EPL Weekly Wrap | All the Headlines – World Cup 2026 Warm-Ups

There’s been no Premier League football for a while now, but I’ve been glued to the World Cup warm-up fixtures this past week. Premier League players were front and centre across the friendly calendar. The tournament starts on Friday NZT, so here’s a breakdown of all the football news you may have missed.

Scotland thumped Bolivia 4-0 at the Sports Illustrated Stadium in New Jersey on Saturday. Lawrence Shankland opened the scoring inside five minutes with a header before Scott McTominay doubled the advantage in the 23rd. Che Adams netted twice more before the break.

I thought McTominay was outstanding. Scotland will need every bit of that quality in a Group C featuring Brazil and Morocco.

For anyone tracking football betting tips ahead of the tournament, Scotland look a decent outside bet. Steve Clarke’s side also won their warm-up against Curacao earlier in the week, although Billy Gilmour suffered a knee injury in that one and has been replaced by 19-year-old Manchester United prospect Tyler Fletcher.

Amad Diallo scored a late winner to hand Ivory Coast a shock 2-1 victory over France in Nantes last Thursday. Manchester City's Rayan Cherki had given France the lead before half-time, but Guela Doue equalised after the break and Amad swept home from a Doue cross with six minutes left. 

I wouldn’t panic if I were French, but Didier Deschamps admitted his side lost control of the second half after widespread changes.

Bruno Fernandes was on target in Portugal’s 2-1 win over Chile in Oeiras. Goncalo Guedes opened the scoring in the 58th minute after replacing Cristiano Ronaldo at half-time, and Fernandes added the second in the 75th. That’s now 29 international goals for the Manchester United captain, level with Nuno Gomes for fifth on Portugal’s all-time list.

Rafael Leao’s red card was the bigger talking point. He threw a punch at Chile’s Ivan Roman just before the break. Thankfully for them, friendly suspensions don’t transfer to the World Cup, so he’ll be available when Portugal open Group K against DR Congo on June 17.

England beat New Zealand 1-0 in Tampa. Harry Kane headed home from a Djed Spence delivery in first-half stoppage time for his 79th international goal, capping a 61-goal season at Bayern Munich. Thomas Tuchel gave Liverpool’s 17-year-old winger Rio Ngumoha his debut off the bench.

England face Costa Rica on Wednesday before their opener against Croatia on June 17.

I don’t think New Zealand fans should be too alarmed, even though the warm-up results weren’t encouraging.

Their 4-0 defeat to Haiti in Fort Lauderdale was the low point. Ruben Providence scored early before Lenny Joseph and Frantzdy Pierrot added second-half goals. Duke Lacroix completed the scoring in the 87th minute.

Chris Wood had a bicycle kick saved off the line and Tim Payne had a strong penalty appeal waved away, but on balance Haiti were the better side. Wood acknowledged afterwards that Haiti “played a World Cup game” while New Zealand “played a friendly.”

Against England, things improved. New Zealand restricted Tuchel’s side to Kane’s lone header and Matthew Garbett forced a good save from Jordan Pickford. England had 71% possession and 23 shots to three. The All Whites at least looked more structured. I reckon that defensive shape will matter more than the warm-up results once the tournament begins.

New Zealand open against Iran at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on Monday 16 June at 1pm NZT. Egypt follow on June 22 and Belgium close out the group on June 27. It’s the country’s first World Cup in 16 years, and for NZ fans following along on NZ betting sites, the group is tough but not impossible.

The Premier League transfer window officially opens on June 15 too, with Ibrahima Konate confirmed to be leaving Liverpool at the end of the month. For anyone chasing betting bonuses from bookmakers ahead of the World Cup, Mexico versus South Africa gets everything underway at 7am NZT on Friday.