Rice and Spence limp out of England's 0-0 draw with Ghana to leave Tuchel sweating

Declan Rice and Djed Spence both left the Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts with injury concerns after England were frustrated to a 0-0 draw by Ghana in their second World Cup 2026 group game on Tuesday night, casting doubt over their availability for Saturday’s Group L finale against Panama in Kansas City.

Rice was spotted with significant strapping on his left calf after taking a strong challenge near the corner flag in the second half. The Arsenal midfielder hit the deck several times in the closing stages but was able to see out the stalemate. England’s medical staff will monitor him at the squad’s Kansas City training base before the Panama fixture.

Spence, who had snubbed a pre-match handshake with Ghana’s Thomas Partey, appeared to twist his ankle while intervening at the back post to deny Marvin Senaya. The full-back, introduced as a substitute in the 66th minute, was seen limping heavily after the final whistle.

The result was a sobering follow-up to England’s 4-2 opening win over Croatia, but Rice urged calm, insisting qualification from the group remains firmly in England’s hands.

“It is always difficult when you play against 11 behind the ball as deep as they were, but you have to find solutions,” Rice told BBC Sport. “In the last 10 minutes we were unlucky not to score.”

“We still have a great chance to top the group against Panama so positivity all round. They were very compact, 5-4-1 off the ball and tight spaces to play through, but on the other hand we can do more with the ball.”

Rice also pointed to the broader context of the tournament. “Loads of top nations draw the first game so there is no need to be negative or downbeat. We will stay positive.”

Thomas Tuchel will hope both players come through their assessments unscathed. England need only a positive result against Panama to secure top spot in Group L, but the fitness of two key contributors will dominate the build-up to that clash.