01

Messi back in full training as Argentina’s injury fears lift

World Cup

Lionel Messi took part in a full team training session in Kansas City on Friday, his first group session since straining his left hamstring playing for Inter Miami against Philadelphia Union on May 24.

The Argentine Football Association confirmed the news, with ESPN Argentina calling it a “massive development” that strongly improves his chances of featuring in Sunday’s friendly against Honduras.

Julián Álvarez returned to training at the same time after recovering from a left ankle knock, giving coach Lionel Scaloni his two most important attackers back for the final pre-tournament preparations.

Messi, 38, is playing in his record sixth World Cup as Argentina’s captain and the defending champion.

He will again sleep in a single room throughout the tournament at the Sporting KC Training Centre base camp, repeating the arrangement that preceded Argentina’s 2022 triumph in Qatar, a detail first reported by OneFootball.

Argentina play Honduras on June 7 in Auburn, Alabama, then Iceland on June 9 as a final tune-up, before opening their World Cup against Algeria on June 16 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.

Ranked third in the world, they are chasing the first back-to-back World Cup titles since Brazil in 1958 and 1962.

In short — Messi trained fully with the group in Kansas City on Friday, his first team session since straining his left hamstring on May 24. Álvarez is back from an ankle knock too, so Scaloni should have both for Sunday’s friendly with Honduras, ahead of the June 16 opener against Algeria.

02

Brazil’s strict camp rules revealed as the Neymar deadline nears

Brazil WC

O Globo reported on Friday that Brazil’s World Cup delegation is operating under a strict internal “code of conduct” at The Ridge Hotel in Basking Ridge, New Jersey.

The CBF controls all access to the hotel during the tournament, players’ families are housed in a separate facility rather than the team hotel, and most training and team activities are closed to the public and press.

Security at the Columbia Park Training Facility in Morris Township was a primary reason the CBF chose the base camp; together with the private hotel, it gives Ancelotti’s staff near-total isolation from outside distractions.

The policy repeats, and deepens, the tightly controlled approach Brazil used for their 2022 preparation in Qatar.

Brazil travel to Cleveland today for tonight’s friendly against Egypt at Huntington Bank Field, 6:00 PM ET.

It is the final warm-up before the Morocco opener and, per CBF sources, the internal deadline: if Neymar cannot show meaningful training progress by today, the replacement option closes on June 12.

Neymar has not played since May 17, and his Grade 2 calf tear means his earliest return to contact training is June 10 under CBF protocol; he will not feature tonight.

Ancelotti is expected to field a near-first-choice side against Egypt to give his Morocco line-up its final competitive minutes.

Egypt, based at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington, travel to Cleveland as Brazil’s training partner for the evening.

In short — Brazil’s camp at The Ridge Hotel runs under tight CBF control: families housed separately and most sessions closed to the public, per O Globo. The side face Egypt in Cleveland tonight (6pm ET) — the unofficial cut-off on Neymar, who won’t play and isn’t due back in contact training until June 10, before the June 13 opener against Morocco.

03

Messi and Neymar: two captains, two injuries, two outlooks

Analysis

South America’s two most decorated World Cup nations go into the tournament with their most famous players managing muscle injuries — but the similarity ends there.

Messi has a left hamstring strain; Neymar has a Grade 2 right calf tear, the more serious of the two.

The gap entering this week is wide: Messi is back in full training and expected to play Sunday, while Neymar has not played competitively for 20 days and has only individual rehabilitation to show for his time at camp.

Argentina are in the better spot. Messi played 90 minutes as recently as May 24, and Inter Miami classed the issue as fatigue rather than a structural tear, which fits his quick move from individual to group work.

Neymar’s case is different: a confirmed Grade 2 tear, a two-to-three-week recovery from May 28, and a June 13 opener that sits inside the worst-case window.

For Brazil, the real question is not whether Neymar faces Morocco — he almost certainly does not — but whether his absence reshapes the plan.

Ancelotti says it does not: the Morocco line-up will mirror the Panama side, Raphinha will carry the attack, and a three-man midfield gives the flexibility to absorb Neymar’s eventual return.

For Argentina, Messi’s return removed the tournament’s biggest worry in a single session.

The defending champions arrived in Kansas City as favourites on ranking, squad depth and manager quality — and nothing this week has changed that.

In short — both captains are managing muscle injuries, but the outlooks diverge. Messi (left hamstring) is already back in full training and should play Sunday; Neymar (Grade 2 calf) is still on solo rehab and looks almost certain to miss Brazil’s June 13 opener against Morocco.

04

Where every South American nation stands, five days out

World Cup

Correction: Argentina’s Group J opener against Algeria is at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, on June 16 — not Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, as we said yesterday.

Argentina’s whole base camp is in Kansas City, so the opener is effectively on home ground.

Argentina

Based at the Sporting KC Training Centre. Messi and Álvarez both back in training; friendlies against Honduras (June 7) and Iceland (June 9); opener June 16 vs Algeria, Arrowhead Stadium.

Ecuador

Based at the Columbus Crew Performance Centre, Ohio. Opener June 14 vs Ivory Coast in Philadelphia. Pacho arrives with two Champions League medals, and Caicedo anchors the midfield.

Colombia

Based at the Atlas AGA Academy in Guadalajara. Opener June 17 vs Uzbekistan at the Estadio Azteca. Luis Díaz leads the attack alongside Cucho Hernández under Néstor Lorenzo.

Uruguay

Based at the Mayakoba Training Center in the Riviera Maya, with the full squad in Bielsa’s first World Cup session. Darwin Núñez leads the line; opener June 15 vs Saudi Arabia in Miami.

Paraguay

Based at the Spartan Soccer Complex in San Jose, California. Garnero’s side are in full training ahead of the June 12 opener against the United States at SoFi Stadium — the host nation’s most politically charged group-stage fixture.

Correction — Argentina’s opener against Algeria is at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City on June 16, not Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta as stated on June 5. The tournament itself opens June 11 with Mexico vs South Africa at the Estadio Azteca.

05

Brazil’s clubs hit the long pause — who gains, who’s at risk

Libertadores

The Brasileirão pauses now until July 22, and Brazilian club football enters the break in a more complicated spot than the table suggests.

Palmeiras lead by seven points but face a Libertadores last-16 tie against Cerro Porteño (first leg August 11-13) and the league restart in the same crowded window.

Flamengo are second, three points back with a game in hand, and their continental tie with Cruzeiro in August is the highest-profile all-Brazilian clash in recent CONMEBOL history.

At the bottom, Vasco da Gama go into the pause deepest in the drop zone (14 points from 18 games) after six straight league defeats, and face a Copa Sudamericana playoff against Independiente Medellín on July 21 — one day before the league returns.

For Mirassol, the break cuts both ways: relief at stopping the slide three points above the drop zone, but a daunting return — a Libertadores first leg at 2,850 metres in Quito against LDU.

The pause favours the clubs with deep squads — Palmeiras, Flamengo, Corinthians — and stretches those already short of options: Mirassol, Vasco, Santos.

Our coverage over the next four weeks will track how the Brazilian clubs shape up for the July-August continental run.

In short — the Brasileirão pauses until July 22. Palmeiras lead by seven, but a crammed restart looms: Vasco, bottom after six straight defeats, play a Copa Sudamericana playoff on July 21, and the Libertadores last-16 first legs fall on August 11-13.

06

Knicks edge the Spurs 105-104 to lead the Finals 2-0

NBA

The Knicks won a second straight game in San Antonio, 105-104, to take a 2-0 Finals lead in a game that ended with Wembanyama’s 20-foot jumper over Mitchell Robinson drifting long at the buzzer.

Jalen Brunson was everywhere with 20 points, five rebounds, six assists and five steals — the first Knicks player to post a 20/5/5/5 line in a Finals road game, joining Jimmy Butler, Allen Iverson, Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen.

Wembanyama answered his Game 1 struggles with 29 points and nine rebounds, and Fox bounced back from seven points to score 18, as the Spurs ran off a 21-5 burst to level the game at 104 with 39 seconds left.

The decisive moment came with 9.5 seconds to go: Wembanyama lost the ball as it deflected off Stephon Castle’s back, Brunson was fouled and made one of two free throws, and Wembanyama’s last shot drifted long.

The Spurs are the first home team to lose the opening two Finals games since the Orlando Magic in 1995 — a series the Houston Rockets went on to sweep.

Game 3 is Monday June 8 at Madison Square Garden, 8:30 PM ET on ABC.

In short — the Knicks won 105-104 in San Antonio to lead the Finals 2-0, with Brunson everywhere: 20 points, six assists and five steals. Towns added 21 and 13 rebounds; Wembanyama’s 29 weren’t enough as his buzzer-beater drifted long. Game 3 is Monday at Madison Square Garden.

07

Frequently asked questions

FAQ

Is Lionel Messi fit for Argentina’s 2026 World Cup campaign?

Yes. Messi returned to full group training with Argentina in Kansas City on Friday June 5, his first full session since straining his left hamstring on May 24 while playing for Inter Miami.

The AFA confirmed his return to team drills, and he is expected to feature on Sunday against Honduras in Auburn, Alabama, and in the June 9 tune-up against Iceland.

Argentina’s World Cup opener is June 16 against Algeria at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City. Julián Álvarez (left ankle) also returned to training on Friday.

What happened in NBA Finals Game 2?

The New York Knicks beat the San Antonio Spurs 105-104 on Friday June 5 to take a 2-0 series lead, holding on after the Spurs levelled the game at 104 with 39 seconds left.

Brunson led the way with 20 points, six assists, five rebounds and five steals — the first Knicks player with a 20/5/5/5 line in a Finals road game. Towns added 21 points and 13 rebounds, while Wembanyama’s 29 points and nine rebounds weren’t enough after he turned the ball over with 9.5 seconds left and saw his last shot drift long.

The Spurs are the first home team to lose the opening two Finals games since Orlando in 1995. Game 3 is Monday June 8 at Madison Square Garden, 8:30 PM ET on ABC.

What is the status of the Brazilian clubs during the World Cup pause?

Six Brazilian clubs are in the Copa Libertadores last 16 — Flamengo, Palmeiras, Mirassol, Cruzeiro, Corinthians and Fluminense — with first legs on August 11-13, about three weeks after the Brasileirão resumes on July 22.

Palmeiras lead the league by seven points. At the bottom, Vasco (14 points) sit deepest in the drop zone after six straight defeats and face a Copa Sudamericana playoff against Medellín on July 21, a day before the league returns. Mirassol (19 points) sit three above the drop zone before a Libertadores first leg in Quito against LDU at 2,850 metres.