Atletico Madrid midfielder Johnny Cardoso racing against time ahead of World Cup after suffering ankle injury | OneFootball

Atletico Madrid have confirmed that midfielder Johnny Cardoso has suffered a ‘high-grade’ ankle sprain, casting doubts over his availability for the 2026 World Cup.

Such injuries normally take at least a month to recover from, meaning he is not expected to feature for Atletico again this season.

It is now unclear whether USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino will name Cardoso in his World Cup squad. Pochettino is expected to name his roster in less than three weeks.

The 24-year-old has been tipped to play a key role for the US midfield at the tournament, alongside Bournemouth’s Tyler Adams.

Cardoso played in the 5-2 friendly defeat to Belgium in March, marking his 23rd appearance for the Yanks. He played in central midfield alongside Tanner Tessmann.

Should he fail to recover in time, Tessmann and Cristian Roldan will compete for a place in the starting XI, with Adams guaranteed a starting berth.

Cardoso’s has struggled with his fitness since joining Atletico from Real Betis last summer, missing 12 games due to injuries.

The American midfielder has featured in 30 games across all competitions, chipping in with just one goal involvement.

The USMNT, meanwhile, have two high-profile friendly games against Senegal and Germany, before their World Cup opening match against Paraguay on June 13 at the SoFi Stadium.

They then face Australia, before taking on Turkey, who beat Kosovo in the European play-offs, in their final group game.

Being one of the hosts’ country, Pochettino’s side are under pressure to go deep in the competition. They have not progressed beyond the quarter-finals, since finishing third in 1930.