Rice races to be fit for England's World Cup quarter-final against Norway after sickness worsens injury

Declan Rice is in a race against time to face Norway in England’s World Cup 2026 quarter-final on Saturday, after a sickness bug forced him to miss two consecutive training sessions and worsened a neural problem affecting his hamstring and lower back.

The Arsenal midfielder had already been managing the neural issue throughout the tournament and sat out England’s group-stage win over Panama with a calf knock. He returned to play 89 minutes against DR Congo and the full 90 in the last-16 victory over Mexico, where Thomas Tuchel’s side held on for a 3-2 win despite playing with ten men for almost 50 minutes following Jarell Quansah’s red card.

According to BBC Sport, England have taken steps to prevent the illness from spreading through the squad, with several players already sidelined or doubtful ahead of the quarter-final. Quansah is suspended after his dismissal at the Azteca, while midfielder Jordan Henderson will miss the remainder of the tournament after breaking his arm when he fell over an advertising hoarding during the post-match celebrations against Mexico.

Should Rice be ruled out, Tuchel would likely turn to Elliot Anderson and Kobbie Mainoo — who is yet to appear at this World Cup — as his two central midfielders in a 4-2-3-1 system. Jude Bellingham is capable of dropping into a deeper role, though the Real Madrid forward has been outstanding as a number ten, contributing four goals and one assist.

Rice is also among four England players who would be suspended for the semi-final if booked against Norway, alongside Bellingham, centre-back Marc Guehi, and left-back Nico O’Reilly — each carrying one yellow card from the knockout stage.

England’s opponents have not been immune to illness either. Norway, captained by Rice’s Arsenal team-mate Martin Odegaard, saw Crystal Palace striker Jorgen Strand Larsen miss their opening group game against Iraq with a sickness bug.

Rice, 27, has made 77 appearances for England, scoring seven goals, and was appointed vice-captain by Tuchel ahead of the tournament. His absence would represent a significant blow to England’s hopes of reaching the last four.