Why Xavi Simons isn't playing for Netherlands at the World Cup

The Netherlands has a high-powered group of playmakers at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

They aren't entirely at what some would consider full strength, though. Xavi Simons isn't there in the Dutch squad.

The midfielder moved to Tottenham Hotspur in the 2025-26 season, and he helped Spurs barely stay up in the English Premier League after a brutal relegation battle.

Simons has represented the Netherlands on a major stage before, the 2024 Euros, but he's not in North America to suit up for this tournament.

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Why isn't Xavi Simons playing at the World Cup?

Simons isn't in the squad, and it wasn't really a decision. He's injured.

The playmaker tore his right ACL in his knee late in the season for Tottenham.

That's an injury that can keep a player out for nearly an entire year.

When Simons got hurt for Spurs, the emotion on his face made it clear that he knew he was probably going to miss the World Cup.

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With the tournament only once every four years, an injury like that can greatly limit a player's ability to make an international impact.

Simons is young enough that he'd hope and expect to be back at the tournament in 2030, but nothing is a given.

This is a big missed chance for Simons, due simply to the fact that injury luck wasn't on his side.

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