World Cup
Messi is a doubtful starter for Argentina’s World Cup qualifying game in Bolivia
Excited Bolivian fans gathered at the La Paz international airport to welcome Lionel Messi ahead of Argentina’s World Cup qualifying game against the home team on Tuesday.
The 36-year-old Messi traveled with the defending World Cup champions but is not a certain starter at the game because of fatigue.
Meanwhile Brazil, coached for the first time by Fernando Diniz in a 5-1 win over Bolivia last Friday, is preparing to face Peru with the same squad.
Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Colombia won their opening games in continental qualifying last week. All 10 South American teams will play their second games on Tuesday.
The 2026 edition of the World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada is expanding to a 48-team format. The top six teams in South America will secure a direct spot. The seventh-place team will contest an intercontinental playoff for a berth.
BOLIVIA vs. ARGENTINA
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni told a news conference he will have against Bolivia a very similar lineup to the one that beat Ecuador on Thursday. Messi’s presence, however, could be decided hours before kick off. The match will take place at the Hernando Siles Stadium, which is more than 3,000 meters above sea level, a venue where visiting teams can struggle, particularly older players.
Scaloni also said veteran Ángel di María and striker Julián Álvarez could make it to his starting XI, probably replacing Nico González and Lautaro Martinez.
“If all is well, the idea is to repeat or see some changes, which could be these two (Di María and Álvarez) entering,” the coach said. “There is a chance they will play, but we can make the decision on the morning before the match.”
If Messi sits out, Scaloni will have to come up with a solution for to cover for a player who has no substitute.
PERU vs. BRAZIL
Brazil coach Diniz has a one-year contract, which ends precisely at the same time Carlo Ancelotti’s deal with Real Madrid is set to expire. Ancelotti is widely tipped to take over Brazil’s national team but local media has shown a lot of excitement for the attacking ideas of the 49-year-old Diniz due to the intensity of the Selecao’s game against Bolivia.
Sunday’s training suggests Diniz will make no changes to play against Peru, which drew its opening match at Paraguay.
Richarlison, who was in tears after being substituted during the match against Bolivia, is likely to get another opportunity as a starter. Defender Gabriel Magalhães has recovered from a light injury and was also working with the likely starters in practice.
Neymar, who until last Friday had not played since February, showed he has recovered with two goals that helped him break Pelé’s record as Brazil’s all-time top goal scorer.
ECUADOR vs. URUGUAY
The toughest encounter on Tuesday is in Quito.
Ecuador’s new coach Félix Sánchez Bas was happy to defend at Argentina, but playing at home against Marcelo Bielsa’s Uruguay he will have to push forward so his team has a chance to erase its three-point deficit in the standings. The point deduction punishment was imposed by FIFA for Ecuador’s falsification of birth information of defender Byron Castillo, who is of Colombian origin.
Bielsa hinted at Sunday’s training he could make yet another big change in the team, after leaving veteran strikers Edinson Cavani and Luis Suárez out of his squad. He tested 21-year-old Los Angeles FC striker Cristian Olivera as replacement for Darwin Núñez, who squandered several opportunities for Uruguay during the team’s 3-1 win against Chile.
Monday will give an indication as to whether Bielsa was serious about making that change or just wanted to play mind games with the Liverpool striker.
Also on Tuesday, Chile will host Colombia and Venezuela will take on Paraguay.
-AP
Nine people sustained non-life-threatening injuries in a shooting near England’s World Cup base camp in Kansas City, Missouri, on Saturday, days before the tournament is due to kick off.
Kansas City police said there were no suspects in custody and that at least three of the shooting victims were transported to local hospitals.
The incident occurred roughly four miles from where England are set to train at Swope Soccer Village. England have not arrived in Kansas City and are due to play a friendly against Costa Rica in Orlando, Florida, on Wednesday.
A spokesperson for the FA declined to comment.
Gun violence is common in the United States, where there were more than 400 mass shootings in 2025, according to the Gun Violence Archive.
-Reuters
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Morocco concluded their preparations for the FIFA World Cup with a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Norway in an international friendly on Sunday, showing flashes of attacking quality before being forced to withstand late pressure from the Europeans.
The Atlas Lions made a bright start and took the lead after just seven minutes through star forward Brahim Diaz. The Real Madrid attacker capitalised on space outside the penalty area to unleash a powerful strike that gave Norway goalkeeper Orjan Nyland no chance.
The goal marked Diaz’s first for Morocco since the Africa Cup of Nations earlier this year, where he finished as the tournament’s top scorer despite the disappointment of missing a penalty in the final.
Morocco looked the more dangerous side in the opening stages and nearly doubled their advantage midway through the first half. Abdessamad Ezzalzouli connected with a teasing cross from Diaz but sent his volley narrowly off target.
The North Africans continued to threaten after the break. Diaz again tested the Norwegian defence in the 57th minute, forcing Nyland into a save before midfielder Neil El Aynaoui headed the rebound over the crossbar.
While Morocco controlled large portions of the contest, Norway gradually grew into the game and mounted sustained pressure in the closing stages. Their persistence paid off 15 minutes from then when captain Martin Odegaard finished neatly with his left foot after a clever run and assist from Oscar Bobb.
Norway almost snatched victory late on, but Kristian Thorstvedt’s header from Julian Ryerson’s free-kick drifted narrowly wide, allowing Morocco to preserve the draw.
Despite surrendering their early lead, the result offers several positives for coach Walid Regragui ahead of Morocco’s opening World Cup Group C fixture against Brazil in New York on Saturday. The Atlas Lions demonstrated their attacking threat through Diaz while also showing resilience under pressure as they defended resolutely in the closing minutes.
With Brazil, Haiti and Scotland also in Group C, Morocco will take encouragement from another competitive performance as they prepare for one of the toughest opening assignments of the tournament.
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Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman plans to use Monday’s friendly against Uzbekistan in New York as an opportunity for his first-choice line-up to have a proper dress rehearsal ahead of their opening World Cup clash against Japan next weekend.
The rest of the Dutch squad will then play a second unofficial game against the Uzbeks straight afterwards, made up of two 35-minute halves, Koeman announced on Sunday.
“We want to use the first match to make as few changes as possible. We have to wait and see if that works,” he said at a press conference ahead of the clash at the Ichan Stadium.
“We are going to play the first match largely with our starting team. It is also good for guys who are not 100% fit, who can then play in the second match. That is why we are playing two matches.
“We have 26 players, and everyone gets minutes to play. That’s what you want.”
A decision still needs to be made regarding defender Jurrien Timber, who only joined the squad last Thursday after playing for Arsenal in the Champions League final on May 30.
It was Timber’s first outing since March after struggling with a groin injury, and there remains concern over his levels of fitness.
“If he trains and is fully fit, he always makes a good impression. That hasn’t been the case every day, so we have to make a decision,” Koeman told reporters.
“He participated in training, and we are going to sit down with the doctor and Jurrien at the end of Sunday afternoon to see whether he is going to start or not,” the coach added.
The Dutch open their Group F campaign against Japan in Dallas on Sunday. Uzbekistan take on Colombia on June 17 in Group K.
-Reuters
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