World Cup
South Africa plan early Mexico arrival to adapt for World Cup opener
South Africa plan to arrive in Mexico almost a fortnight before the opening game of the World Cup in order to acclimatise to the altitude, coach Hugo Broos said.
Co-hosts Mexico open the tournament on June 11 with a Group A match against South Africa at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, which is 2,200m (7,216 feet) above sea level.
While most of the South African players are based at clubs in Johannesburg, which has an altitude of 1,753m, Broos says his squad need time to adjust to the conditions in Mexico before the opening game.
The squad will travel on May 30 to their base in Pachuca, which is around 200 metres higher than Mexico City. The city is less than 100 km from Mexico City.
“The first days it will be difficult to train at 100% because of the altitude, so that is what we will do in the second week,” Broos said in a radio interview.
South Africa plan to take on Nicaragua at home in a friendly on May 29, although this is not confirmed, and are negotiating to have Puerto Rico as a warm-up opponent for a second international scrimmage in Pachuca.
In their other World Cup group matches, South Africa will meet the Czech Republic in Atlanta on June 18 and South Korea in Monterrey on June 24, seeking to advance past the first round for the first time in their fourth World Cup appearance.
“It’s not an easy group for us. First of all, we will face the hosts in the opening game, at the Azteca Stadium, and it will be very difficult for us there,” Broos said earlier in the year.
But the veteran coach, who played for semi-finalists Belgium at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, has also previously predicted his side could cause some upsets at the tournament, which is also being played in Canada and the U.S.
South Africa and Mexico drew 1-1 at Soccer City in Johannesburg in the opening game of the 2010 World Cup, which South Africa hosted.
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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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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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The Democratic Republic of Congo’s final World Cup warm-up fixture against Chile will take place behind closed doors in the French city of Orleans on Tuesday, a team spokesperson has confirmed.
The fixture had originally been scheduled for Cadiz in Spain, but the city’s mayor cancelled it due to concerns over the Ebola virus outbreak, opens new tab in the central African country.
The squad are preparing for the global finals in the Spanish city of Marbella, having completed a 10-day training camp in Belgium, where they played to a 0-0 draw with Denmark on Wednesday.
United States officials told players and officials they needed to have been outside the DRC for 21 days and symptom-free before they would be allowed to enter the country to participate in the World Cup.
None of the 26-player squad plies their trade in the DRC, as most play for clubs in Europe, while a handful of officials have travelled from the country to be in camp. All individuals are compliant, according to team officials.
After Spain, the Congolese team will travel to their World Cup base in Houston on Thursday. They open their Group K campaign against Portugal six days later, before facing Colombia in Guadalajara on June 23 and Uzbekistan in Atlanta on June 27.
As of Saturday, the number of confirmed Ebola cases in the country had increased to 488, including 86 deaths.
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