Introduction
Thank you very much, David. Let’s see what the next couple of hours bring us …
That’s my stint over. By the way, the Netflix documentary about France’s 2010 implosion - The Bus: A French Football Mutiny - is well worth a watch. Raymond Domenech is some character, isn’t he. Okay, with that, I’ll hand you over to Will Unwin.
Christian Eriksen Update
More on Christian Eriksen as he recovers in hospital after collapsing in Denmark’s friendly against Ukraine. This is from .
Sunday Night International Friendly Results
A few notes.
Greece 0-1 Italy. No-one cares. Neither are in the World Cup. For the record, Francesco Esposito got the winner after 17 minutes.
Morocco 1-1 Norway: This is more like it. Morocco, the surprise semi-finalists from 2022, face Brazil, Scotland and Haiti in Group C. Norway take on France, Senegal and Iraq in a tough Group I. This one took place at Sports Illustrated Stadium in New York. Real Madrid’s Brahim Diaz put Morocco in front before Arsenal skipper Martin Ødegaard levelled with 15 minutes to go. Erling Haaland played 72 minutes.
Argentina 2-0 Honduras. We noted this earlier although didn’t mention the fact that Atletico Madrid attacker Giuliano Simeone got the second following Lautaro Martinez’s first-half spot-kick.
Algeria Team Guide
Another team guide to tuck into - Algeria. File them under ‘enigma’. Riyad Mahrez, now 35, remains the main man as they tackle a tough group (J) featuring Argentina, Austria and Jordan.
Veteran Players at the 2026 World Cup
Talking of the golden oldies, Luka Modric (4th on the below list) shows no signs of getting tired. The metronomic midfielder was on target for Croatia - England’s first opponents - in their 2-1 friendly win over Slovenia on Sunday night. Our Nick Ames was there.
If you think Messi is knocking on a bit, he’s not even one of the 10 oldest players at the 2026 World Cup. Modern science, eh.
FIFA published the top 20 oldest players last week and it’s an early win for Scotland.
- Craig Gordon – Scotland (43 years & 162 days)
- Cristiano Ronaldo – Portugal (41 & 126)
- Guillermo Ochoa – Mexico (40 & 333)
- Luka Modric – Croatia (40 & 275)
- Edin Dzeko – Bosnia and Herzegovina (40 & 86)
- Manuel Neuer – Germany (40 & 76)
- Vozinha – Cabo Verde (40 & 8)
- Fernando Muslera – Uruguay (39 years & 360 days)
- Yuto Nagatomo – Japan (39 years & 272 days)
- Hernan Galindez – Ecuador (39 & 73)
- Mahdy Soliman – Egypt (39 & 3)
- Lionel Messi – Argentina (38 & 352)
- Tim Ream – USA (38 & 249)
- Weverton – Brazil (38 & 180)
- Alberto Quintero – Panama (38 & 175)
- Johny Placide – Haiti (38 & 133)
- Nicolas Otamendi – Argentina (38 & 119)
- Gatito Fernandez – Paraguay (38 & 74)
- Stopira – Cabo Verde (38 & 22)
- Michael Boxall – New Zealand (37 & 297)
(Ages correct as of 11 June 2026).
Roger Milla was 42 at World Cup 1994 but the record for oldest player belongs to Essam El Hadary. The Egypt goalkeeper was 45 years and 161 days when appearing between the sticks in the 2018 group game against Saudi Arabia.
Lionel Messi will turn 39 during this World Cup. And while Qatar 2022 appeared to be the perfect ending for the Argentine legend, just maybe there is another glorious chapter waiting to be written, says Jonathan Wilson.
Further Update on Christian Eriksen
Another update on Christian Eriksen. Denmark’s national team doctor, Morten Boesen, has just posted the following on his Instagram feed:
“I spoke with Christian this morning, and he is doing well. He is with his family and in good spirits. The expectation is that he will be discharged soon and can return home.”
England News
More news from England. Declan Rice has been named vice-captain by boss Thomas Tuchel. Rice was one of the Arsenal contingent who arrived at England’s pre-tournament base in West Palm Beach on Saturday after they were given extra time to recover from their Champions League exploits. Tuchel is unsure if Rice, Eberechi Eze, Noni Madueke and Bukayo Saka will be involved against Costa Rica.
As for the skipper, Harry Kane has been playing down all the scare stories about players melting in the heat.
“The drinks breaks help. A lot of people talk about the heat but I don’t think it will be as big a factor as people say. Myself and a few of the boys felt fine in the first game. We’ve been training in it and it’s not been too bad. I think it’s easy just to say it’s going to be really tough as it’s different to what we are used to. But we are all athletes, we are professionals and have all played in warm-weather conditions before.”
Inside the England Camp
Let’s go inside the England camp. David Hytner is one of our men in Tampa and here’s his latest report ahead of the Three Lions’ friendly with Costa Rica on Wednesday night. That game takes place exactly one week before England’s Group L opener against Croatia (17 June, 9pm BST).
“The nailed-on picks appear to be Jordan Pickford, Reece James, Marc Guéhi, Declan Rice, Elliot Anderson, Bukayo Saka and Harry Kane. Which leaves some fighting to be done.”
Note that the above list doesn’t include Jude Bellingham. Will he get the nod over Morgan Rogers?
Argentina Team Guide
Our latest team guide focuses on holders Argentina. And it’s not just all about Lionel Messi.
“Almost two thirds of the 2022 squad remains, but it now also includes some promising young players such as Nico Paz, who has been in excellent form at Como. They will also have established stars like Lautaro Martínez, who aims to be in top condition for this World Cup: something he couldn’t achieve in Qatar.”
Speaking of which, Martinez scored from the spot as Argentina beat Honduras 2-0 in a friendly last night. Messi didn’t feature as Argentina wrap him in cotton wool after the skipper felt some muscle fatigue in his hamstring playing for Inter Miami on 24 May.
Positive Update on Christian Eriksen after Collapse
This was an alarming and upsetting development last night but thankfully the updates on Christian Eriksen are positive after he collapsed in Denmark’s friendly against Ukraine. The former Manchester United midfielder, who suffered a cardiac arrest during a European Championship match in 2021, was quickly tended to by medics in Odense, while the referee abandoned the match early.
Denmark’s national team doctor, Morten Boesen, said Eriksen was “briefly unconscious, but regained consciousness very quickly … and walked off the pitch by himself”.
After the incident against Finland in 2021, during which Boesen intervened, Eriksen was fitted with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) in his chest, which can reset the heart after a cardiac arrest. The device allowed him to continue playing professionally.
Speaking after Sunday’s incident, Boesen said:
“The pacemaker responded as it should … He will now undergo further examinations at the hospital to determine what caused the incident. We are in ongoing contact with him and the doctors at the hospital. But Christian is doing well, and he asked me to send his regards to all the players and tell them that he was okay.”
Lamine Yamal Could Play in Spain's Opener
Good news for Spain. Rumours that Lamine Yamal may miss Spain’s first two World Cup group games (against Cape Verde and South Africa) may be wide of the mark.
The 18-year-old Barcelona winger was absent for the final six matches of the season due to a torn hamstring and hasn’t played since April. But, speaking to our very own Sid Lowe, Spain boss Luis de la Fuente gave this encouraging update:
“He’s getting better fast, hitting all the targets earlier. I think he’ll be able to play the first game, but that doesn’t mean [he will]. We’ll evaluate if he has to play a little bit, not play, wait for the second game.”
Iran Visa Row
Iran’s squad landed in Mexico yesterday amid a bitter diplomatic row, after the United States refused to issue visas for some team support staff.
The squad spent nearly three weeks at a training camp in Turkey, using their time there to apply for visas to travel to Mexico, Canada and the United States. On the eve of their departure, the players finally received their US visas, according to Washington’s envoy to Turkey, Tom Barrack.
Iran’s embassy in Turkey said support staff had been denied visas, however. Fifteen administrative and management staff are concerned, an Iranian diplomat and state TV said.
All three of Iran’s Group G games will be held in the United States (Los Angeles and Seattle) but, adding to the tensions, Iran’s ambassador to Mexico said on Saturday the squad had been notified that, under their visa conditions, the team must enter and leave US soil on the same day as their matches.
Iran’s football federation – whose chief, Mehdi Taj, was reportedly among those denied a visa – has described the decision as “political interference in sport in its worst form.”
World Cup 2026 Countdown
Good morning and, we can now actually say it, the World Cup starts this week! Woohoo!! With Mexico v South Africa getting us in play on Thursday at 8pm UK time, the countdown clock now shows ‘3 days, 11 hours’. That’s the first of 104 matches across 39 days (blimey!) so the window to get other stuff done in your lives (car tax, jet-washing patio, returning those summer sandals that didn’t fit/were a bad idea) is closing fast.
Our build-up continues right here as we go inside the England camp to reflect on their 1-0 hammering of New Zealand and look ahead to Wednesday’s friendly with not-in-the-World-Cup Costa Rica. And there’s a bundle of news, features and previews on everything else connected with this summer’s 2026 extravaganza in the USA, Mexico and Canada, including Scotland raising eyebrows with their first-half performance in the friendly against Bolivia and a fitness update on Spain’s Lamine Yamal. Right, let’s go!
