As the 2026 World Cup approaches, key developments like Christian Pulisic's poor form and Argentina's injury concerns are emerging. Cristian Romero's knee injury raises doubts about his participation in the tournament, impacting Argentina's roster decisions.
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The 2026 World Cup is approaching, and as the club season nears its conclusion, developments across the soccer world are already shaping the squads set to travel to the United States, Canada and Mexico this summer. Injuries, players performing well or disappointing can also have an impact on the managers and their final decisions about the rosters. Let's now take a look at the five most interesting stories of the week about the World Cup:
It was another disappointing week for Tottenham, as the side now coached by Roberto De Zerbi lost against Sunderland in the first game under the new coach who took over last week. As the English giants are now facing the risk of being relegated to the second division, they also have to face the chance of losing Cristian Romero for the remaining part of the season, as the Argentinian defender will undergo medical tests to assess his condition as his participation in the 2026 World Cup is now in doubt after he left the pitch in tears with a knee injury against Sunderland, a development that will be of major concern to Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni.
There are also concerns about the form of Christian Pulisic, as the AC Milan striker played as a starter during the 3-0 defeat against Udinese, a difficult loss for both the team and the player, who scored his last goal on Dec. 28 against Hellas Verona. With the World Cup approaching, there are big concerns about the form of the most crucial player on the roster coached by Mauricio Pochettino, who needs the best version of Pulisic back as soon as possible. The American captain had a terrific first part of the season, but then injuries and the new tactical role didn't help him keep the level of his performances over the past three months.
[Why is Christian Pulisic struggling? Injuries, a new role and questions about Milan future slowed USMNT's star
Francesco Porzio
Another big concern for Pochettino is the situation of his strikers as the World Cup gets closer. Over the week, USMNT striker Patrick Agyemang suffered a serious Achilles tendon injury during Derby County's 2-0 win over Stoke City last Monday and has been ruled out of the World Cup, as well as the remainder of Derby's season. On a more positive note, Folarin Balogun continues his good form, scoring seven goals in his last seven Ligue 1 games, including one in the 3ā1 loss to Paris FC. Pochettino can count on the best version of Balogun.
Inter captain and Argentinian 2022 World Cup champion Lautaro Martinez suffered another muscular injury and will miss at least another week of action, starting from the 4-3 win against Como that took place on Sunday, a key win for the Serie A title race. Lautaro missed more than one month of action due to another muscular injury and only came back last week before the 5-2 win against AS Roma at San Siro, meaning he was only available for a few days before suffering his latest injury. There is no doubt about his place in the World Cup squad, but he is far from peak physical condition right now.
This is not really World Cup news, but Italy have announced the new manager for the upcoming friendlies that will take place in June. After missing the third World Cup qualification in a row, Italy coach Gennaro Gattuso stepped down from his role alongside the president of the Italian soccer federation (FIGC) Gabriele Gravina, followed by Gianluigi Buffon, the head of the delegation. While the Italian FA will elect a new president who will pick the new manager in June, Italy U21 coach Silvio Baldini will take over in the meantime for the two matches against Greece and Luxembourg.
Cristian Romero is undergoing medical tests for a knee injury, which puts his participation in the 2026 World Cup in doubt.
Christian Pulisic's poor form is raising concerns about his impact on the U.S. Men's National Team's chances in the upcoming World Cup.
Injuries to key players like Cristian Romero could significantly affect Argentina's roster decisions and overall performance in the World Cup.
Teams like Tottenham are struggling, which may impact player availability and performance for their national teams in the World Cup.
LIV Golf's future appears uncertain as reports suggest Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund may withdraw funding after investing $5 billion. Despite assurances for the 2026 season, the tour faces challenges from low ratings and strong competition from the PGA Tour.
Mike Trout's 446-foot HR joins him with Aaron Judge in Yankee Stadium lore.
Detroit Tigers projected to take a risk on a 6'3" prep bat in the MLB draft.
Arshdeep Singh makes history as the first PBKS bowler to reach 100 IPL wickets!
California's top high school football prospects are on the move this weekend.
Viktor Hovland shines with a 64 at RBC Heritage, Gotterup scores 70.
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