World Cup contenders edge friendly wins ahead of 2026 tournament

PARIS: Brazil, Argentina and Germany all recorded narrow victories in warm-up matches on Saturday as teams stepped up preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, while England and Portugal also came through their final friendlies with wins.

Argentina beat Honduras 2-0 in Texas without Lionel Messi, who was rested. Lautaro Martinez played a central role in the win, scoring once and setting up another, with Simeone adding the second goal. However, Argentina also confirmed a setback ahead of the tournament, announcing that defender Leonardo Balerdi will miss the World Cup because of a calf injury in his right leg.

"Defender Leonardo Balerdi suffered a muscle injury in the soleus of his right leg and will not be able to be part of the squad that will play the World Cup. Hang in there, stay strong, and get well soon," in a statement, Argentina said.

Balerdi, 27, was included in Argentina's 26-man squad last week after making 36 appearances in all competitions for Olympique de Marseille. No replacement had been named. Argentina, the defending champions, are due to begin their Group J campaign against Algeria on June 16 before facing Austria and Jordan.

Brazil, Germany and England win

Brazil, five-time world champions, defeated Egypt 2-1 in Cleveland. Bruno Guimaraes opened the scoring from close range and Endrick added the second after being set up by Raphinha. Zico scored for Egypt, while Mohamed Salah featured in the first half and appeared sharp.

There was concern for Brazil after right back Wesley of AS Roma went off in tears with what appeared to be a serious muscle injury in his left leg, a problem that could threaten his availability for the World Cup. Squads can still be altered until one day before a team's opening match.

Germany extended their winning run to nine matches with a 2-1 victory over co-hosts the United States in Chicago. Kai Havertz headed in Joshua Kimmich's free kick in the second minute, but the Americans levelled through Antonee Robinson after Jonathan Tah had cleared a corner. Leroy Sane restored Germany's lead in the 57th minute with a strike from 12 metres.

England beat New Zealand 1-0 in Tampa thanks to Harry Kane's first-half header from a Djed Spence cross. With temperatures at 32 degrees Celsius, coach Thomas Tuchel changed his entire side at half-time and used 22 players, as England continued to fine-tune their preparations.

Portugal, Belgium and Scotland also impress

Portugal saw off Chile 2-1 in Oeiras in a heated contest that ended with both sides down to 10 men after Rafael Leao and Ivan Roman were sent off. Goncalo Guedes put Portugal ahead before Bruno Fernandes doubled the lead from outside the box. Lucas Cepeda scored a late goal for Chile.

"We were superior in the 90 minutes, we managed to control the game very well, especially having a lot of the ball in the last third," Fernandes told RTP.

Belgium cruised to a 5-0 win over 10-man Tunisia in Brussels, with Leandro Trossard, Charles De Ketelaere, Kevin De Bruyne, Dodi Lukebakio and Nicolas Raskin on the scoresheet. Romelu Lukaku, continuing his return from injury, came on for 25 minutes and provided an assist.

"We wanted a good performance in front of our fans. It is a good preparation for the World Cup, we know this team can do great things," Belgium coach Rudi Garcia said.

Scotland, with a much-changed side, scored all four goals before the break in a 4-0 win over Bolivia in New Jersey. Che Adams netted twice, while Lawrence Shankland and Scott McTominay also scored. Elsewhere, Switzerland drew 1-1 with Australia and Bosnia and Herzegovina were also held 1-1 by Panama.