Why Jordan Henderson is forced to wear his full kit during England vs Argentina despite broken arm
The reason Jordan Henderson wears a full England kit despite being injured while sat on the bench has finally become clear.
Henderson became the first England player to feature in seven major tournaments when he played a six-minute cameo in the Three Lions’ 2-0 group stage win over Panama at MetLife Stadium.
The Brentford midfielder came into the tournament expecting to play second fiddle to Declan Rice and Elliot Anderson in the middle of the park, although he would not have predicted how he would get injured.
While England’s squad celebrated their 3-2 round of 16 win over Mexico by standing and singing Wonderwall with the gathered supporters, Henderson attempted to jump over an advertising hoarding but tripped before falling and landing on his wrist.
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He was quickly taken to hospital before it emerged that he had broken his arm during the freak accident.
The former Liverpool captain later underwent surgery on the injury.
"Surgery done! Let's get ready for the big one Saturday,” the midfielder posted on Instagram.
"Thank you to all the staff that looked after me at Kansas City Orthopaedic Institute. Especially the three surgeons who carried out the operation."
Despite being ruled out of the tournament, Henderson was spotted sitting on England’s bench during their 2-1 quarter-final win over Norway, as well as during the Three Lions’ semi-final against Argentina.
To the surprise of supporters, despite being unable to play any part in the on-pitch action, Henderson has been wearing a full England kit.
On social media, one fan wrote: “Jordan Henderson wearing a full kit, shin pads and boots with a broken arm is hilarious.”
Another joked: “Jordan Henderson was still wearing the full England kit and his boots while watching injured from the bench.”
While a third asked: “Why is Henderson wearing a full kit with boots?”
But there’s an explanation as to why.
Despite being injured, Henderson was still officially part of the substitutes for the Norway clash, as was the case for the Argentina semi-final.
If Henderson opted to wear a suit or tracksuit, then he would not be permitted to sit on the bench as an active player.
Wearing a kit also allows Henderson to stand in the technical area and shout orders or words of encouragement to his teammates while also being able to warm up with them.
Suspended players such as Jarell Quansah are not allowed in the technical area.
The winners of the semi-final clash will face Spain at MetLife Stadium in New York/New Jersey on Sunday (July 19).
What do FIFA’s rules say?
As per FIFA’s official 2026 World Cup regulations: “The electronic start list system will be available and accessible eight hours prior to the kick‑off of the respective match with the full names and shirt numbers of the maximum of 26 players listed on the final release list, together with the full names of the officials eligible to be seated on the team bench. A maximum of 26 players (including a minimum of two goalkeepers) may be chosen for the start list. Changes can be made at the team’s discretion up to 90 minutes before kick‑off. The traditional paper start list will also be available prior to each match.
“The technical area is the area which the coach, other team officials and substitutes are allowed to occupy during the match. It includes the dugout (if applicable), the team bench and a marked zone adjacent to the pitch.
“No more than 26 people (up to 15 substitute players and up to 11 team officials – one of these officials shall be a team medical doctor) shall be allowed to sit on the team bench. A suspended player or team official will not be allowed to sit on the team bench or be in the technical area during the match.”
Topics: England, FIFA World Cup, Jordan Henderson
Luke Davies