Will Christian Pulisic Be Ready for the 2026 World Cup?

The U.S. men’s national team will open its 2026 FIFA World Cup run against Paraguay at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, on June 12.

ESPN’s World Cup power ranking doesn’t even place the United States in the top 15, but even if the USMNT doesn’t have a realistic chance of hoisting the trophy, there is immense pressure to have a good showing on home soil.

Nobody is under more pressure than Christian Pulisic.

Shouldering the nickname “Captain America,” Pulisic spearheaded the USMNT’s “golden generation” movement and was expected to lead the American men beyond their Round-of-16 ceiling. So far, the USMNT failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia and suffered a Round of 16 exit at the hands of the Netherlands at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Morale has been low around the USMNT heading into next month’s World Cup after the team’s poor form in two international friendlies at the end of March. It dropped even lower when a glute injury kept Pulisic out of AC Milan’s match against Atalanta last Sunday.

On Wednesday, however, the Associated Press relayed that Pulisic “is likely to recover from a lower back injury” and play in AC Milan’s match against Genoa on Sunday. Two matches remain in AC Milan’s Serie A season.

Pulisic’s availability for the World Cup is obviously crucial, but regardless of the injury report, his form will remain under scrutiny. He has not scored a goal for AC Milan or the USMNT this calendar year. His last goal came on Dec. 28.

The USMNT has to be hoping against hope that Pulisic flips a switch in their ramp-up friendlies against Senegal on May 31 and Germany on June 6. Mauricio Pochettino will reveal the 26-man World Cup roster on May 26. Pulisic will be on it, but what version of Pulisic shows up will be the storyline to watch for American fans.

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This story was originally published May 13, 2026 at 6:10 PM.