‘He can be the best center back in Europe’ - Noahkai Banks is emerging as a Bundesliga-level center back: can he matter for the USMNT at the 2026 World Cup?

Banks' introduction to top-flight action came last season. After rising through the ranks at Augsburg, the center back made his senior debut in January 2025, going on to make eight appearances in the Bundesliga down the stretch.

"I kept moving up step by step," he told GOAL in September. "For me, my debut was special. I've slowly come into the first team and, for me, that made me realize that maybe I've made it there, but now I want to stay there."

Stay there, he has. This season, Banks has become a mainstay of the Augsburg defense. With the Bundesliga currently on winter break, Banks has already started 10 games and featured in two others off the bench. He scored a goal back on Oct. 4, his first start of the season, to help lead the way in a win over Wolfsburg. The teenager has started each of the club's last seven matches and, save for a bad team performance in a 3-0 loss to Hoffenheim, has put in the type of performances that cement his place as a Bundesliga-level defender.

The stats back that up. According to FB Ref, Banks is above average in pass completion, progressive passes and progressive carries, illustrating his comfort with the ball. He's also above average in blocks, clearances, and aerials, while also putting himself in the 97th percentile for tackles-per-90. Now, those stats can be mildly misleading as Augsburg's 15th-place position in the Bundesliga means they're doing significantly more defending than, say, Bayern Munich. Banks hasn't looked out of place, though, which is about as big a compliment as you can give a 19-year-old central defender. 

His 6-foot-4 frame helps. So, too, does his recovery speed. You can't get away with just that at the Bundesliga level, though, as Banks has shown a reading for the game that goes beyond his years. The biggest knock on him has been that he has been tentative at times, which can be expected. Banks, though, has looked more assured in recent weeks, headlined by arguably his best game of the year against Bayer Leverkusen. Facing off with one of the league's better teams, Banks helped Augsburg to a 2-0 win while leading the game in duels won (eight) and completing 29 of his 32 passes.

The next step for Banks might just be to translate everything to the national team. It'll be tough, of course, but he's given plenty of reasons to believe that he might just do it sooner rather than later.

USMNT boss Pochettino has only spent a few days working with Banks, who was one of many newcomers to the program to be invited to camp in 2025. In total, 56 players earned at least one cap for the U.S. this year. Banks was not one of those players, as he remained on the bench against both South Korea and Japan in December.

Pochettino, though, has publicly stated how impressed he is with the defender, despite not seeing him suit up for the USMNT just yet.

"I saw him playing in Germany, and he's a massive talent," the coach said back in August. "You never know how he can explode - maybe at the end of the season he can be the best center back in Europe or in Germany."

Big praise and, in truth, it seems unlikely. Given his age, Banks still has some growing pains in his future. He's doing well, much better than many could expect, but it'll be tough for him to be among the best in the world for at least a little while.

Can he be one of the USMNT's best, though? That's what many are wondering ahead of the World Cup.

The USMNT center back pool is deep. It's also totally unsettled with plenty of candidates vying for their spot in the lineup.

Chris Richards is the one undroppable in that pool and, ironically enough, his path is perhaps the best comparison for Banks. After coming through at Bayern originally, Richards emerged as a Bundesliga regular at Hoffenheim through 2021 and 2022. That breakout is what, ultimately, positioned him for a big role with the USMNT and a big move to Crystal Palace. Banks, in many ways, can use Richards as a reference and a blueprint to follow as someone who parlayed a Bundesliga role into USMNT success.

Richards isn't the only center back Banks will be competing with, though. Veteran Tim Ream continues to put himself in the mix as he pushes for one last World Cup. Mark McKenzie put in a strong performance against Uruguay in November alongside Auston Trusty. Miles Robinson has been a mainstay with this team, while veteran Walker Zimmerman is always in the mix, too.

Banks has one massive thing on his side: potential. Physically, he's already there, given his height and athleticism. The fact that he's played in a back three, the USMNT's recent system, with Augsburg is a big boost, too. Banks, though, has time on his side. At 19, there are so many reasons to believe that he can get better.

"It's a legacy because I think he's a really important player in a position that, for every single national team, is difficult to find that type of profile," Pochettino said in the fall. "For us, it's important for him to discover a different level of competition."

In the end, the decision rests with Pochettino: has Banks done enough to make the World Cup squad, and is he ready to matter once he does?

Banks admitted it in September midway through USMNT camp: he was largely just happy to be there. He didn't expect to be called in, which, in truth, made the fact that he was even sweeter.

"I was so surprised," he said. "I was so happy. My mom called me five minutes after. She was so happy as well."

If Banks wants to make it to another U.S. camp ahead of the World Cup roster selection, there's only one more on the schedule. The U.S. will play Portugal and Belgium during the March international window, and after that, that's it. That'll be the final chance to impress Pochettino, at least directly. You never know with World Cup rosters, admittedly, with Ream's late inclusion in the 2022 World Cup being a prime example. 

For Banks, though, there's a pathway to March and, ultimately, for the World Cup. It's relatively simple: keep progressing at Augsburg. Yes, there will be bumps in the road, particularly for a team fighting relegation in a top-flight league, but the big goal for Banks will be to hold onto his starting spot. If he is a consistent Bundesliga starter the rest of the way, he'll have made one heck of a case to be included in March, particularly with the MLS guys in early-season form. From there, who knows?

"It's coming quick, but there's so much I want to do," Banks told GOAL in the fall. "I want to have a great season, and that means just going game to game, to be honest. Whatever God wants to happen will happen."

It’s all there for Banks - a chance to potentially play in a World Cup before his 20th birthday, and perhaps even a place in the starting XI.