Stunned Argentina in the groups, now 75th and next up pre-World Cup | OneFootball

Neither Serbia, nor Guatemala, nor World Cup-qualified teams. In the end, the Argentina national team will face Iceland in its last match before the start of the World Cup. Beyond the Icelanders, Lionel Scaloni’s team will also take on Honduras during the FIFA window that will open for friendlies in the days leading up to the tournament.

Honduras will be the opponent on June 6 in Texas, and the final send-off will come against Iceland on Tuesday the 9th, in Alabama. After both friendly matches in the United States, the defending world champion will begin its World Cup journey on Tuesday, June 16 against Algeria, though not before facing the Nordic side.

As for Iceland, the European team will arrive for the friendly against Argentina ranked 75th in the FIFA standings, and it will mark the second meeting between the two national teams, following the bitter memory they left for La Albiceleste at the 2018 World Cup.

There, the team coached by Jorge Sampaoli was making its World Cup debut and drew 1-1 in that tournament in Russia. Argentina’s goal was scored by Sergio Agüero, in a match in which Lionel Messi missed a penalty. Iceland’s goal had been scored by Alfreð Finnbogason, who at the time played for Germany’s Augsburg.

Ultimately, in the group stage of the 2018 World Cup—their first appearance in a tournament of that magnitude—Iceland was eliminated in the opening round, as Argentina and Croatia advanced. Even so, that draw against La Albiceleste remains a historic moment for the Nordic nation.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.