the World Cup,” and he added, “Be patient with me.”

Simons’ injury immediately reshaped Tottenham’s Premier League survival equation, with outlets describing the club as still trapped near the bottom despite the Wolves win.

BBC said Spurs “remain in the relegation zone and are two points from safety with four games left,” and it listed the remaining fixtures as Aston Villa, Leeds United, Chelsea and Everton.

The Guardian similarly reported Spurs were “18th in the table, two points behind 17th-placed West Ham with four matches to play,” and it said Spurs were next in action at Aston Villa on Sunday.

Al Jazeera described the club as “18th on 34 points, two points away from relegation safety,” and it tied the injury to a “difficult Premier League season.”

Sky Sports added that Spurs were “two points adrift of safety with four games to go,” and it emphasized that Simons’ absence was “the latest injury blow for Spurs” after other players were ruled out.

The Times stated that Spurs had lacked creativity all season and that Simons’ absence was “a significant blow to the Tottenham head coach Roberto De Zerbi,” who had already lost captain Cristian Romero and winger Mohammed Kudus to season-ending injuries during his first month.

BBC also described the broader injury context, listing Ben Davies, Mohammed Kudus, Dejan Kulusevski, James Maddison, Wilson Odobert and Cristian Romero as sidelined heading into the final four games.

In the middle of that, BBC and The Guardian both framed Simons as a key creative force, with BBC saying his influence was clear because “When he plays, Spurs look sharper and more threatening in the final third.”

BBC quantified the impact by saying Spurs win a higher percentage of Premier League matches when Simons starts and that they “average more goals - scoring 1.5 per game compared with one when he is not in the starting XI.”

Reactions to Simons’ injury ranged from personal grief to broader debate about Tottenham’s injury record and squad management.

Simons’ own words were consistent across outlets, with BBC quoting him saying, “They say life can be cruel and today it feels that way,” and Sky Sports repeating, “My season has come to an abrupt end and I'm just trying to process it.”

FotMob

The Times also carried his line, “All I’ve wanted to do is fight for my team and now the ability to do that has been snatched away from me, along with the World Cup.”

Beyond the player, Sky Sports featured ex-Spurs boss Tim Sherwood arguing that injuries were derailing Tottenham and that “they need to review and [have] a good look at what's happening to their players because we can all get injured from contact, but a lot of these injuries are not contact.”

Sky Sports’ Michael Bridge added a financial and structural angle, saying, “If Tottenham do get relegated, they could still have James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski and Xavi Simons,” and concluding, “this is ridiculous now.”

The Guardian framed the injury as a blow to Roberto De Zerbi’s plans, noting that he “was counting on the 23-year-old’s creativity in the battle against relegation,” and it described Spurs’ first win in 16 league games.

FotMob, meanwhile, emphasized the World Cup group context by stating, “The Oranje will face Japan, Sweden and Tunisia in Group F, starting on June 14,” and it reported that Spurs’ victory over Wolves was not enough to lift them out of the relegation zone due to West Ham beating Everton 2-1.

BBC and The Times both described the match as Tottenham’s first Premier League victory of 2026, and Sky Sports added that the win earned Spurs a “first Premier League victory of 2026.”

Even the injury timeline was framed differently across outlets, with Sky Sports placing the injury in the 58th minute while Al Jazeera and The Guardian placed it in the 63rd minute, and FotMob also used the 63rd-minute substitution moment.

Together, these accounts show how the same event—Simons’ ruptured ACL—was narrated through different lenses: grief, tactical impact, injury-system scrutiny, and relegation math.

With Simons ruled out, the immediate next steps are surgery and rehabilitation for the player, while Spurs face a compressed schedule of survival matches without one of their most influential creators.

“'Heartbroken' Simons to miss rest of Spurs' season and the World Cup Xavi Simons will play no further part in Tottenham's fight for survival, or feature at the World Cup, after suffering an ACL injury”

FotMob

Tottenham’s statement said, “Xavi will undergo surgery in the coming weeks and, following that, will then begin his rehabilitation with our medical team,” and the Guardian similarly reported that Spurs said Simons would “undergo surgery in the coming weeks” and then begin rehabilitation.

Sky Sports

BBC added that Simons will have surgery in the coming weeks and that his injury removes one of their most important attacking figures “at a pivotal moment.”

For Spurs, the stakes are explicit in the relegation math described by multiple outlets, with BBC saying they are “two points from safety with four games left,” and The Guardian stating they are “two points behind 17th-placed West Ham with four matches to play.”

Al Jazeera specified the points total as “18th on 34 points,” and it described the injury as a “major blow” during a “difficult Premier League season.”

Sky Sports broadened the consequences by quoting Tim Sherwood’s view that Tottenham might “pay the price for it, the ultimate price, which is relegation,” and it also included Michael Bridge’s warning that if relegation happens, key players could still be at the club in the Championship.

The Times added that Simons’ absence will affect Roberto De Zerbi’s survival hopes, while also noting that Spurs’ creativity has been limited because James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski were sidelined for the entire campaign with serious knee injuries.

For the Netherlands, the World Cup dream is now closed for Simons, with BBC stating the Netherlands’ Group F opener against Japan on 14 June and FotMob listing Group F opponents as Japan, Sweden and Tunisia starting on June 14.

Simons’ own closing message—“Be patient with me”—signals a long recovery timeline, and BBC noted that partial tears or ruptures to the ACL typically lead to players being unavailable for between six and nine months as they recover.