Noahkai Banks may be young and still looking for his first U.S. men’s national team cap, but that hasn’t stopped Landon Donovan from predicting the defender will start at the 2026 World Cup.
Banks has become a regular starter this season for Augsburg, despite only recently turning 19. The 6-foot-4 defender is considered one of the best American center-back prospects in many years and has earned one USMNT call-up.
But the defender did not see the field last fall during his only USMNT camp, making next month’s camp massive for his World Cup hopes.
If he is to make a late charge toward a World Cup spot, Banks will likely need to earn a call-up for friendlies against Belgium and Portugal – the team’s last two games before Mauricio Pochettino names his World Cup squad.
Donovan is feeling bullish on the young defender’s chances. On his ‘Unfiltered Soccer’ show, the USMNT legend explained why he believes Banks won’t just make Pochettino’s World Cup squad, but will start this summer.
‘Tim Ream is locked and going to play. Chris Richards is more than locked and going to play. I think Pochettino wants this team to have the ability to play in a back three,’ he said. ‘I think the team performs best in a back three.
‘So your options become (Mark) McKenzie, Miles Robinson and even Noahkai Banks. You can maybe move Joe Scally if he makes the team. Alex Freeman can play there, maybe Antonee Robinson can play on the (right).
‘But I think (Banks is) a kid who’s played on the right side of a (back) three earlier this season, played on the left side of a (back) three. So he’s clearly comfortable. He’s playing in the Bundesliga every week as an 18-year-old. And I just think when push comes to shove, Pochettino might go, ‘OK, yeah, he’s young. But what are the alternatives?”
The teenager insisted that his only focus for now is on Augsburg, which is currently battling to avoid relegation from the Bundesliga.
‘I think it’s not the right moment to think about the World Cup, because we have a lot of games left here, and we want to win those games because we have goals for the season,’ he said.
‘A lot of players say it, but I really mean it: I really just focus on the games we have here. And then let’s see what happens in the summer.’