Tottenham Hotspur Players at the World Cup | OneFootball

Tottenham’s injury crisis continued into the summer, much to the dismay of Dejan Kulusevski, Xavi Simons, and Mohammed Kudus, all of whom will miss out on international call-ups as a result. However, the North London outfit still have eight players representing them in FIFA’s biggest tournament yet.

The list of players is heavy on the defender and midfield positions, and we’ll list them in alphabetical order of their nation.

Cristian Romero (defender) – Argentina

Group J matches Argentina vs. Algeria – June 16 (9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT)Argentina vs. Austria – June 22 (1:00 p.m. ET/10:00 a.m. PT)Jordan vs. Argentina – June 27 (10:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. PT)

Madonna may have sang ‘Don’t Cry for Me Argentina’, but Romero definitely did when he came off injured during the defeat against Sunderland back in April. The general feeling amongst Tottenham fans was that those tears were for the fear of missing the World Cup and not the relegation run in for the club that pays his wages. Regardless of this, the 28 year-old hot head has made the squad for his precious country. The Spurs skipper (but maybe for not much longer) will face up against fellow Tottenham teammate Kevin Danso in Group J. ‘La Selección’ are looking to become the third nation to win back-to-back World Cups, following in the footsteps of Italy and Brazil.

Kevin Danso (defender) – Austria

Group J matches Austria vs. Jordan – June 17 (12:00 a.m. ET/9:00 p.m. PT)Argentina vs. Austria – June 22 (1:00 p.m. ET/10:00 a.m. PT)Algeria vs. Austria – June 27 (10:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. PT)

‘Super Kev’ stepped into the shoes of Tottenham captain Cristian Romero with ease after the Argentinian got injured. Other than one mistake against Brighton, the Austrian was a key player in maintaining Tottenham’s survival. ‘Das Team’ are also appearing at a World Cup for the first time since 1998 and Danso has the competition of the experienced David Alaba at the back. Ralf Rangnick (remember him Man Utd fans?) is four years into his international reign and he’ll be quietly confident they can get out of the group with current holders Argentina.

Djed Spence (defender) – England

Group L matches England vs. Croatia – June 17 (3:00 p.m. ET/12:00 p.m. PT)England vs. Ghana – June 23 (4:00 p.m. ET/1:00 p.m. PT)Panama vs. Englana – June 27 (9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT)

Spence completes the set of players that play across the back line. With such a strong international pedigree in this position you would’ve thought that Spurs would’ve conceded less goals!? I guess football really is a funny old game. There was a lot of head scratching when Thomas Tuchel announced his World Cup squad. Some critics may have left Spence out of their squad, but his consistency and versatility in a struggling Tottenham side has won him a place. He may not be in the starting XI for the Three Lions, but he’s a great option for Tuchel to have as the German looks to end 60 years of hurt for the English fans.

Micky van de Ven (defender) – Netherlands

Group F matches Netherlands vs. Japan – June 14 (4:00 p.m. ET/1:00 p.m. PT)Netherlands vs. Sweden – June 20 (1:00 p.m. ET/10:00 a.m. PT)Tunisia vs. Netherlands – June 25 (7:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. PT)

Stepping into the captain’s shoes while he was injured or suspended, van de Ven overcame some big tests during Tottenham’s turbulent season. Known for his pulsating forward runs, the big Dutchman had to put them on the back burner and concentrate on his defending in the last few months. He was seemingly another Tottenham player who went from hero to zero this year. After his wonder goal against Copenhagen, he cost Spurs dearly getting sent off against Crystal Palace. He’s redeemed himself with his performances since them and will be happy with the distraction of a major international tournament. The ‘Oranje’ have an array of Premier League talent in their squad and arguably the biggest nation to never win football’s biggest prize. Can they do it this time?

Pape Matar Sarr (midfielder) – Senegal

Group I matches France vs. Senegal – June 16 (3:00 p.m. ET/12:00 p.m. PT)Norway vs. Senegal – June 22 (8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT)Senegal vs. Iraq – June 26 (3:00 p.m. ET/12:00 p.m. PT)

Tottenham are almost spoilt for choice in midfield. With so many runners with good engines and high energy levels, Sarr is definitely in that bracket.

He was mainly a substitute at AFCON earlier in the year, so expect to see him as another option to Idrissa Gueye in the middle of the park.

Senegal’s status as African champions remains uncertain, but one thing they do have is a wealth of talented players. As a result the Lions of Teranga could well be one of the dark horses of the tournament.

Pedro Porro (defender) – Spain

Group H matches Spain vs. Cape Verde – June 15 (12:00 p.m. ET/9:00 a.m. PT)Spain vs. Saudi Arabia – June 21 (12:00 p.m. ET/9:00 a.m. PT)Uruguay vs. Spain – June 26 (8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT)

It feels like Porro has been doing the hokey cokey with his appearances for Spain in recent months. In, out, in out, but he won’t care how he’s in the final squad. The right-back has strong opposition in his position. Marcos Llorente is the other player who can play on the right and the two might be rotated given the heat and more games in the biggest World Cup yet. The European champions will be hoping to mirror their double glory from 2008-2010 and certainly have a chance, being one of the favourites yet again.

Lucas Bergvall (midfielder) – Sweden

Group F matches Sweden vs. Tunisia – June 14 (10:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. PT)Netherlands vs. Sweden – June 20 (1:00 p.m. ET/10:00 a.m. PT)Japan vs. Sweden – June 25 (7:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. PT)

It’s been a frustrating season for the young Swede at Tottenham. Injuries and being left on the bench have seen him have less playing time than during the 2024-25 season. Before he came to Spurs it was well documented that Barcelona were also tracking his progress. His talent is there for all to see and the 20 year-old will be hoping to show what he can do on the world’s biggest stage. He may not start for The Blagult, but he definitely has the potential to come off the bench and unlock a defence. With a forward line of Viktor Gyökeres and Alexander Isak, the Swedes certainly have the firepower to score goals.

Rodrigo Bentancur (midfielder) – Uruguay

Group H matches Saudi Arabia vs. Uruguay – June 15 (6:00 p.m. ET/3:00 p.m. PT)Uruguay vs. Cape Verde – June 21 (6:00 p.m. ET/3:00 p.m. PT)Uruguay vs. Spain – June 26 (8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT)

Another player who has been cursed with injuries, Bentancur has shown the resilience to come back time after time and reproduce his impressive form. Spurs were definitely a better side when he came back into team and his performances almost guarantee him a starting place in the heart of the Uruguayan midfield. He will play alongside Federico Valverde and Manuel Ugarte, which is the solid core of Marcelo Bielsa’s men.

‘La Celeste’ are firm favourites to qualify for the last 32, along with Spain. Many people forget that Uruguay are two-time world champions and won the first ever World Cup. Could they upset the applecart and do it again? We’ve seen stranger things. I don’t mean the TV show, I mean things like Tottenham not being awarded a penalty all season….

Inbound Spurs to Watch

I originally had Andy Robertson (Scotland) and Luka Vascovic (Croatia) is this list, but my editor pointed out that they’re not yet Spurs players, but will be next season.