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The Argentine national team will play its last two friendlies before the 2026 World Cup against Honduras and Iceland, both on American soil, confirmed this Thursday by the Argentine Football Association (AFA), according to EFE Deportes.
The Albiceleste will face Honduras on June 6 at the Kyle Field stadium in College Station, Texas, one of the largest university stadiums in the world with a capacity of 102,733 spectators.
The second match will be against Iceland on June 9 at the Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Alabama, which has a capacity of 87,451 people, just two days before the official start of the tournament.
The coach Lionel Scaloni is looking to finalize details ahead of the top competition to retain the title won in Qatar 2022, when Argentina became a three-time world champion after defeating France in a historic final.
Both teams will compete with their full World Cup roster, as the teams have until May 30 to confirm their list of 26 players, making these friendlies a crucial test ahead of the tournament.
The Argentine preparation was marked by setbacks: the Finalissima against Spain, the European champion, scheduled for March 27 at the Lusail Stadium in Doha, was canceled due to the military conflict in the Middle East and disagreements between Conmebol and UEFA regarding its rescheduling.
This forced the AFA to organize urgent friendly matches in March, with victories over Mauritania (2-1, with goals from Fernández and Paz) and Zambia (5-0, with goals from Álvarez, Messi, Otamendi from a penalty, an own goal by Chanda, and Barco), both played at La Bombonera in Buenos Aires.
Already settled in their camp in Kansas City, the Albiceleste will face the Hondurans for the fourth time, having won all three previous encounters: 3-1 in 2003, 1-0 in 2016, and 3-0 in 2022.
Against Iceland will be the second historic match between both teams, following the 1-1 draw in the group stage of the 2018 World Cup, when the goalkeeper Hannes Þór Halldórsson saved a penalty from the star Lionel Messi in the 62nd minute, marking Iceland’s first historic point in a World Cup.
Argentina makes its debut in the 2026 World Cup on June 16 against Algeria at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, as part of the Group J, which also includes Austria and Jordan.
Then it will face Austria on June 22 at the AT&T Stadium in Dallas, and will conclude the group stage against Jordan on June 27 in the same city.
The 2026 World Cup, which will be held in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, kicks off on June 11 and is the first in history with 48 participating teams, organized into 12 groups of four teams, making Argentina the top favorite to defend its title in a format that expands the chances of advancement.
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