Argentina will play against El Salvador and Nigeria in the United States

Argentina’s preparations for this summer’s Copa América will involve a couple of friendly matches in March as a replacement for the games that were scheduled to take place in China.

On Thursday, the AFA announced that after cancelling the planned tour of China against Nigeria and Ivory Coast, the decision was made to take the March tour to the United States, where El Salvador will replace the Ivory Coast.

The two matches will take place on 22 and 26 March in Philadelphia and Los Angeles, respectively. The match against El Salvador, a team coached by David Dóniga and which Leo Messi recently faced with Inter Miami, will be the first match of the American tour and will take place at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field on 22 March.

Four days later the Albiceleste will travel to Los Angeles to play against the AFCON runners-up. So far, the schedules for the two matches have not been confirmed, however, it is expected that they will be announced in the next few days.

Argentina will seek to replicate its Copa América success in the US this summer when Messi and Co. aim for more silverware. The world champions continue to use the United States as an important strategic location for the 2026 World Cup, and it should be noted that the AFA will have new headquarters in Miami, which makes this process of adaptation that the squad and Federation intend to have on North American soil over the next two and a half years even more understandable.