Five stories that could impact World Cup: Christian Pulisic's poor form, Argentina's injury worries and more

Pulisic has yet to score in 2026, and that's doesn't bode well for his form and confidence ahead of the World Cup

Francesco Porzio

Apr 13, 2026

3:02 pm ET

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3 min read

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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:

Argentina star to miss 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.

Christian Pulisic, where are you?

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

Patrick Agyemang's injury

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 3–1 loss to Paris FC. Pochettino can count on the best version of Balogun.

Lautaro Martinez injured again

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.

Italy have a new coach

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.

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