Djed Spence wore facial protection when playing for England in their World Cup opener against Croatia at the World Cup.The Tottenham Hotspur defender was named in the Three Lions’ 26-man squad as they bid to end a 60-year wait for global glory.Spence is wearing a face mask at the World CupAFPSpence made his World Cup debut off the bench during England’s clash with Croatia, still wearing the mask he wore in the friendlies.Why is Spence wearing a mask?Spence suffered a broken jaw when playing for Spurs last month in their 2-1 defeat at rivals Chelsea.He attempted to win the ball in his own half but was clattered by the left arm of Blues striker Liam Delap.Unsurprisingly, Spence went down clutching the left side of his face, but managed to play the rest of the Premier League fixture.The 25-year-old returned to action in their final match of the season, a 1-0 win over Everton, and wore a mask throughout the 90 minutes.Now at the World Cup, Spence will still have to wear protective gear as he continues his recovery.“It is a little bit uncomfortable, but it is what it is,” he said. “I have a broken jaw, so I have to wear it throughout the tournament.“It is something I will have to get used to. It will be three months until it is fully healed, so it is a long time. Spence suffered a broken jaw from a challenge by DelapGetty“It was painful, but luckily I play football with my feet and not my jaw, so it is all good.“I have been wearing it in training, getting used to wearing it in the heat, and trying to break it in properly.“It was a crazy challenge, but it is in the past now. I’ve just got to focus on this tournament now.”Broken jaw? No botherJust three days after suffering his nasty injury, Spence was officially named in the England squad for the World Cup.The World Cup will be Spence’s first major tournament for EnglandGettyHe had never played for the senior national team before the arrival of head coach Thomas Tuchel in January 2025.Spence won his seventh England cap against Croatia and helped the Three Lions see out a 4-2 victory.World Cup WhatsAppDon't miss an update from talkSPORT in our dedicated World Cup WhatsApp channel.Search for ‘talkSPORT World Cup’ in your ‘Updates’ tab on WhatsApp and we’ll drop the proper, unfiltered football chat straight to your lock screen—no fluff, just pure talkSPORT energy.It’s where you’ll find out all the new rules to watch out for, England and Scotland reaction and big match player ratings. Plus there will be loads of debates on the biggest talking points as Haaland, Mbappe, Kane and the biggest names in football descend on America, Canada and Mexico.