Bournemouth midfielder Tyler Adams faces a significant spell on the sidelines after suffering a torn MCL, a development that complicates the United States’ preparations for the 2026 World Cup.

“Tyler is injured. He has torn his MCL. So he will be out, definitely out for some time,” Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola said at his press conference on Friday ahead of Saturday’s Burnley match. “Normally two, three months. Two months … optimistic, pessimistic … three, something like this. So, yes, it’s a big blow. It’s a big blow because it’s an important player for us. But straight away, when you see the mechanism, the action, we were feeling that there could be something there.”

Adams suffered the injury after blocking a shot from Man Utd forward Matheus Cunha and was quickly attended to by medical staff, who ran initial tests on his knee on the pitch. He attempted to return to the match, but Iraola indicated after the game that further tests were needed.

This Premier League season Adams has been in strong form, scoring two goals across 15 matches. He also became the first American to win the Premier League Goal of the Month award for his long-distance effort against Sunderland, which beat goalkeeper Robin Roefs.

A primary starter in USMNT manager Mauricio Pochettino’s plans, Adams could now miss crucial preparation time. The estimated recovery window should still allow him to be available for the World Cup, which the USMNT opens on June 12 in Los Angeles against Paraguay, but it places his involvement in doubt for two high-profile friendlies at home against Belgium and Portugal on March 28 and April 1.

If Adams misses those fixtures, the U.S. will have at most two matches — versus Senegal on May 31 and Germany on June 6 — to reintegrate him into the team ahead of the tournament. Adams has been a regular for the national side since his debut at 18 and captained the U.S. at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, starting four games as the team fell to the Netherlands in the Round of 16. His absence would represent a substantial setback to hopes of a deep run in 2026.

The 2025 Best FIFA Football Awards will be decided at a ceremony in Qatar on Tuesday, Dec. 16 at Fairmont Katara Hall. A long list of nominees will be reduced to a handful of winners that evening, with the selection process shared between national team representatives, media and registered fans.

Four major parties vote for each award: managers, captains, journalists and fans. Each sector comprises 25% of the total tally that will determine which players end the night with a new piece of silverware. The managers and captains of all 211 FIFA Member Associations’ men’s national teams will vote for their outstanding three candidates for each of the three men’s awards: Best FIFA Men’s Player, Best FIFA Men’s Coach and Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper. Similarly, the managers and captains of all 211 FIFA Member Associations’ women’s national teams will cast their votes for their top three candidates for each of the three women’s awards: Best FIFA Women’s Player, Best FIFA Women’s Coach and Best FIFA Women’s Goalkeeper.

The other 50% of the votes come from various media representatives and the general public. FIFA allows a select number of journalists who cover the men’s and women’s games to have their say in choosing the ceremony’s award winners. Unlike the Ballon d’Or voting, fans who registered at FIFA.com before the deadline were able to cast their votes for each award.

Players receive a set number of points based on where each voter ranks them in their top three. The nominee with the most points across all four voting groups will be crowned the winner of each respective award.

Nominees highlighted among the frontrunners include Paris Saint-Germain forward Ousmane Dembélé and Barcelona teenager Lamine Yamal for the men’s prize, with Dembélé said to hold a slight edge after helping deliver PSG’s first-ever Champions League trophy in 2024–25. In the women’s race, Bonmatí and Mariona Caldentey — the winner and runner-up of the 2025 Ballon d’Or Féminin respectively — lead the field. If Bonmatí wins, she would break her tie with teammate Putellas to become the first player in history to win the Best FIFA Women’s Player award three times.

Captains and managers may vote for nominees from their own countries, but nominated captains and managers are not allowed to vote for themselves.

The World Cup has often strengthened a player’s case for the Ballon d’Or. Across successive tournaments, a handful of individuals converted international triumph into the sport’s highest individual prize in the same year.

Bobby Charlton received the Ballon d’Or on Dec. 27 following England’s 1966 World Cup success. A decade after Stanley Matthews won the inaugural prize, Charlton’s performances for England were decisive, including a semi-final in which he struck a brace against Eusébio’s Portugal. The deciding vote was cast by the Portuguese journalist Fernando Couto e Santos from Mundo Desportivo.

Paolo Rossi’s Italy story spans two tournaments. Three goals at the 1978 World Cup earned him a place in FIFA’s Team of the Tournament, but Italy finished fourth and he placed fifth in that year’s Ballon d’Or. Four years later Rossi scored six goals across the final three matches in Spain, including the opener in a 3–1 victory over West Germany in the final. Marco Tardelli and Alessandro Altobelli also scored in that final.

Lothar Matthäus powered West Germany’s 1990 charge. Already established through success with Bayern Munich and then Inter, he scored four times at the tournament, including a decisive penalty against Czechoslovakia, and finished runner-up for the competition’s Golden Ball to Salvatore Schillaci. Matthäus prevailed in the Ballon d’Or vote over Schillaci and Andreas Brehme.

Zinedine Zidane arrived at the 1998 World Cup after claiming the Serie A title with Juventus, was sent off in the group stage against Saudi Arabia, then delivered two first-half headers to defeat Brazil in the final as France won. Zidane collected both Player of the Match and the Ballon d’Or.

Ronaldo’s 2002 World Cup haul — four group goals, a last-16 strike against Belgium, the semi winner against Türkiye and a two-goal final against Germany — was followed by a move to Real Madrid and Ballon d’Or success later that year.

Fabio Cannavaro, one of only three defenders to win the Ballon d’Or, led Italy’s resilient defence in 2006 after Juventus’s 2005–06 title was later revoked. Italy kept multiple clean sheets en route to a final settled on penalties after Zinedine Zidane’s sending off; Cannavaro joined FIFA’s All-Star Team and won the Ballon d’Or.

The vote’s switch to a seasonal cycle and the winter scheduling of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar meant Lionel Messi did not receive his record-extending eighth Ballon d’Or until late 2023. Messi scored five goals leading up to the final, recovered from an opening defeat to Saudi Arabia, then scored twice in the 3–3 final with France and helped Argentina to victory on penalties under Lionel Scaloni before his retirement.