Men’s international friendlies were held on Sunday, June 7 as several World Cup-bound teams staged final tune-ups: Morocco faced Norway in Harrison, New Jersey; Colombia met Jordan in San Diego; and Ecuador played Guatemala in Columbus, Ohio.
The same day also featured a string of other warm-ups involving World Cup entrants. England played New Zealand, Scotland faced Bolivia and the United States took on Germany; Croatia was also in action on Sunday, with its opponent not listed among the confirmed fixtures supplied here.
These matches matter because they are the last practical chances for coaches to test systems and adjust squads before the 2026 World Cup opens on June 11. The tournament begins at the Estadio Azteca with Mexico against South Africa, the U.S. opens its campaign against Paraguay on June 12 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, and Canada begins on June 13 against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Toronto; the final is scheduled for July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Travel and entry issues added drama to the pre-tournament days. Iraq striker Aymen Hussein was held and questioned for nearly seven hours at Chicago’s O'Hare airport after arriving with the squad early on Saturday before being allowed into the United States. The Iraq team’s photographer was barred from entry, and fans greeted the Iraq squad at the airport in the early hours and asked players to pose for pictures.
On the field, England’s buildup is under a cloud after a heavy defeat in Spain. England lost 4-0 to Spain at the Estadi Mallorca Son Moix — their biggest reverse since a 6-2 defeat by Germany in the Euro 2009 final and flagged as their first qualifying loss since 2002 — prompting head coach Sarina Wiegman to say the team “didn’t play good enough”, “couldn’t get into another gear” and “hardly got into the 18 yard box”. Those blunt assessments sharpen the scrutiny on England’s remaining preparations ahead of the tournament.
For teams in Harrison, San Diego and Columbus, the friendlies offered tactical rehearsal more than headlines: coaches rotated players, fine-tuned set pieces and used match minutes to simulate tournament tempo. For others — England most visibly — the fixtures have become a last-minute audit of form after results exposed clear weaknesses.
With only days until kick-off, the immediate calendar is simple: final friendlies on June 7 give way to the 2026 World Cup launch on June 11. The matches on Sunday were the closing chapter of the pre-tournament schedule identified here; the next confirmed event is the Mexico versus South Africa opener at the Estadio Azteca on June 11, when those last adjustments will be tested under the bright light of the World Cup.
