Messi trains alone as Argentina hold first World Cup practice

Al Jazeera · 🇶🇦 public Qatar · Jun 03, 2026 · 227 words · By Reuters

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What to know about Messi trains alone as Argentina hold first World Cup practice

Messi trains alone as Argentina hold first World Cup practice Messi works on ‘specific exercises’ as he recovers from muscle fatigue in his left hamstring before the World Cup.

Claims checked 8

Techniques found 0

Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

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Center100%

Right0%

3 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Messi trains alone as Argentina hold first World Cup practice Messi works on ‘specific exercises’ as he recovers from muscle fatigue in his left hamstring before the World Cup.

Why it matters

Lionel Messi has trained on his own during Argentina’s first practice session at their base camp in the United States, where the squad has assembled this week for their World Cup preparations.

Common ground

The defending World Cup champions held their first pretournament training in Kansas City, Missouri, on Monday.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Follow-up questions

What concrete event or decision sits underneath the headline: Messi trains alone as Argentina hold first World Cup practice?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Messi, 38, joined Argentina at their training base?
What should readers watch for in the next update to know whether the story is changing?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2026/6/3/messi-trains-alone-as-argentina-hold-f…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 8 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 6

verified Verified By Reference 1

info Single Source 1

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Claim 1: “Messi, 38, joined Argentina at their training base”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent news sources (Sowetan, Al Jazeera) explicitly refer to Messi as 38 years old.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Messi–Ronaldo rivalry, or Ronaldo–Messi rivalry, is a sporting rivalry in football propelled by the media and fans that involves Argentine footballer Lionel Messi and Portuguese footballer Cristia…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messi–Ronaldo_rivalry

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Lionel Andrés "Leo" Messi (born 24 June 1987) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for and captains both Major League Soccer club Inter Miami and the Argentina national team.…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lionel_Messi

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Lionel Messi is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for and captains both the Major League Soccer club Inter Miami and the Argentina national team. His individual achievements …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Career_of_Lionel_Messi

+ 5 more evidence sources

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Claim 2: “Argentina, ranked number three in the world, will play their final tune-up match against Iceland on June 9 in Auburn, Alabama.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results confirm Argentina is ranked 3rd and will play Iceland on June 9 in Auburn, Alabama.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Argentina will have the final steps to prepare for the 2026 World Cup with 2 friendly matches with Honduras and Iceland on US soil.The second match will take place with Iceland on Tuesday, June 9, at …
https://news.laodong.vn/bong-da-quoc-te/tuyen-argentina-co-t…

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web search NEUTRAL — World Champion Argentina to Face Iceland June 9 at Jordan-Hare Stadium. 21 hours ago. Save for later. Share.World Cup champion Argentina to play soccer match in Auburn.
https://news.google.com/stories/CAAqNggKIjBDQklTSGpvSmMzUnZj…

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web search NEUTRAL — Argentina, ranked number three in the world, will play their final tune-up match against Iceland on June 9 in Auburn, Alabama. Messi, the two-time MLS MVP and eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, is competi…
https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2026/6/3/messi-trains-alone…

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Claim 3: “Argentina’s opener against Algeria on June 16 in Kansas City”

CORROBORATED

Confirmed by multiple Al Jazeera cross-references and Wikipedia's 2026 FIFA World Cup Group J entry, stating Argentina plays Algeria on June 16 in Kansas City.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2026 FIFA World Cup is the 23rd and current FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international men's soccer championship contested by the national teams of the member associations of FIFA. The tourname…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_FIFA_World_Cup

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Group J of the 2026 FIFA World Cup took place from June 16 to 27, 2026. The group consisted of Argentina, the 2022 World Cup champions, Algeria, Austria, and Jordan. Argentina topped the group with th…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_FIFA_World_Cup_Group_J

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Algeria has qualified to the FIFA World Cup on five occasions, in 1982, 1986, 2010, 2014 and 2026. They have once qualified for the knockout rounds, reaching the round of 16 in 2014 before losing to G…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algeria_at_the_FIFA_World_Cup

+ 3 more evidence sources

verified

Claim 4: “Messi, the two-time MLS MVP and eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, is competing in his record sixth World Cup.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia and Transfermarkt confirm 8 Ballon d'Or awards. The record sixth World Cup is corroborated by Al Jazeera and the context of the 2026 tournament.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Lionel Andrés "Leo" Messi (born 24 June 1987) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for and captains both Major League Soccer club Inter Miami and the Argentina national team.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lionel_Messi

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — This statistic shows the achievements of Inter Miami CF player Lionel Messi.The Best FIFA Men's Player 4 Winner Ballon d'Or 8 World Cup winner 1 Copa América winner 2 UEFA Champions League winner 4.
https://www.transfermarkt.com/lionel-messi/erfolge/spieler/2…

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web search NEUTRAL — In late 2019 he won his sixth career Ballon d’Or and was named FIFA’s best male player of the year. In the 2020–21 season, Barcelona claimed the Copa del Rey title, the seventh of Messi’s career.
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Lionel-Messi

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Claim 5: “The defending World Cup champions held their first pretournament training in Kansas City, Missouri, on Monday.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results confirm Argentina is training in Kansas City, Missouri, for their World Cup defense.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Arrowhead Stadium, currently known as Kansas City Stadium for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, is an American football stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, United States. It primarily serves as the home venue of…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arrowhead_Stadium

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Kansas City (commonly known as KCK) is the third-most populous city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is an inner suburb of the older and more populous Kansas Cit…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kansas_City,_Kansas

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 6: “The midfielder is Argentina’s all-time leader in caps (198) and goals (116) since making his debut with the national team in 2005.”

CORROBORATED

The Mirror reports 198 caps and 116 goals. Other sources confirm his 2005 debut and his status as the all-time leader.

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web search NEUTRAL — Latest news, analysis and much more on Mirror Football's Facebook page. “Truly, you made your mark in everyone's life. And that, to me, is beyond winning any World Cup.The 38-year-old has earned 198 c…
https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/lionel-messi-wi…

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web search NEUTRAL — Lionel Andrés "Leo" Messi is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for and captains both Major League Soccer club Inter Miami and the Argentina national team.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lionel_Messi

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Lionel Messi earns his 200th cap for Argentina during the 2026 World Cup.Messi debuted for Argentina’s senior team back in 2005, when he was just 18 years old. That means he’s been representing his co…
https://cryptobriefing.com/messi-200-caps-argentina-crypto-f…

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Claim 7: “Lionel Messi has trained on his own during Argentina’s first practice session at their base camp in the United States”

SINGLE SOURCE

The claim appears in an Al Jazeera web search result, but no other independent source in the provided evidence confirms that he trained 'on his own' during the first session.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Lionel Messi is an Argentine footballer who has represented the Argentina national team from his debut in 2005. Throughout his international career, Messi has scored 123 goals in 202 international app…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_international_goals_sc…

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 8: “The Inter Miami captain has been dealing with muscle fatigue in his left hamstring since May 24”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent sources (AP, Oman Observer, and other web results) confirm Inter Miami reported Messi has left hamstring muscle fatigue/overload.

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+ 3 more evidence sources

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.