Thomas Tuchel is preparing to hand Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott his international debut during England's final World Cup preparations. Despite not being named in the final 26-man tournament squad, the 22-year-old has been thrust into the spotlight for the upcoming friendlies against New Zealand and Costa Rica.
Nottingham Forest star Chris Wood endured a bittersweet evening in Fort Lauderdale as he officially became the most-capped player in New Zealand men's football history. However, the veteran striker's record-breaking night against Haiti was completely overshadowed by a shambolic performance from the All Whites.
Romelu Lukaku reached yet another historic milestone as Belgium secured a convincing 2-0 victory over Croatia in their preparations for the 2026 World Cup. The Napoli striker came off the bench to silence any doubts over his match fitness, netting a landmark 90th goal for his country to seal the result in Rijeka.
Despite the convincing 4-0 win over Finland, Germany still lacks tactical discipline at times. Julian Nagelsmann is right to trust his young players, and his instincts are sound. Here are three takeaways from the penultimate friendly before the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico.
Curiously, all ten of Germany's outfield starters wore pink boots during Sunday's 4-0 friendly win over Finland. Could this be the personal preference of highly rated young talent Lennart Karl?
Two goals, one assist – Deniz Undav is making a strong case for a place in the World Cup starting line-up and presenting the national coach with a pleasant selection headache.
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