New Delhi: Argentina’s preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup were overshadowed by an alleged security breach that exposed the passport details of every player in the squad, including captain Lionel Messi.According to Reuters, the passport numbers appeared on an official team sheet distributed before Argentina’s friendly against Iceland in Alabama. The sensitive information was supposed to be redacted before being shared with the media and public, but the documents were reportedly released without blurring details that revealed the players’ passport information.Despite the off-field controversy, Argentina wrapped up their World Cup preparations with an impressive 3-0 victory over Iceland in their final warm-up match.The world champions survived an early scare when Iceland missed a good chance in the opening minutes. Argentina then took control of the game, with Valentin Barco opening the scoring in the eighth minute with a powerful strike from outside the penalty area.Lionel Messi started on the bench but made an immediate impact after coming on in the second half. His ball set up Lautaro Martinez for a penalty, which Messi converted in the 72nd minute to double Argentina’s lead.
Eyes on the World Cup.
Thiago Almada scored the third goal in the 86th minute after clever play by Messi and Lautaro Martinez to give Argentina a comfortable win.With the warm-up matches completed, Argentina now turn their attention to the World Cup. They open their campaign against Algeria on June 16 before taking on Austria and Jordan in Group J.The reigning champions will hope the passport data leak remains an isolated incident as they focus on defending their world title on football’s biggest stage.
