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

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.

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

It is unclear whether United States manager Mauricio Pochettino will pick Cardoso for the World Cup. Pochettino is expected to name his squad in less than three weeks.

The 24-year-old has been tipped to play a key role for the US 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 US. He played in central midfield alongside Tanner Tessmann.

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

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

The co-hosts also face Australia and Turkey in the group stage and are under pressure to go deep in the competition.