Argentina and Brazil will in World Cup warm up matches

Defending world champions Argentina continued their preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a comfortable 2-0 victory over Honduras, despite resting captain Lionel Messi. 

The 38-year-old forward, who has not played since suffering muscle fatigue while on club duty with Inter Miami in May, was left out as a precaution by coach Lionel Scaloni ahead of the tournament in North America.

Argentina showed little sign of missing their star man, dominating proceedings in Texas as Lautaro Martinez converted a penalty before Giuliano Simeone added a second goal. 

Scaloni’s side will conclude their pre-World Cup preparations against Iceland on June 9 before beginning the defence of their title.

Portugal also recorded a 2-1 victory over Chile, but the match was overshadowed by a late first-half mass confrontation that resulted in the dismissals of Rafael Leao and Chile defender Ivan Roman. 

Cristiano Ronaldo featured during the opening half as Goncalo Guedes and Bruno Fernandes scored for Portugal, while Lucas Cepeda grabbed a late consolation goal for Chile. 

Leao now faces the possibility of suspension heading into the World Cup.

Germany completed their warm-up schedule with a 2-1 win over co-hosts the United States. 

Kai Havertz opened the scoring before Antonee Robinson produced a stunning equaliser for the Americans. 

However, Leroy Sane restored Germany’s lead to hand Julian Nagelsmann’s side a ninth consecutive victory. 

United States coach Mauricio Pochettino praised his team’s performance despite the defeat, describing Germany as one of the strongest teams in world football.

Brazil also ended their preparations on a positive note with a 2-1 victory over Egypt. 

Bruno Guimaraes gave the five-time world champions an early lead before Mostafa Zico levelled for Egypt. Endrick then struck the winning goal after being set up by Raphinha. 

Egypt captain Mohamed Salah made his return from a recent muscle injury as a second-half substitute and is expected to be fit for the tournament.

Belgium rounded off their warm-up campaign with an emphatic 5-0 victory over Tunisia. 

Goals from Leandro Trossard, Charles De Ketelaere, Kevin De Bruyne, Dodi Lukebakio, and Nicolas Raskin sealed an impressive win, aided by the second-half dismissal of Tunisia’s Ismael Gharbi. 

Belgium coach Rudi Garcia described the result as ideal preparation ahead of their World Cup opener against Egypt, as teams make their final adjustments before the tournament begins on June 11.