Argentina Holds Final Test Before 2026 World Cup: Rain, Injuries, and Messi's Return. In the USA, the Argentina national team played their final friendly ahead of the World Cup. Messi took to the field, but the squad suffered losses. Due to bad weather, the stadium banned umbrellas.
In the US state of Alabama, the Argentina national team played its final warm-up match ahead of the 2026 World Cup. The match against Iceland was held at Jordan-Hare Stadium, which is normally used for American football games but was converted for soccer on this occasion. Despite heavy rain and challenging weather conditions, the organizers did not cancel the match, and fans were required to leave their umbrellas outside the arena, as stadium management introduced a ban on bringing them in.
Argentina's head coach Lionel Scaloni confirmed that Lionel Messi would take part in the match, though the exact number of minutes he would play was not disclosed. Nico Paz also started, making his second consecutive appearance in the starting lineup. Meanwhile, the team faced some personnel issues: Balerdi will miss the World Cup due to injury, and striker Julián Álvarez is still recovering, leaving his participation in the tournament in doubt. In light of these losses, Giuliano Simeone stood out by adding new attacking options for Argentina.
Before the match, stadium staff worked actively to remove excess water from the pitch. Despite the downpour, the stands were full, and players from both teams came out for warm-ups. The atmosphere in the arena resembled that of major international tournaments, even though the weather clearly made both preparations and the match itself more difficult.
Such matches are becoming an important part of preparation for world tournaments, allowing coaches to test their lineup and tactics in conditions as close to real competition as possible. In Spain, interest in Argentina’s performance is traditionally high, especially given that many team members play in La Liga. For comparison, a decisive playoff match of the Primera was recently held in Almería, where the local team fought for a place in the final — details on the match and the battle for a spot can be found at russpain.com.
Jordan-Hare Stadium holds over 87,000 spectators and is considered one of the largest sports venues in the region. In the US, interest in international football continues to grow, and hosting such matches contributes to the sport’s popularity. For Argentina, this game was the last chance to test the readiness of key players and assess the squad’s depth before the start of the world championship. In the coming weeks, fans’ attention will be focused on the recovery of injured players and the final decisions of the coaching staff.
