Argentina’s national football team is set to play a friendly match against Mauritania this month as part of their World Cup warm-up preparations, announced the country’s Football Association (AFA) on Friday. Originally, Argentina was supposed to face Spain in the “Finalissima” in Qatar, but the game was called off due to ongoing conflicts in the Middle East.
In a statement, the AFA confirmed that the national team would engage in a friendly encounter with Mauritania as they kick off their farewell to fans before heading off to defend their World Cup championship. The match is scheduled to take place at Boca Juniors’ La Bombonera stadium on March 27. Mauritania, who was initially slated to play against Palestine in Morocco, also saw their game cancelled due to the prevailing conflict.
Additionally, Argentina had initially arranged a friendly fixture against Guatemala on March 31. However, this match was scrapped as it did not receive FIFA approval, given that Guatemala was already slated to play against Algeria in Italy. Argentina’s journey to defend their World Cup title commences on June 16, with their first match against Algeria.