Overview
- Messi, in interviews published Friday, said France, Spain, Brazil, Germany, England and Portugal look stronger on current form than Argentina for the 2026 World Cup.
- The Argentine FA said it has asked the FIFA Bureau for an amnesty to let veteran defender Nicolás Otamendi play the opener after his September 2025 red card in qualifying.
- AFA’s approach also seeks clemency for Ecuador’s Moisés Caicedo from the same match, with CONMEBOL president Alejandro Domínguez backing the request.
- Center back Cristian Romero is reported on track for Argentina’s June friendlies after a right knee lateral ligament sprain, with national team medics monitoring his recovery in London.
- Messi publicly backed Neymar’s inclusion for Brazil despite fitness doubts, while Argentina tunes up against Honduras on June 6 and Iceland on June 9 before opening vs Algeria on June 16 in Kansas City.