NewzVille Desk
Several teams have arrived at their designated stations and stepped up preparations for the FIFA World Cup, co-hosted by the USA, Mexico and Canada, ahead of the tournament’s June 11 kickoff.
Argentina trained for this week’s warm-up friendlies against Honduras and Iceland. The reigning champions aim to become the first men’s team to retain the World Cup since Brazil in 1962.
Captain Lionel Messi trained separately from the main group as he continues his recovery from a hamstring issue. Despite the setback, the forward is expected to regain full fitness in time for Argentina’s World Cup opener against Algeria on June 16.
Meanwhile, the Switzerland squad has arrived in the USA to prepare for their World Cup Group B matches against co-hosts Canada, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Qatar.
However, forward Breel Embolo did not travel with the team due to a Swiss court ruling linked to a 2018 altercation.
Embolo was convicted in 2023 of making multiple threats and handed a suspended fine, a verdict that was recently upheld on appeal after judges rejected his account of the incident.
England held a training session at their base in Florida, as manager Thomas Tuchel put his squad through drills in the South Florida heat. They are among the favourites to win the title.
The English team will continue to fine-tune their combinations when they face New Zealand in a pre-World Cup friendly on Saturday.
Iran National team will play a final warm-up match in Turkey on Thursday before leaving to their base in Mexico on Saturday.
