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World Cup 2026 news as England, Scotland and USA gear up for friendlies – matchday live | World Cup 2026
Key events
Christoph Baumgartner can add to his name to the deeply unfortunate club.
Peter Oh emails to say: “Austria’s Christoph Baumgartner will miss the World Cup due to a muscle injury he suffered in the warm-up for the friendly against Tunisia a few days ago.
“His feisty, creative, attacking qualities are going to very hard to replace. Here he is going on a solo slalom run to score 6.3 seconds from the kick-off.”
… great intel there from David Hytner on the ground, quite literally, in Tampa. Hopefully all the England and New Zealand players come through the friendly fine.
Kick-off will be at 9pm BST – or just over three hours from now.
David Hytner
I know there is a fair bit of angst about the state of the pitch at the Raymond James Stadium, which is the home of the NFL team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
I had a walk around it on Thursday morning and it is certainly harder than a typical Premier League surface. It has been recently re-laid and it did not look to have completely knitted together. Most of the worry seems to stem from how Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain injured his knee in England’s friendly before the 2014 World Cup against Ecuador in Miami. But that problem looked to be more because of a collision with an opposing player.
New Zealand trained on the pitch on Friday and they seemed relaxed about it. “It seemed all right,” said the captain, Chris Wood. “We know it is freshly laid. It will be different at game speed. I’m sure it will hold up.”
On the subject of devastating pre-World Cup injuries, Stephen Gosling has emailed with a great example.
“Brazil’s original captain of the 2002 squad, Emerson (defensive midfielder), dislocated his shoulder playing in goal during training and missed the entire tournament.”
Playing in goal! Ouch. Emerson must’ve experienced the most mixed of emotions as he watched his teammates go on to win the tournament.
David Hytner
An interesting off-cut from Thomas Tuchel’s pre-New Zealand game press conference.
It concerned summer transfers, which may affect some of his England players – most obviously John Stones, Elliot Anderson and Marcus Rashford. The former is a free agent, the latter is in limbo after the end of his loan at Barcelona from Manchester United while Anderson is a target for Manchester City and others after an outstanding season at Nottingham Forest.
Tuchel said he had essentially banned transfer talk on the days before matches and on match days themselves but he is otherwise relaxed and realistic about them going on in the background. The message was to create an environment to help any player involved in a move rather than bottle things up.
News from the Guardian’s chief football correspondent, David Hytner, who’s on the ground in Florida and has this to share from the England camp before the friendly against New Zealand …
Two emails on one topic: no teenage wonder-kid Lennart Karl this summer. Gah!
“Germany suffered a major setback today, as young rising star Lennart Karl of Bayern Munich suffer a serious muscle injury in training and is ruled out of the World Cup,” says Oliver Lind.
“This was the German player I was looking forward to the most. Feel really sorry for the young man. A pity. Not a good omen for Germany’s chances reaching the semis.”
H Furbach concurs, emailing to say: “Regarding injury news, I’m surprised you haven’t mentioned Lennart Karl yet.
“It’s the big topic in Germany today. We were all very exited to see the young Bayern talent make his mark on the World Cup. He was expected to start alongside Wirtz and Musiala in our midfield, after all.
“Sadly he’s got himself a muscle fibre bundle tear in yesterday’s training session and has been ruled out for the tournament. As his replacement, Julian Nagelsmann has nominated not another winger, but RB Leipzigs upstart Assan Ouédraogo, who is more of a box-to-box-midfielder and who has, due to his dynamic style, already been compared to prime Paul Pogba by some. He’s had a breakout first Bundesliga season at Leipzig despite being out for several months with a knee injury. Many would have expected Said El Mala (of Köln) or Dortmund’s Karim Adeyemi as more of a like-for-like replacement for Karl.
“Unhappy greetings from Munich …”
It wasn’t quite a late, late injury – but the great Romário, star of the 1994 World Cup, missed France 1998 as he couldn’t quite get fit in time to make the Brazil squad.
It was particularly devastating as it robbed us of Ronaldo and Romário – the so-called “Ro-Ro” attack – at a World Cup. They were absolutely deadly together in the years leading up to that World Cup.
Anyway, you can read today’s interview with Romário below. He gives himself an 11/10 rating as a player. I concur.
Your heart goes out to any player who picks up an injury on the eve of a World Cup, of course. They only come along once every four years (World Cups, that is, not injuries) – even assuming your country qualifies.
Scotland have already lost poor Billy Gilmour to knee knack during the friendly win against Curaçao and you hope that’s the worst of their luck done with.
I was trying to think earlier who the highest-profile player to miss a World Cup with a late, late injury is – and clearly my brain is shot, because I must be missing some obvious examples.
Rio Ferdinand in 2010 stands out – he was the England captain in 2010 and did his knee in the first training session in South Africa, forcing him out of the squad. Similarly, Roberto Ayala was Argentina’s skipper in 2002 when he injured his thigh. He made the squad – but could not play a minute as his side went out in the group stage.
Who am I missing?
Elsewhere co-hosts Canada drew 1-1 with the Republic of Ireland in their last friendly before they face Bosnia and Herzegovina in the World Cup on Friday of next week.
A Jake O’Brien own goal gave the hosts the lead in Montreal but Ireland’s Chiedozie Ogbene was quickest to react after Troy Parrott’s penalty was saved to equalise in the second half.
I see Alphonso Davies didn’t feature at all, as it’s touch and go whether he’ll be fit in time for that Bosnia game. What a blow to Canada if their star player, and one of the world’s best full-backs, isn’t ready in time for the tournament.
Thanks Tom, hello all – hope you’re all gearing up for some red-hot, pre-tournament friendly action!
Speaking of which: I notice Scotland’s opening opponents in Group C, Haiti, lost 2-1 to Peru in their final warm-up before the World Cup. Sunderland’s Wilson Isidor gave Haiti the lead but Peru struck twice late on.
Possibly a result to calm Scottish nerves after Haiti’s 4-0 thumping of New Zealand. But it’s hard to tell with these friendlies, isn’t it? How hard are the players trying on “the wanting to impress the manager”/“really mustn’t get injured” scale of effort?
It’s time for me catch a break, to steer you through the next hour is Alex Reid.
Here is your afternoon reminder to get on Bracketology, where you can plot a path to victory for England (or anyone else for that matter). It’s good, clean fun and we promise we won’t tell anyone that you failed to predict [insert shock group stage elimination here].
Have a go:
Romelu Lukaku continued his comeback for Belgium with 25 minutes off the bench as they enjoyed a 5-0 victory over 10-man Tunisia earlier today.
In Belgium’s final warmup fixture before they head to the United States for the World Cup, Leandro Trossard, Charles De Ketelaere, Kevin De Bruyne, Dodi Lukebakio and Nicolas Raskin scored the goals as Lukaku grabbed an assist.
Lukaku did not make a single start for Napoli in Serie A this season, but is in a race to get fit for the World Cup and netted against Croatia on his return on Tuesday.
More injury news, I’m afraid. This time it is former Brighton man Julio Enciso who has been left waiting nervously on his fitness for Paraguay’s World Cup campaign. The Strasbourg forward was taken off on a stretcher in tears in his national team’s 4-0 warmup victory over Nicaragua in Asuncion.
Paraguay head coach Gustavo Alfaro confirmed Enciso will undergo tests and said he remained “hopeful” that the injury was not muscular.
“Julio suffered two simultaneous injuries; a tight hamstring from impact and then on his waist, which affected his quadriceps area,” Alfaro said. “He was concerned and that’s why he came off.
“When he took the first hit, he signaled to me and I told him to come off. He replied that it was loosening up, but then he took another blow to the waist and that’s when he felt the injury,.
“We hope Julio is all right and he can be ready to return for the opener against the US.”
Paraguay, who’ll play their group matches in California, face the hosts in their Group D opener next Friday in Inglewood before taking on Turkey on 19 June. Australia are the South American nation’s final group stage opponents, when they face off on 25 June at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.
Unfortunate injury news coming out of the Argentina camp, the AFA has confirmed that Marseille defender Leonardo Balerdi will miss the World Cup after suffering a calf injury on his right leg during training.
In a post on X, the AFA said Balerdi has sustained a muscle injury in his right leg that has ruled him out of the tournament. There is no word yet who will replace the 27 year old.
The World Cup guides are coming thick and fast. France is the latest.
That’s all from me today. Tom Bassam is back now for the final stretch of this live blog.
Mexico is planning to increase the police and security presence around Zocalo plaza in Mexico City to ensure the World Cup Fan Fest can go ahead amid growing social unrest and public protests.
Much of the city’s historic centre, including the Catedral Metropolitana and Aztec ruin Templo Mayor, is locked down, but the president Claudia Sheinbaum’s government is adamant that Zocalo will remain open throughout the tournament.
Local reports have claimed that a crowd of up to 100,000 is expected at the official Fifa Fan Fest when Mexico kicks off the World Cup against South Africa at the Azteca Stadium next Thursday, raising security concerns in a city that is in the grip of a wide range of protests.
Be sure to check out The Guardian’s World Cup player guide. Every star set to appear at the tournament this summer has been covered – that is 1,248 in total!
Thomas Tuchel has indicated that Ollie Watkins will be Harry Kane’s understudy during the World Cup, with Ivan Toney seen as more of a wildcard to use in specific situations. All three players could feature at some point when England face New Zealand this evening.
Tuchel said: “I think Ollie is more the guy we need to start for Harry, if we think Harry should not start a match. He can keep the intensity up, to keep the press going.
“Ivan is kind of a finisher for us. Maybe it’s a special task to take the attention off Harry. Then we have a second striker who’s very, very good in the box. He’s a good penalty taker. He trains on a high level. I’m very happy with him. He just showed that it was right to take him. He has a brilliant attitude. We have some options but Harry is, of course, the main guy in front.”
Thiago Rabelo spoke to Brazil legend Romário this week – and the former striker made quite the statement about his playing career…
Some huge names will miss out on the World Cup this summer. Yara El-Shaboury has assembled a starting XI of those absent, including the likes of Gianluigi Donnarumma, Victor Osimhen and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
Fifa has cancelled World Cup tickets issued to about 60 fans who mistakenly got them for free because of a website error, and soccer’s governing body is now asking for them to be paid in full.
The tickets were “allocated at no charge [0 USD] due to a prior payment issue during the checkout process,” Fifa said in a statement Thursday.
“Fifa regrets the error and any inconvenience caused,” it said. “The tickets requested by these fans remain reserved, and the affected fans have been invited to complete payment of the correct amount.”
It is the latest glitch in an often controversial World Cup ticketing program that the attorneys general of New York and New Jersey are investigating for possible violations of consumer protection laws.
The mispriced tickets were sold through the official World Cup site on 21 May, Fifa said in an email message to buyers. That date was more than three months after Fifa president Gianni Infantino said all 104 World Cup games had sold out.
Have you got your World Cup wall chart yet? Well, if you haven’t, feel free to print this one out in time for kick-off next week!
There are plenty of international friendlies taking place today. Here are some of them…
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Portugal v Chile
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United States v Germany
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Switzerland v Australia
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Brazil v Egypt
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Bolivia v Scotland
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England v New Zealand
Steve Clarke believes Haiti’s routing of New Zealand could be useful as a means of dispelling Scottish arrogance towards their first World Cup opponents. The 4-0 win for Haiti in Florida turned heads in Scotland, when a victory for Clarke’s team over the 82nd-ranked team in the world seen as essential for progression from a Group C that also includes Morocco and Brazil. Scotland take on Haiti in Boston next Saturday.
Marlon is not the only one with a predicted England v France final. Richard says:
“I too have an England/France final.”
Marlon has messaged in after predicting the route to the World Cup final using our Bracketology…
“England beating France in the final. Yeah, right.”
Right, that’s it from me for now. Emillia is back to keep you updated on the latest goings on in football.
Jacob Steinberg
Tuchel confident ‘sharp’ Kane is in perfect form to lead England at World Cup
Thomas Tuchel has said that Harry Kane is in top shape and ready to lead England to glory at the World Cup. The Bayern Munich striker has been short of fitness at previous major tournaments but he has enjoyed a brilliant season in Germany and has looked in peak physical condition in training this week.
England have prepared for the intense heat expected at the World Cup by heading to Florida to acclimatise to the weather and have been working in testing conditions at their pre-tournament base in West Palm Beach.
Tuchel is focused on recovery and knows that the team’s hopes of glory will rest heavily on Kane staying injury-free. The country’s record goalscorer remains a talismanic figure, despite struggling for form and fitness at Euro 2024, and has the backing of his manager before England cross Florida to face New Zealand in Tampa in their first warm-up game on Saturday.
“He looks in top shape,” Tuchel said. “He looks lean, sharp and he trains at the highest level. We had a defensive training session today and he was leading the intensity. He is so used to the high press from Bayern Munich and the intensive game that they play in the opponents’ half. He is leading by example. I think he is in the best shape.
“He is ready to go. We don’t have to be worried about him at all, even if it is hot in June. He has showed me the whole week that he is ready. He is our key player.”
More from Jacob Steinberg in Florida here:
Barney Ronay
Power and glory: World Cup promises a spectacle impossible to ignore
This is the end, of our elaborate plans, the end. Of everything that stands, the end. It seems fitting that football’s latest stopping point on its voyage upriver into the blank parts of the map, a mission so choice that when it’s over you may never want another one, should be a World Cup overseen by a haunted-looking man with a messiah complex, out there operating beyond the pale of acceptable sporting governance, the warrior-poet Swiss lawyer football never knew it needed.
The 2026 World Cup in the US, Mexico and Canada will finally kick off in earnest on 11 June at the Azteca Stadium. From there the tournament will unspool across 39 days, 16 host cities, 104 matches and a 6,000-mile span from Mexico City in the south to Vancouver in the north to Boston in the east. Ten years in the making, the end product of a century of powerplay and hyper-grift, this is by almost any metric not just the largest sporting event ever staged, but the largest event, as we say in America, period.
How football explains the world, part 95. It has been estimated the tournament will generate $80bn (£59.7bn) in global economic output across its full timeline, roughly equivalent to the GDP of Belarus. Basically, if the World Cup were a country someone would have stationed nuclear weapons on it by now. Here we have big sport in its final global form. But also, in the spirit of the times, a spectacle configured in the image of a single opportunist overlord.
This is Gianni Infantino’s world now, a man who carries with him at all times that oddly alluring sense of complete conviction in his own inauthenticity, whirling his arms like a Las Vegas illusionist, doling out favours on a round of applause, beaming piously around the walnut table of power, even as his own peace prize overlord initiates eight separate military actions inside a year, and all the while saying things like joy, love, unity, hope. Or as Shakira might put it, Dai, dai, ikou, dale, allez, let’s go.
Read Barney Ronay’s column in full here:
Here’s a little Süper Lig update for you, Vincenzo Italiano has been appointed coach of Besiktas.
The 48-year-old Italian has agreed a two-year deal to coach the Turkish giants, albeit one that has not won a league title since 2021.
The former coach of Serie A clubs Fiorentina and Bologna, becomes the 11th manager at Besiktas in the past five years, following Frenchman Valerien Ismael, Dutchman Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Norwegian Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Klopp’s agent shoots down ‘annoying’ talk of Real Madrid move
Jürgen Klopp’s agent has dismissed talk of the former Liverpool manager filling the vacant post at Real Madrid should Enrique Riquelme become the club’s next president.
Marc Kosicke rejected Riquelme’s statement that the German, who left Anfield for a job as Red Bull’s head of global football, would become head coach after releasing a statement confirming him as first choice if elected on Sunday.
In a post on social media, Kosicke was quoted as saying: “It’s annoying! Jürgen Klopp is happy in his role at Red Bull and has no ambitions to work as a coach at a club.”
A statement from Riquelme’s office, reported on Sky Sports, read: “We know that Jürgen Klopp has publicly stated that he has no intention of returning to the dugout in the short term, and that he has turned down numerous offers. That is precisely why we believe the challenge of Real Madrid is different. Because there are great clubs, but there is only one Real Madrid. There is only one institution capable of uniting tradition and future, values and ambition, passion and excellence.
“For that reason, if the members grant me their trust this Sunday, on Monday 8 June, Raúl González Blanco [Enrique’s proposed sporting director] will contact Jürgen Klopp to convey to him personally our sporting project and our wish for him to be the one to lead, from the bench, our new era at Real Madrid.”
Some women’s international football to update you on, Australia suffered a shock home defeat against Mexico. Here’s the AAP snap report from Newcastle, New South Wales:
Coach Joe Montemurro bemoaned the Matildas’ bad decision-making in a shock 1-0 added-time loss to Mexico on home soil.
A disjointed Matildas side fluffed their lines in front of goal at McDonald Jones Stadium, while Alice Soto threaded the ball beautifully to help Diana Ordonez nab the match-winner.
World rankings had the full-strength hosts as heavy favourites, with the Matildas welcoming Steph Catley, Emily van Egmond, Mary Fowler and Ellie Carpenter back to the starting lineup for the 15th-ranked side on Saturday night.
But none of Australia’s established stars could find the match-winner from 19 shots at goal to world No.28 Mexico’s 12 in front of 23,167 fans.
It was the Matildas’ first game on home soil since their 1-0 Asian Cup final loss to Japan in March, having pulled off a clean sweep of their FIFA Series matches against Malawi and Kenya in April.
Montemurro’s review of the defeat was simple: “We didn’t score goals.
“The attacking third – I’ve said it many, many times – it’s so difficult to work, to coach because it’s feeling, it’s the moment.
“There are many, many things that happen in those areas and the decisions were wrong. It’s as simple as that.”
And with that, it’s time for me to get some lunch. Tom Bassam will be with you for the next hour.
I have spoken to others who feel the same. Perhaps it may be something to do with the fact the Premier League season ended just two weeks ago, and the Champions League final was just last weekend. Too much football?
I usually love the WC and count down the days until it begins. This time around I genuinely forgot there was a WC looming.
You can also see what Zohran Mamdani, the mayor of New York City, picked in the video below.
I ended up with Spain win. Let me know what you got.
Before the news broke of David Sullivan’s departure from West Ham, I asked which nation you think will win the World Cup. Jack has messaged in to say:
“I can’t look past Spain for the WC. Quality in depth in every position, mixing pragmatism and skill, coming off the back of a Euros win and an even better Yamal.
“I don’t know whether they can be considered a dark horse but I’d give my underrated team pick to Brazil. Still a deeply flawed team full of trauma, but I think Ancelloti is the exact manager to lead Brazil to the hexa.”
Well, that was a bit of unpredicted news. Anyway, let’s get back to talking all things World Cup.
Of course, if there are any more developments we will bring them to you.
More on Sullivan’s resignation:
David Sullivan’s exit comes almost two weeks after West Ham were relegated from the Premier League. Here is what Jacob Steinberg had to say about that…
West Ham have also released a statement on Sullivan’s resignation.
It reads: “West Ham United can confirm that Joint-Chair David Sullivan has stepped down from his position with immediate effect.
“Mr Sullivan has also resigned as a director of both WH Holding Limited and West Ham United Football Club, having been made aware of the impending publication of serious historic allegations. It is understood none of the allegations relate to West Ham United or any of its operations.
“Through his own legal representatives Mr Sullivan denies any illegal conduct and has taken the decision to step down in order to avoid disruption to the Club while he addresses the matter privately.
“Interim Chief Executive Officer Karim Virani, reporting into the current Board of Directors, will continue to be responsible for leading the Club’s day-to-day operations. The Club will provide an update on the future structure of the Board of Directors in due course, but will make no further comment at this time.”
The full statement from David Sullivan:
“I have recently become aware that factually incorrect and entirely false, decades-old allegations concerning my personal life are due to be broadcast and published.
“The false allegations levelled against me have been sensationalised by the media. After a lifetime spent building businesses in the adult industry in which I have met thousands of women, it is sadly inevitable that a small number of improper conduct claims are being made against me. I categorically deny these claims.
“I am a private man, and those who personally and professionally know the real David Sullivan, not the caricature invented by the tabloids, know exactly who I am and what I stand for. I am absolutely not the person the media has decided to paint me as.
“I have not been provided with any proper explanation as to how these individuals or their claims were independently verified or assessed for credibility prior to publication. I believe that the entire process has been fundamentally unfair and completely lacking in any due impartiality. I will be suing the BBC for libel, along with any other media outlet that repeats any libelous allegations.
“None of these allegations relate to my more than 30 years in football; West Ham United has been one of the greatest passions and privileges of my life. I care deeply about the club, its supporters, its players, its staff, and its future. At what is already a challenging and important time for the club, I refuse to allow personal matters concerning me to become an unnecessary distraction or a source of instability.
“Therefore, after very careful consideration and with a heavy heart, I have decided to resign as Joint-Chair and Director of West Ham United FC with immediate effect.
“This has been an incredibly painful decision to make, but it is one made out of love, respect, and responsibility toward a football club and a fan base that deserve absolute unity and focus moving forward.
“I am stepping down to apply my full energy and attention on fighting these false allegations. I have officially engaged my legal team and we are preparing to issue legal proceedings in respect of each and every false complaint that has been made against me. I will be seeking full redress, legally and publicly, on every single front.
“As I depart, I want to thank everyone connected with West Ham United, past and present, for the loyalty, friendship, memories and European adventures and successes that I will carry with me forever. West Ham United will always remain close to my heart, and I have total confidence that the Board of Directors and interim Chief Executive Officer Karim Virani will do everything they can to take the club forward in the right direction. I wish everyone connected with the club every success in the future.
“I will not be making further public comment at this stage, but I reserve all legal rights available to me in relation to any false or defamatory allegations.”
David Sullivan steps down as West Ham chairman
David Sullivan has announced his resignation as joint-chair and director of West Ham with immediate effect in a statement.
He said: “I have recently become aware that factually incorrect and entirely false, decades-old allegations concerning my personal life are due to be broadcast and published…”
Speaking of predictions, you can guess the pathways to the final with our special bracketology page. Be sure to save it for the tournament so that you can see how you got on.
As always, feel free to message in today with any thoughts, feelings and observations. You can also leave a comment below the line.
Today’s question is: Who will win the World Cup?
Iran has slammed World Cup co-hosts the United States over what it called “discriminatory treatment” by not granting visas for some members of the Iranian national team’s delegation to attend the tournament.
Fifa has again amended its water bottle policy for the World Cup in North America, allowing fans to bring in one sealed, disposable 20-ounce (590ml) bottle into stadiums.
Ticket holders had previously been permitted an empty, transparent and reusable bottle up to one litre but an update earlier this week confirmed reusable bottles were no longer permitted.
Thomas Tuchel admitted he was “a little bit worried” about the state of the pitch that his England stars will be playing on when they face New Zealand tonight. A photo of the patchy playing surface went viral on social media this week, sparking concern from fans.
Meanwhile, Tuchel said: “It will not affect my team selection because what I have heard until now is that it should be OK and we want it, of course, to be OK.
“I saw just a photo from a colleague that made me a little bit worried and concerned, but let’s decide when we are there. If there are any issues, we can always react to it. The plan is tomorrow to play 45, 45 minutes with two complete teams, to expose everyone to the same amount of minutes.
“Then we can continue the next three days with the same load of training. That is the plan, and at the moment we stick to the plan.”
Thomas Tuchel has claimed that Harry Kane is ready to lead England to glory at the World Cup. The Bayern Munich striker has been short of fitness at previous major tournaments but looks in peak physical condition in the build-up to this one.
Tuchel said: “He looks in top shape. He looks lean, sharp and he trains at the highest level. We had a defensive training session today and he was leading the intensity. He is so used to the high press from Bayern Munich and the intensive game that they play in the opponents’ half. He is leading by example. I think he is in the best shape.
“He is ready to go. We don’t have to be worried about him at all, even if it is hot in June. He has showed me the whole week that he is ready. He is our key player.”
Tom Garry
As the game ticked into second-half stoppage time, Spain were almost showboating, Aitana Bonmatí flicking the ball around the pitch with grace, style and a swagger that sent out an emphatic message: Spain are significantly better than England.
On a balmy evening in Palma, the world champions taught the European champions a painful lesson. The scoreline was one thing but, more alarmingly, the undeniable gulf in technical ability between the teams gave the Lionesses a brutal reality check, a year out from the Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
Sarina Wiegman admitted she “expected a different game” between the Lionesses and Spain last night. The England manager said: “Of course it hurts. I expected a totally different game. I expected a very tight game, a very competitive game, but it was different tonight, so that’s of course really disappointing and that hurts.”
She went on to add: “We were really struggling to keep the ball and find the passes further away or in behind. They played really well and we didn’t play so well. Out of possession, we were really struggling to stay compact, especially in our own half … our connections weren’t so good and they found the space we left straight away.”
Some stats/facts for you on last night’s game:
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It was England’s heaviest defeat in 17 years. They had not lost by a four-goal margin since the Euro 2009 final – a 6-2 loss to Germany.
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It was the first time the Lionesses had conceded four goals in a World Cup qualifier.
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Prior to the match, England had not lost a qualifier since November 2002.
Let’s start by looking back at what happened last night. England suffered their worst defeat under Sarina Wiegman in a 4-0 thrashing by Spain. If you missed it, be sure to read the match report below…
Preamble
Hello, good morning and welcome to another Matchday live! England kick off their final World Cup preparations with a warm-up match against New Zealand tonight. The Three Lions arrived in Florida on Monday and have been acclimatising to the (very) warm weather. Some concerns have already been raised about the pitch they will play on, however. We will touch on that a bit more later on.
Meanwhile, the Lionesses suffered a dent in their World Cup qualification hopes last night with a 4-0 loss to Spain. England needed just a draw from the clash to punch their ticket to Brazil, but they will now likely have to go through additional qualifiers.
Scotland are also in action later today as they face Bolivia. We’ll be looking ahead to that as we get closer to kick-off.
All of that and more to come!
The family of Shaun Burton, say they are “devastated” by the loss.
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Key events
In the opening half an hour against Cape Verde, Mikel Oyarzabal, the centre-forward, did not get a single touch.
Kyle Green gets in touch: “Your highlighting of Lalas and his absurdity is something that has prevented me from wanting to watch the coverage on Fox. While every channel has its pros and cons I just can’t.
“I’m 45 and probably the youngest of anyone who remembers him as a player instead of an opinionated insert insult here. As for the match this could be more competitive than it looks on paper Spain need a win the pressure is on them. Saudi Arabia could hold out for a draw and see what happens in their last match. “
News from the England camp, and it seems to be good news on Declan Rice.
“I’m ready and fit, raring to go. I was feeling a little bit of neural pain in my hamstring, which I was managing from after Christmas with Arsenal for a very long time. Obviously, not a lot of people would have known that. It was all behind-the-scenes stuff but it was a smart decision.
“In the end, that last 20 minutes is probably where you pick up the most, and it’s where you play a 70-minute match. But that last 20 is where you really feel your body going for it. And I think it was a smart decision because the last few days I felt really, really good.”
Alex Reid has penned today’s weekend special Football Daily.
Portugal v Uzbekistan on Tuesday enticingly pits the incredibly nice, incredibly 41-year-old-superstar-tolerant Roberto Martínez against Fabio Cannavaro, who’s won a Ballon d’Or as a player and the Chinese Super League as a coach. While the fixture following that game really does see the dream of Thomas Tuchel – in his first international job with England – taking on Queiroz, who is in charge of his ninth national side with Ghana.
The expected formations are 4-2-3-1 for Spain, and 5-3-2 for the Saudi Arabians.
The Saudi team features two Donis changes: Ali Lajami, a defender, and Nasser Al Dawsari, a midfielder, are preferred to Mohammed Abu Al Shamat and Mohamed Kanno. You may recall Salem Al Dawsari, the Saudi captain, as the man who scored the winner against Argentina.
An entertaining read, even for those of us who have just seen the clips.
In a conversation where his co-panelist is casually reminiscing about his days playing alongside Messi or exchanging shirts with Ronaldo Nazário at the World Cup, what exactly is Lalas going to talk about – coming on as a second-half substitute for Earnie Stewart in a friendly against Scotland in 1998? Helping the Kansas City Wizards finish last in the 1999 MLS Western Conference? Did Lalas enjoy an elite playing career? No. But does he do the background reading that could compensate for his relative lack of standing in a conversation with titans like Henry and Zlatan? Also no. But is he charming or funny or charismatic or otherwise magnetic on screen? Eh, no.
For the record, I once interviewed Alexi Lalas on the challenge of playing against Romario in the 1994 World Cup. He had this to say:
“He could kill you in so many different ways. If you remember from that World Cup, he scored so many types of goals. That ranged from solo adventures to an outside-of-the-right-foot half-volley off a corner kick. Romario was both the most difficult to play against and the best that I have faced.
“Roberto Baggio was doing his thing, but in terms of consistency and living up to the hype, he [Romario] was the best. As with all stars, there was a moment when the fans sit up in their seats, and that was a feeling I got with Romario. When it got close to him and the potential for his involvement in a play was there, everybody sat up in their seat. They knew that something spectacular would be happening.”
Saturday’s match reports here.
The Saudi Arabia coach, and Blackburn legend, Georgios Donis, spoke about the challenges facing his team: “Spain is not the same team when Yamal or Williams are on the bench.
“While they still have plenty of possession, they lack the individual one-on-one penetration when these two are missing. I’m not saying it’s a problem for Spain, but when those players are missing, they play in a different way. We saw this very clearly against Cape Verde.
“We are playing against one of the best teams in the world, and it’s very important that when you play against these kinds of teams, you should enjoy the experience and respect the opponent, but not too much.
“It is very hard for any team playing against Spain to have any time in possession. So what we must do is to be more in control of our movement and compact, and when the ball goes through the lines, be able to defend dynamically.
“It’s nice to see miracles in football, and we’ve seen favourites losing against underdogs. Of course, it’s great for Saudi football to have a great memory of the result against Argentina, but we aren’t drawing anything from that.
“I think we’ll feel more pressure in that [Cape Verde] game than we will against Spain.”
The Spain coach, Luis De La Fuente had this to say in his Saturday press conference: “This generation of footballers is highly competitive and really fired up… It’s going to be a completely different story,” he said at his pre-match press conference on Saturday. There is no drama or crisis. The bottom line is simply that we need to win tomorrow.”
Four changes for Spain: Lamine Yamal, Pedro Porro, Dani Olmo and Alex Baena also come into the side with Marcos Llorente, Fabian Ruiz, Ferran Torres and Gavi dropping out.
The teams – Lamine Yamal starts
Spain: Simon, Porro, Cubarsi, Laporte, Cucurella, Gonzalez, Rodri, Yamal, Olmo, Baena, Oyarzabal. Subs: Raya, Joan Garcia, Pubill, Grimaldo, Eric Garcia, Llorente, Merino, Torres, Fabian, Gavi, Pino, Williams, Zubimendi, Munoz, Iglesias.
Saudi Arabia: Al Owais, Abdulhamid, Tambakti, Lajami, Al Amri, Al Harbi, Nasser Al Dawsari, Al Khaibari, Al Juwayr, Al Buraikan, Salem Al Dawsari. Subs: Al Aqidi, Al Kassar, Majrashi, Yahya, Al Shehri, Al Boushal, Kadesh, Al Johani, Al Ghannam, Al Hajji, Al Hamdan, Mandash, Kanno, Thakri, Abu Al Shamat.
Referee: Raphael Claus (Brazil)
Perhaps one of the Saudi -players can write themselves into this high-grade selection?
Perhaps it can be their goalkeeper.
Madrid screening of Spain v Saudi Arabia cancelled due to heat
The public screening of Spain’s World Cup match against Saudi Arabia in Madrid on Sunday has been cancelled because of extreme heat forecast for the Spanish capital, officials said.
The match, due to kick off at 6pm local time on Sunday, had been scheduled to be shown on a giant screen installed by the Spanish football federation (RFEF) at a fan zone in Plaza de Colón in central Madrid.
Madrid city council and the federation decided to cancel the screening after national weather agency AEMET issued an orange heat warning – the second-highest level – for the Madrid region, with temperatures forecast to reach 40C.
“The decision has been taken with the aim of protecting the health of attendees, event staff and support services involved in the event,” Madrid city hall said in a statement, apologising for any inconvenience.
Officials urged supporters to watch the match indoors in air-conditioned spaces and avoid prolonged exposure to the heat.
Large parts of Spain are experiencing unusually high temperatures for June as a mass of hot air from North Africa moves across the Iberian Peninsula.
A total of 13 of Spain’s 17 regions are on orange alert for heat on Sunday, while the northern Basque Country bordering France is on red alert, the highest level.
Authorities advised residents and visitors to take precautions during the heatwave, including drinking water regularly, staying in cool environments, limiting outdoor physical activity during the hottest hours of the day and taking extra care of vulnerable people. AFP
Can Saudi Arabia repeat the magic of 2022?
Argentina arrived in Qatar on a 36-game unbeaten run. When Lionel Messi opened the scoring from the penalty spot after 10 minutes, a comfortable afternoon seemed in the offing. Saleh al-Shehri and Salem al-Dawsari had other ideas, Argentina had three goals disallowed for offside in the space of 13 minutes and the greatest comeback in Saudi Arabia football history was made. Argentina went on to lift the trophy, while defeats to Poland and Mexico meant the Saudis did not reach the knock-out stage.
Unai Simon over David Raya is a controversial choice for De la Fuentes. The Arsenal keeper could lay claim to being Europe’s best this season.
“Those at the Champions League final had a few more days, so I got there on the Wednesday night,” Raya says. “I arrived a bit before Fabián [Ruiz]. I was saying hello to some of the others in reception when he arrived. I went to say congratulations; that was almost the first thing I did. I couldn’t really talk [to him] after the final; I just didn’t have it in me. The next day we talked about the game properly. Just two mates chatting … I was happy for him that he could lift the trophy for a second time.”
A high pressure game for the European champions, as Sid Lowe reports.
“If we had scored one, the game would have changed,” Martín Zubimendi said. Immediately after the game, De la Fuente had offered a simple analysis: when the ball doesn’t want to go in it doesn’t want to go in, he insisted. Spain had racked up 27 shots, after all. Ferran Torres had hit the bar and seen another clear opportunity saved. Vozinha, the 40-year-old goalkeeper who stopped that, saved six more and was named the man of the match. “There’s nothing to reproach the team for,” Rodri said. “We generated chances but couldn’t put it away; the good thing is they created almost nothing.”
We wait to see what role Lamine Yamal will play today. His coach would surely like to be able to use him.
The worst mistake we could make would be to compare him to anyone. He is the midst of a process. He has exceptional footballing maturity and lives it all with total naturalness. He has great serenity and strength. We have to let him follow his path but those players who have something different are ready for that. They’re geniuses, like Dalí [who] can paint a picture, or Michelangelo. They’re different. What is exceptional to us, isn’t to them. In those extremes, they feel comfortable. Why? Because they are different. What we think is exceptional, they consider normal.
Preamble
Spain’s campaign did not get off to a flying start, and Luis de la Fuentes may wake up in the night to visions of Cape Verde’s Vozinha. He will have Georgia on his mind ever since Monday. Saudi Arabia are no pushovers and gave Uruguay a scare in their opening match. Memories of downing Argentina four years ago still abound, and so Spain might beware. They can ill afford to go into the final game with Uruguay at a disadvantage. All eyes on Lamine Yamal, whose fitness situation remains opaque, though Spain need their other forwards to come to the party.
Kick-off 5pm UK, 1pm ET, 2am AEST. Join me.
A topless man can be seen driving erratically in Edinburgh before abandoning his car and attacking a black man and a delivery rider.
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