England are rolling through the 2026 World Cup, reaching the quarterfinals behind a strong defense and the goalscoring prowess of Harry Kane.
That defense is anchored in the midfield by the double pivot of Eliot Anderson and Declan Rice, who has been dealing with injury concerns throughout the tournament. But an illness has kept Declan Rice out of training part of the week, leaving his status in question for Saturday’s match with Norway.
England are favored to defeat Norway on Saturday to advance to the FIFA World Cup Semifinals, with a 1.47x payout on PrizePicks Team Picks, and a 1.81x payout to win in regulation. However, the injury status of Rice and two other England defenders could cause that to shift toward Norway.
Below, we’ll give you the latest Declan Rice injury update, whether Rice is playing vs. Norway, and who could start in his place — including Jude Bellingham, Eberechi Eze, and John Stones — if England has to adjust without its key midfielder.
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Declan Rice Injury Update for 2026 World Cup: Will Rice Start Today vs. Norway?
Declan Rice has been battling a knock throughout the World Cup. The Arsenal midfielder is suffering from both a hamstring injury, and a nerve issue in his back that has been causing him some pain.
News broke on Thursday of a new issue for Rice. The midfielder was suffering from an illness, and quarantined from the rest of the England squad as a precaution.
With CB Marc Guehi and RB Reece James also banged up, and CM Jordan Henderson out with a broken arm, England could not afford anybody else getting sick.
But Friday afternoon’s training session brought good news for England fans. Not only were Guehi and James both training, but Rice was as well. Manager Thomas Tuchel also confirmed that all three are available, with Rice likely starting as usual.
“Of course that’s the best news, we had everyone available and training, which we of course like,” Tuchel said at his press conference on Friday evening. “We have the full choice except for our suspended player Jarell Quansah, that’s the good news.”
This is tremendous news for England’s midfield general. Rice ranks third among all England players in the final third in passing success (87.3%), third in open play passing success (91.6%), and second in successful final third passes (14.52).
Rice is also second among qualified England players with 3.17 chances created per match, one of only two players for England with more than 1.8 per match. Much of that comes from his set-piece delivery, with his corner kicks accounting for nearly two chances per match.
It’s the defensive aspect where Rice’s presence is most important. He sits just behind his pivot partner Anderson in possession won per match, winning the ball back 4.75 per match.
Once he gets the ball back, his 12.8 meters per carry ranks second behind only Anthony Gordon, and he’s third with 3.0 meters per progressive carry.
Much of what Rice brings to England’s midfield can’t be quantified with statistics. His importance for this matchup—where his knowledge of Erling Haaland’s tendencies and movement—cannot be understated and England will be thrilled to have him.
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Who Will Be In England Starting Lineup if Rice is Out? Potential Replacements
Of course, things can change between now and kickoff. Additionally, Rice could find himself unable to go the full match due to his issues. So who will Tuchel turn to in that situation?
One option is to drop CM Jude Bellingham back and bring AM Eberechi Eze into the lineup to play in the No. 10 role. Doing so would hurt England’s attack though, as Jude’s link-up play with Kane has been vital.
CB John Stones has played in central midfield often for Manchester City, and was a long-time teammate of Haaland. He’d know how to defend him, and Tuchel said in May, “I think John Stones can play as a number six for us.”
One other option is CM Kobbie Mainoo. However, he’s not played a single minute during the tournament, and bringing him in ahead of those options would be highly unlikely. Additionally, the injury to Henderson rules him unavailable.
That leaves Bellingham and Stones as the two players who could benefit for Norway vs. England picks on PrizePicks if Rice is unable to start, or is subbed off, in the World Cup quarterfinals.
- CM Jude Bellingham — 0.5 Assists (Demon), 2 Shots, 38.5 Passes Attempted, 0.5 Shots on Target (Goblin), 0.5 Goals (Demon), 13.5 Fantasy Score, 2.5 Attempted Dribbles, 1.5 Shots Assisted, 0.5 Goal + Assist (Demon),
- AM Eberechi Eze – 0.5 Cards (Demon), 1.5 Shots (Goblin), 0.5 Shots on Target (Goblin), 0.5 Goals (Demon), 1.5 Tackles (Demon), 0.5 Assists (Demon), 0.5 Goal + Assist (Demon), 0.5 Fouls (Goblin), 0.5 Offsides (Demon).
- CB John Stones — 0.5 Cards (Demon), 0.5 Shots (Demon), 0.5 Shots on Target (Demon), 0.5 Fouls (Goblin), 1.5 Fouls Drawn (Demon).
The most likely option to replace Rice would be Stones. He came on in the 57th minute against Mexico after Jarrell Quansah was sent off, and his leadership was key in England seeing out the victory.
There’s talk of him possibly starting in central defense, so if Rice were to be unavailable it only makes sense that he’d slot in at the number six role.
Stones has only played 121 minutes so far in the tournament, but he’s racked up a 95.5% passing success rate with an average of 49 passes per 90 minutes.
He’s also won three of his four aerial duels, and would be a threat on set pieces. Stones has defended cleanly to boot, committing just 1 foul as well during the tournament.
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Declan Rice is expected to start today for England despite an injury and illness scare. However, should be unable to go, manager Thomas Tuchel has a few options on how to replace him. Those options present you with various angles to investigate while putting together your predictions for Norway vs. England today.
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