After missing Argentina’s first friendly of the October window, Lionel Messi has rejoined the national team and could feature against Puerto Rico on Tuesday at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The captain skipped the Venezuela match to play for Inter Miami but is now back in full training with Lionel Scaloni’s squad.
Carlo Ancelotti insists Neymar remains in his plans for the World Cup next year, but has warned the Santos star that he must be fully fit to earn a recall to the final Brazil squad. The forward has not played for the Selecao since October 2023, in a 2-0 defeat to Uruguay, but Ancelotti says he could yet play a part in next summer's tournament.
In-form striker Erling Haaland is on his way back to Manchester City after the Norwegian Football Association announced he has been released from international duty. Fresh from scoring a hat-trick to help his country take a major step towards qualifying for next summer's World Cup, the 25-year-old will not feature when Stale Solbakken’s men take on New Zealand in an international friendly.
Gio Lo Celso grabbed the only goal as Argentina eased to a 1-0 win over Venezuela in a rather drab international friendly held at Miami's Hard Rock Stadium. The reigning World Cup champions were a little languid as the game wore on in the absence of Lionel Messi, who was rested, but did enough in the first half to secure a narrow win.
Mauricio Pochettino insisted that the USMNT would present the best version of themselves in the October friendlies after months of experimentation. If Friday night is any indication, the manager was true to his word, as the U.S. turned in a confident performance against Ecuador, one of South America's best teams, salvaging a 1-1 draw.
Luis Ángel Malagón and Raúl Rangel have been the goalkeepers most often called up by Mexico manager Javier Aguirre since he took over last year. Both are vying for the starting spot at the 2026 World Cup — but Aguirre had a clear warning: don’t get too comfortable. The list of contenders keeps growing, and legend Guillermo Ochoa won’t be guaranteed anything at that position.
Lionel Messi was rested for Argentina’s friendly against Venezuela, a 1-0 win, at Hard Rock Stadium on Friday, keeping alive the possibility he could feature for Inter Miami against Atlanta United on Saturday. Earlier in the day, head coach Javier Mascherano said Messi’s availability would depend on whether he played against Venezuela, noting that Argentina would make the final decision.
Declan Rice has hit back at anybody questioning whether Jude Bellingham should be in the England squad, with the Arsenal star saying that the Three Lions "do miss" his fellow midfielder. Thomas Tuchel took to leaving the Real Madrid 'Galactico' out of his plans for a friendly date with Wales and a World Cup qualifier against Latvia, leading some to ponder when or if a recall will be earned.
Brazil delivered the most convincing performance of Carlo Ancelotti's reign so far as they overcame some challenging conditions to thrash South Korea 5-0 in sodden Seoul, with Real Madrid's Rodrygo starring on his return to the squad. After an underwhelming start to his tenure, the Italian tactician will be a much happier man as the Selecao's World Cup preparations begin in earnest.
Thomas Tuchel offered an update on Ollie Watkins' injury after the England striker was forced off in their win against Wales following a nasty collision with the woodwork. England's 3-0 dismantling of Wales on Thursday night might have looked like smooth sailing on the scoreboard, but Watkins' collision left the Three Lions bench fearing the worst.
Thomas Tuchel admits that Bukayo Saka has given him a nice "problem", with the Arsenal winger starring for England against Wales after seeing club colleague Noni Madueke miss out through injury. Saka, making his first appearance for the Three Lions since facing Senegal in June, scored a stunning goal for the Three Lions as they eased to a 3-0 victory over geographical neighbours at Wembley Stadium.
England showed little mercy as they tore Wales apart in a 3-0 friendly win at Wembley on Thursday. The Three Lions destroyed Craig Bellamy's side in a frantic opening 20 minutes which all but put an end to any hope of the visitors securing an unlikely upset between World Cup qualifiers, even despite the hosts leaving some key players on the bench and out of the squad completely.
Bukayo Saka is "starting to feel good again" after continuing his injury comeback on the international stage with an England goal. The Arsenal superstar sent Wembley into raptures with a thunderous strike as the Three Lions swept aside Wales 3-0 in a commanding friendly victory that had redemption written all over it.
Morgan Rogers was delighted to make the most of his opportunity to impress for England against Wales, with the Aston Villa playmaker aware that "people will take your role" if the demands of head coach Thomas Tuchel are not met. Real Madrid superstar Jude Bellingham is among those to have missed out on a place in the latest Three Lions squad, with competition for places now fierce across all areas of the field.
England warmed up for next week's World Cup qualifier away at Latvia with a 3-0 thrashing of rivals Wales in a friendly at Wembley Stadium on Thursday night. Thomas Tuchel had the perfect response to any critics who have taken aim at his team's style of play or his squad selection, with the Three Lions quickly racing into an unassailable lead and flexing their strength at picking holes in deep blocks.
England raced into a 3-0 lead against Wales in their friendly on Thursday night. Bukayo Saka bagged the Three Lions' third with a stunning finish from 20 yards out, leaving Dragons shotstopper Karl Darlow clutching at thin air. Morgan Rogers had fired England ahead in the third minute before Aston Villa teammate Ollie Watkins doubled their advantage eight minutes later.
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