Matchday 2 of the 2026 World Cup sees England play Ghana in Boston today, with Djed Spence playing from the start for the team also known as the Three Lions. But many fans will probably ask the same question: why is the Tottenham defender wearing a mask?
Spence is playing with a protective jaw guard because he suffered a broken jaw during a Premier League game against Chelsea in May. The Tottenham full-back was elbowed by Liam Delap while challenging for a high ball, resulting in the injury.
The hit didn’t force Spence to miss games though, as the player has been playing with the protective mask since then. In fact, Spence revealed his broken jaw will take three months to heal, so he’ll continue wearing the protective jaw guard for a while.
The use of protective masks at the 2026 World Cup
The custom-made jaw guard used by Spence isn’t the only one of its kind seen at this year’s World Cup. For instance, Austria defender Stefan Posch was also seen wearing this type of mask against Argentina.
🦁🦁🦁 pic.twitter.com/cw9ZIi1B1f
— England (@England) June 23, 2026
Many players have been wearing protective pieces of equipment at the start of the tournament. Sebastian Caceres has been sporting a mask for Uruguay, just like Luca Zidane did in Algeria’s debut against Argentina.
There are masks allowed by FIFA, which is why different players have been wearing them at the 2026 World Cup.
