World Cup Warm-ups: Germany Wins 9th Straight, England Edges New Zealand

(Central News Agency, Los Angeles, 6th Combined Foreign News) With the 2026 World Cup kicking off on the 11th, teams are in the final stages of their warm-up matches. Four-time champion Germany defeated co-host the United States today, but the US showed surprisingly strong performance. Meanwhile, England, facing New Zealand, ranked 81 places below them, only managed a narrow 1-0 victory, making it a less-than-easy match.

● Germany vs. USA Led by Kai Havertz and Leroy Sane, Germany defeated one of the co-hosts, the United States, 2-1 in Chicago, Illinois. This was the final warm-up match for both teams before the World Cup. The US created several scoring opportunities during the match, including an impressive long-range equalizer from outside the box by Antonee Robinson, showcasing a strong performance. Despite the loss, their competitiveness has generated high expectations for the host nation's prospects in the World Cup. US head coach Mauricio Pochettino said, "I am very satisfied with the performance of every player." He described his team as "unlucky" to have lost, adding, "We were playing against one of the most important teams in the world, which is something to be happy about." The US is placed in Group D for this World Cup and is widely expected to advance from the group stage and deep into the knockout rounds. The host team will face Paraguay in Los Angeles, California on US Pacific time on the 12th, followed by matches against Australia and Turkey. As for Germany, who won today's warm-up, they will play their first World Cup match on the 14th against Curacao, a first-time participant located near the coast of Venezuela. They will then face Ivory Coast and Ecuador in the group stage. German head coach Julian Nagelsmann was pleased with the team's recent run of 9 consecutive wins, stating, "This was a perfect test for us, both in terms of weather and opponent."

● England vs. New Zealand Harry Kane scored his 79th goal for his country in the high heat of Florida, USA, leading England to a 1-0 victory over New Zealand. Despite dominating possession throughout the match, England could not extend their lead. The winning goal came from Kane in first-half stoppage time, who cleverly connected with a cross from Djed Spence. It was not an easy win against New Zealand, who are ranked 81 places below England. After the match, Kane said, "Our focus here is on preparation, not winning." He added that he is "in the best form of my career. I'm really looking forward to it. I can't wait for the tournament to start." Although England has not won a major tournament in 60 years, they have reached at least the quarter-finals in the last four World Cups and remain one of the favorites to win this year. In the group stage, England is in Group L and will compete against Croatia, Ghana, and Panama for advancement. New Zealand is in Group G, facing Iran, Belgium, and Egypt.

● Scotland vs. Bolivia Scotland showed strong form in their World Cup warm-up match in New Jersey, USA, scoring four goals in the first half and winning 4-0 against Bolivia. Scotland is set to participate in the World Cup finals for the first time in 28 years. They will play their first group stage match against Haiti in a week, followed by matches against Morocco and Brazil in Group C.

● Portugal and Belgium Portugal and Belgium also played warm-up matches today to prepare for the upcoming World Cup group stage. Portugal defeated Chile, who failed to qualify for this year's tournament, 2-1 in Oeiras, near Lisbon. Belgium easily beat Tunisia, another World Cup qualifier, 5-0 in Brussels. Portugal has another warm-up match on the 10th before heading to World Cup Group K to face the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uzbekistan, and Colombia. Belgium will face Egypt, Iran, and New Zealand in World Cup Group G. Tunisia, led by Sabri Lamouchi, is in Group F, facing the Netherlands, Japan, and Sweden. After the warm-up matches conclude, the teams will officially enter the World Cup finals phase. This year's World Cup tournament runs from June 11 to July 19, co-hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada. The opening match will be between Mexico and South Africa at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico on June 11 at 1:00 PM local time (3:00 AM Taipei time on June 12). (Compiled by Cai Jiamin) 1150607