News Focus
- Lionel Messi misses Argentina’s 2-0 victory over Honduras as coach opts to rest the 38-year-old captain
- Rafael Leao sees red during Portugal’s 2-1 win against Chile, risking suspension for World Cup opener
- Germany extend winning streak to nine games with 2-1 victory over hosts United States
- Brazil and Belgium also claim final warm-up wins against Egypt and Tunisia respectively
The defending champions Argentina secured a comfortable 2-0 victory over Honduras in Texas, though they did so without their star captain. Coach Lionel Scaloni chose to protect Lionel Messi, who has not featured since suffering muscle fatigue with Inter Miami last month.
Despite Messi’s absence, the Albiceleste dominated the contest. Lautaro Martinez opened the scoring from the penalty spot before Giuliano Simeone added a second goal. The team will complete their preparations with one final friendly against Iceland on 9 June.
Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo started for Portugal in their 2-1 triumph over Chile, playing the first 45 minutes of his sixth World Cup campaign. However, the victory was overshadowed by a mass brawl just before half-time that resulted in red cards for winger Rafael Leao and Chile defender Ivan Roman.
The dismissal leaves Leao facing a nervous wait. He could miss Wednesday’s friendly against Nigeria, or potentially Portugal’s opening group matches against DR Congo and Uzbekistan if authorities hand down a three-match ban.
Goncalo Guedes and Bruno Fernandes scored the goals for Portugal, while Lucas Cepeda netted a late consolation for Chile in added time.
Elsewhere, Germany maintained their excellent form with a 2-1 win against World Cup co-hosts United States. Kai Havertz put Julian Nagelsmann’s side ahead early, but Antonee Robinson levelled with a stunning volley. Leroy Sane grabbed the winner to extend Germany’s winning run to nine consecutive matches.
United States coach Mauricio Pochettino defended his team’s performance, insisting they were unfortunate to lose against such elite opposition.
Brazil also finished with a 2-1 victory, beating Egypt thanks to an early strike from Newcastle United midfielder Bruno Guimaraes. Mostafa Zico equalised for the Pharaohs, but teenage striker Endrick converted a Raphinha assist to seal the win. Egypt welcomed back Mohamed Salah for the second half after the Liverpool forward recovered from a minor muscle injury.
Belgium completed the round of friendly victories with a dominant 5-0 thrashing of Tunisia. The North Africans played the final half-hour with ten men following Ismael Gharbi’s dismissal. Leandro Trossard, Charles de Ketelaere, Kevin de Bruyne, Dodi Lukebakio and Nicolas Raskin all found the net for Rudi Garcia’s side.
The 2026 World Cup begins on Thursday 11 June across Canada, Mexico and the United States.