Lionel Messi's Argentina to visit Israel for World Cup warm up game

Photo: PTI

JERUSALEM: Twice world champions Argentina play away to Israel in a pre-World Cup friendly international on June 9, the Israel Football Association (IFA)announced on Wednesday. The venue for the match is still to be set, the IFA said in a statement. Since Israel abandoned the ageing National Stadium in Tel Aviv, major international fixtures have been played either in Haifa or Jerusalem. 

"Discussions will continue in the coming days to finalise the contractual details for signing," the statement added. Argentina have been drawn in World Cup Group D and will open their Russia 2018 campaign against Iceland in Moscow on June 16 followed by a clash with Croatia in Nizhny Novgorod on June 21. They face Nigeria in St Petersburg on June 26.

Argentina have made four previous pre-World Cup stopovers in Israel starting in 1986 when they won 7-2 on their way to lifting the trophy in Mexico. They won on their next two visits in 1990 (2-1) and 1994 (3-0), but lost 2-1 in 1998.