Road to ’26 Adds More Games Including Argentina
Pre-World Cup friendlies in the United States, final tune-ups for the 48 participating nations, continue to be announced. This week saw an announcement everyone was waiting for: defending Champions Argentina announced two more Pre-World Cup clashes. On June 6th, they head to College Station, Texas, to play at Kyle Field against Honduras, a side with a significant diaspora fanbase in the United States. Argentina then travels to play Iceland on June 9th at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Alabama—a rare opportunity for Alabama to host international football rather than the American football it’s better known for. That’s two of the iconic stadiums in the SEC hosting Argentina.
The Road to 26 has become the marquee friendly series ahead of the World Cup; already Brazil, Colombia, Croatia, and France have featured in March. The series announced four more games for the June window. Bolivia, who narrowly missed the World Cup, will play the qualified Scotland in Harrison, New Jersey, on June 6th. On that same day, Brazil takes on Egypt in Cleveland, while Argentina plays that aforementioned match against Honduras.
Based on the March matchups, all four games, including both Argentina matches, should be on the ESPN family of networks in the United States, while Fox and NBC Telemundo/Peacock hold the official US rights to the World Cup tournament.
Argentina under Lionel Scaloni continues to try to strike a balance between the experienced championship-winning veterans like Lionel Messi and Rodrigo De Paul, and new players like Nico Paz that need to be integrated if this team is going to repeat. Argentina’s title defense officially begins on June 16th against Algeria in Kansas City. While Iceland’s national team has frankly struggled, for Honduras, this tour is the closest thing their fans will get to the World Cup after the Central American nation had a historic failure in CONCACAF World Cup qualifying in 2025.
England Sets New Zealand and Costa Rica Matchups
England will be enjoying Florida’s sunshine this June as they have scheduled a New Zealand matchup in Tampa at Raymond James Stadium on June 6th, and they’ll play a struggling Costa Rica side in Orlando at Inter&Co Stadium on June 10th. That final game takes place just one week before England’s tournament opener against Croatia in Group L.
While Argentina has been criticized for playing weaker sides in preparation for the World Cup—in part so the federation can profit from the national team—England really can’t be blamed for the quality of games they scheduled under manager Thomas Tuchel. They played Senegal in June 2025, losing 3-1. After a perfect qualifying campaign led by Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane. They also played Uruguay and Japan in March, two top-25 sides in the world, though they went winless. Under the circumstances, playing a tournament-qualified New Zealand and at least a former CONCACAF powerhouse in Costa Rica is respectable as they prepare for a group that includes Ghana and Panama.
Despite High Ticket Prices, Demand for International Football in U.S. Remains High
FIFA World Cup ticket prices continue to soar to absurd levels given the types of seating available; this is the most expensive World Cup ever, and many supporters feel they are being taken advantage of by the international game’s governing body. These international friendlies are not organized by FIFA and are often using some of the largest stadiums in the United States—stadiums that, at a lower price point, are still likely be filled to see players like Messi, Kane, and Raphinha.
Kyle Field is the same venue that saw Mexico and Brazil sell 85,249 seats in June of 2024 before a Copa America that, at times, had empty seats at CONMEBOL’s high price point. For Argentina vs. Honduras, the 102,000-seat “Home of the 12th Man” provides another massive stage to prove the US market’s depth. The Argentina vs Iceland matchup get in price is currently set at $45.
Team USA, one of the host nations, will play Senegal on May 31st in Charlotte, North Carolina, at the NFL-sized Bank of America Stadium, before using the Chicago Bears’ stadium, Soldier Field, for a high-profile USA vs. Germany clash on June 6th. Their friendly matchup against Portugal in Atlanta back in March already saw brisk demand for ticket sales.
Mexico also remains the largest single draw in the United States for international football. They will wrap up their US tour against Australia at the Rose Bowl in Southern California on May 30th before the World Cup officially kicks off. Demand for football in the United States continues to grow from all of the evidence we have.