Our prediction for this World Cup 2026 match:
United States of America and Wales go head to head at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium in what is expected to be a close World Cup game. The Yanks were anything but impressive in the qualifiers for the showpiece tournament, with the team finishing the process in third position, and they surely face a difficult task in their opener. A man to watch in the home team will be Chelsea forward Christian Pulisic, while Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie made the cut after overcoming his injury.
Both Pepi and Steffen have been left out of the squad. The Dragons, on the other hand, will surely rely on Gareth Bale, who helped Los Angeles FC win their first MLS Cup trophy earlier this month. The likes of Joe Allen, Aaron Ramsey, Wayne Hennessey, and Ben Davies are included as well. Anyhow, as previously mentioned, a close game is on the horizon, and we are tempted to put our money on draw.
Highlighted Player (Christian Pulisic):
Christian Pulisic is an American professional footballer who plays in the English Premier League with Chelsea. Born in Pennsylvania on the 18th of September, 1998, the talented midfielder joined Brackley Town's youth setup in 2005. He then went on to feature for Michigan Rush and PA classics before being recruited by Bundesliga outfit Borrusia Dortmund in February 2015.
Impressed with the rate of his progression at their academy, BVB integrated the teenager into their first team over the winter break. On the 30th of January, 2015, Pulisic made his professional debut at the age of 17, coming on as a substitute in Dortmund's 2-0 home win against Ingolstadt in the league. He then went on to score his first professional goal three months later in a 3-0 league win over Hamburger SV. Before joining English club Chelsea in 2018, Pulisic played a total of 4 seasons at Dortmund, three of which were as a full-time player and the last one on loan from the Blues.
The 21-year-old is now back at Chelsea for the 19/20 season and is currently on a contract that expires in 2024. Pulisic's club career honors include winning the 16/17 DFB Pokal with Dortmund. Additionally, Pulisic initially represented the USA at the under-15 and under-17 level before getting called up to the senior squad. He made his senior debut on the 29th of March,2016, as a substitute in USA's 4-0 thumping of Guatemala in the CONCACAF World cup qualifiers.
Highlighted Team (Wales):
Despite being part of the United Kingdom, Wales national football team has been competing in FIFA tournaments since 1950, although they have so far only reached two tournament finals. The Dragons surprised everyone by making it to the quarter-finals at the 1958 World Cup in Sweden, but little did they know that it would remain their only World Cup appearance up to date.
Wales had plenty of problems in the European Championship qualifiers as well, but they finally managed to end the barren run by securing their place at the Euro 2016 in France. Led by the likes of Gareth Bale, Aaron Ramsey, Joe Allen and Ashley Williams, the Dragons performed admirably throughout the campaign and even reached the 8th position in the FIFA Rankings in October 2015.
Neville Southall remains the team’s most capped player, but the generation that included Ryan Giggs, Gary Speed, Craig Bellamy and John Hartson will also be remembered for some impressive performances against top European national teams.