England and Portugal End on a Winning Note: How Their World Cup Warm-Up Friendlies Went

On the eve of the World Cup opener between Mexico and South Africa, several national teams completed their final warm-up matches, fine-tuning lineups, testing tactical options and managing player fitness before the tournament begins. The preparations varied from team to team, but most of the major contenders entered the competition with a mix of confidence, rotation and a few injury concerns. Argentina, the reigning world champion and Fifa’s top-ranked side, won both of its friendlies in the United States, beating Honduras 2-0 and Iceland 3-0. Lionel Messi started on the bench in both matches as he recovered from muscle fatigue, but returned against Iceland and scored from the penalty spot. Coach Lionel Scaloni used different lineups and plenty of second-half changes, while several players dealt with physical issues.

Spain closed its preparation with mixed results. It first drew 1-1 with Iraq in an underwhelming performance that lacked several big names, then beat Peru 3-1 in Mexico with more of its key players available. Spain remains unbeaten in 35 matches, with its last defeat coming in 2023 against Scotland in qualifying. France finished with a surprising 2-1 loss to Ivory Coast before recovering with a 3-1 win over Northern Ireland, where Michael Olise scored a hat-trick. Didier Deschamps rotated his squad and gave minutes to players returning from injury, including William Saliba and Ousmane Dembele.

England also ended on a positive note, edging New Zealand 1-0 before defeating Costa Rica 3-0 in the United States. Thomas Tuchel used two different starting lineups and heavily rotated his outfield players. Portugal played both of its final friendlies at home and won 2-1 against Chile and Nigeria, with Roberto Martínez managing his squad carefully and resting several players after the Champions League final.

Brazil had one of the strongest pre-tournament runs, beating Panama 6-2 and Egypt 2-1, though the team suffered a setback with the injury withdrawal of Wesley. Carlo Ancelotti used different teams in each match and gave nearly the entire squad a run-out, while Neymar remained sidelined as he continued recovering from a calf injury. Morocco, Brazil’s opening opponent, dominated Burundi and Madagascar before drawing 1-1 with Norway in the United States. The host nations also wrapped up their preparations: Mexico won both of its final games, the United States beat Senegal before losing to Germany, and Canada finished with a win and a draw.

Elsewhere, Belgium impressed by beating Croatia and Tunisia, Germany produced strong performances against Finland and the United States, and Scotland ended with back-to-back wins, including a 4-0 defeat of Bolivia. Haiti, Brazil’s second group opponent, played two friendlies in the U.S., beating New Zealand and losing to Peru.