USMNT forward undergoes surgery ahead of 2026 World Cup

Ricardo Pepi suffered fractured forearm during PSV’s win over Excelsior Rotterdam on Saturday

The United States men’s national team have suffered a blow ahead of the 2026 World Cup, as Ricardo Pepi picked up an injury that is set to sideline him for two months. The 23-year-old forward is expected to miss out on USMNT’s friendlies against Belgium and Portugal in March due to a fractured forearm which required surgery.

Pepi landed awkwardly after scoring his team’s second goal during PSV Eindhoven’s 5–1 thrashing of Excelsior Rotterdam on Saturday. The in-form forward has bagged eight goals in 15 league games, with PSV topping the Eredivisie table after winning 16 of their 18 games so far this season.

“The 23-year-old forward will undergo surgery [on Sunday],” PSV posted on X. “Pepi is expected to be sidelined for about two months.”

After the game, PSV coach Peter Bosz expressed his frustration, stressing that Pepi was poised for a solid second half of the season after hitting the ground running this term.

“It didn’t look good right away and at such a moment you would prefer to look the other way,” Bosz noted. “Last January Ricardo was already out due to his knee injury. It won’t last that long now, but unfortunately we lost him again.

“Pepi was on a good run, had a strong training camp and was all the way back. He became more confident in rounding and was in that good flow again. All signs were green for a strong second half of the season, so this is incredibly disappointing. First and foremost for him and obviously for us as well.”

Ricardo Pepi heeft een onderarmbreuk opgelopen. ℹ️

De 23-jarige aanvaller wordt morgen geopereerd. Naar verwachting staat Pepi zo’n twee maanden aan de kant. pic.twitter.com/evNXVRPCwB

— PSV (@PSV) January 10, 2026

A USMNT return after an upsetting injury

Last January, a season-ending knee injury forced Pepi to miss several USMNT games, including last summer’s Gold Cup, where the American side suffered a 2-1 loss to Mexico in the final.

The PSV forward returned to Mauricio Pochettino’s call-ups for the November international break, featuring off the bench in a 2-1 victory over Paraguay.

Although he is expected to be back in action before the end of the 2025/26 campaign, he will miss out on the opportunity of impressing Pochettino and potentially earning a starting spot ahead of a 2026 World Cup that is set to be hosted in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Pepi has registered 34 USMNT appearances across all competitions, with his last goal dating back in November 2024, helping his team to a 4-2 victory over Jamaica in the CONCACAF Nations League Finals.