All posts tagged: FIFA World Cup 2026 warm up matches

Messi, ARG teammates’ passport details leaked in security oversight: Report

Messi, ARG teammates’ passport details leaked in security oversight: Report

Published by Webster

3 min readJun 10, 2026 10:13 PM IST A security oversight led to the leaking of passport details of the every Argentina player, including captain Lionel Messi, who were in the squad to face Iceland in a FIFA World Cup warm-up match, a Reuters report stated on Wednesday. The passport numbers, listed on the ⁠official ​team sheet, should have been blurred before being released to the media and the public. But in Alabama’s ​Jordan-Hare ​Stadium, they were circulated ⁠without redaction. Reuters has contacted the Argentinian Football Federation and ‌FIFA for comment. In the match, after recovering from a muscle injury, Messi, the captain of the reigning world champions played 20 minutes and scored a penalty in Argentina’s 3-0 victory over Iceland in its final tune-up match before the World Cup. Messi, recovered from muscle fatigue and a slight strain in his left hamstring that he suffered in his last appearance with Inter Miami on May 24, started the game from the bench. Just days before his 39th birthday and his sixth World Cup, Messi came …

“It will be difficult for our rivals” — and he has the record to prove it

“It will be difficult for our rivals” — and he has the record to prove it

Published by Webster

2 min readJun 10, 2026 07:27 PM IST “It will be very difficult for our rivals to face Argentina because it’s a very strong, united group with undiminished enthusiasm.” Lionel Messi‘s message before his sixth World Cup was short and unambiguous. He delivered it after scoring in Argentina’s 3-0 win over Iceland in Auburn on Tuesday — his 117th international goal, and one that made him the oldest player to score for the Albiceleste at 38 years, 11 months and 14 days, surpassing Angel Labruna’s record that had stood since 1957. It was his 199th cap. Next Tuesday against Algeria will be his 200th. Three players will appear at a sixth World Cup when the tournament opens on June 11 — Messi, Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Mexico’s Guillermo Ochoa. No player in history has reached that number before. “It all happened very quickly,” Messi said. “I felt good, and even though I’m playing for Inter Miami, I never stopped competing, pushing myself. It just happened naturally that I was able to be in most of …