FIFA World Cup 2026: Argentina’s Romero back in full training for the match against Cape Verde

Argentina defender Cristian Romero returned to full training on Monday and could be available for Friday’s World Cup round of 32 against Cape Verde after being sidelined with a knee injury in the reigning champions’ Group J final.

Romero was forced off in the 57th minute of Argentina’s 2–0 win over Austria on 22 June after sustaining a knee injury.

The 28-year-old centre-back did not feature in Saturday’s 3-1 win over Jordan, with veteran Nicolas Otamendi stepping into the starting line-up.

Coach Lionel Scaloni swapped his team against Jordan after Argentina had already secured top spot in Group J.

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Scaloni said Romero was the only player unavailable for the match against Jordan, but he was confident he would recover for the knockout stages.

Argentina returned to training in Kansas City on Monday after a day off on Sunday, with Romero taking part in the session along with the rest of the squad.

Before the match against Jordan, Romero had resumed work on the pitch, but did not participate in the training open to the media on Friday.

Published on June 30, 2026