Will Chris Richards miss the World Cup? Injury news, update as ankle gives USMNT scare ahead of 2026 tournament originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The United States men’s national team is gearing up for one of the most important summers in program history, set to co-host the 2026 FIFA World Cup in just a few weeks’ time.
Mauricio Pochettino has managed to put together a strong squad pushing to compete for a deep run at the tournament, hoping to shatter the glass ceiling that has held the national team back seemingly every four years.
The USMNT has only reached the quarterfinals of a World Cup once in modern history, coming back in 2002 when they beat CONCACAF rivals Mexico in the Round of 16. This year, with the expanded FIFA tournament on home soil, they are pushing for a return to that vaunted stage and potentially beyond, but questions remain over whether the team’s talent level at full strength is capable of such a run.
Thus, a potentially devastating injury to one of the most important USMNT players could significantly dampen those dreams and leave Pochettino scrambling to find solutions to this sudden problem thrust onto his doorstep just weeks before the start of the tournament.
MORE:Predicting the USMNT roster and starting lineup for the 2026 FIFA World Cup
Chris Richards injury news, update after ankle sprain
American defender Chris Richards has suffered an ankle injury down the final stretch of the Premier League season that could put his immediate availability in serious jeopardy.
The 26-year-old was brought in off the bench in the 61st minute of Crystal Palace‘s league match against Brentford on May 17, but twisted his ankle in the 79th minute. He remained on the pitch and completed the match, but after the game, manager Oliver Glasner noted that his ankle was significantly swollen.
On May 21, Glasner said that Richards would miss the team’s final Premier League match against Arsenal, which is a competitively meaningless, dead-rubber game for both teams, and then would be “50/50” for the UEFA Conference League final against Rayo Vallecano.
In that update, Glasner mentioned that Richards’ ankle was “stable but quite swollen” still, and noted that he had “torn two ligaments” as well.
“We have to deal with the swelling,” Glasner said. “He has to get back on the pitch to be available, and it takes time. He is in from sunrise until sunset having treatments and everything we can do that reduces the swelling, and of course we have a great medical department, so we will give our best and he will give his best – and then let’s see if we can get it done.”
It must be noted that often, a mention of “torn” soft tissue has often become a somewhat overused terminology by non-native English speakers in football to refer to any kind of muscle or ligament damage.
Yet it has still raised alarm bells amongst the U.S. fanbase, especially the fact his ankle remains so swollen days after the injury, knowing a World Cup is right around the corner.
Will Chris Richards miss the FIFA World Cup?
If the ankle injury to Chris Richards is bad enough for him to miss the UEFA Conference League final on May 27, USMNT fans will be right to worry about his availability at the World Cup.
The U.S. has pre-tournament friendlies on May 31 and June 6, and it feels doubtful that Richards will certainly miss participate in either of those matches to protect his fitness and allow his ankle to fully heal.
Following that, the USMNT will play its first World Cup group stage match on June 12 against Paraguay, with ensuing games on June 19 against Australia and June 25 against Turkey.
According to Roger Bennett of Men In Blazers, Richards’ agent has said he is not at risk of missing World Cup matches, but that will be determined by how quickly his ankle heals.
It does seem likely that Richards would be fit enough to return at some point either in the group stage or for the knockout stage if the hosts reach that point, unless the injury fails to heal in a timely manner or surgery is ultimately required. However, ankle injuries are finicky and often prone to re-injury if not fully healed properly.
Chris Richards injury absence devastating to USMNT World Cup
Any missed time for Chris Richards at the 2026 FIFA World Cup would be potentially devastating for the United States.
Alongside Christian Pulisic, Richards is one of the most important and critical players in Mauricio Pochettino’s talent pool, and his absence would present an enormous problem for the USMNT boss.
Center-back is one of the thinnest positions on the U.S. depth chart, so much so that Pochettino has even struggled to settle on a consistent performer for the starting role next to Richards at the back. Missing Richards would throw that position into complete chaos and put enormous pressure on a patchwork back line to step up and perform.
Celtic starter Auston Trusty has positioned himself to be in consideration for a big role at the World Cup, but he has not been able to replicate his club form on the national team level consistently as of yet. Tim Ream remains a leader on this team, but is now 38 years old and slowing. Miles Robinson has often been the target of ire from the USMNT fanbase for his spotty performances, as has Mark McKenzie, and Cameron Carter-Vickers has a torn Achilles, keeping him out of action this summer.
It could be an opportunity for 19-year-old Noahkai Banks to step in and show the USMNT fanbase what he’s capable of, but the uncapped defender turned down Pochettino’s call-up in March and has been dropped from his club Augsburg since then.
Every USMNT fan will be holding their breath until finding out if Richards is back fit for action.