Javier Aguirre Optimistis Menjelang Laga Pembuka Piala Dunia 2026

Pelatih Tim Nasional Meksiko Javier Aguirre menyatakan kesiapannya menjelang laga pembuka Piala Dunia 2026 melawan Afrika Selatan yang berlangsung pada Kamis, 11 Juni 2026.

Antusiasme tinggi dirasakan oleh sang pelatih karena turnamen sepak bola terbesar di dunia ini digelar di rumah sendiri.

"In light of the high cost of bus and train travel in New York during the World Cup, the German national team players have organised free transport to the final group match for 600 fans," kata Asosiasi Sepak Bola Jerman (DFB).

Pihak DFB menambahkan bahwa kapten Joshua Kimmich beserta rekan-rekan setimnya akan menanggung seluruh biaya bus tersebut.

"Captain Joshua Kimmich and his team-mates are covering the cost of buses to take supporters from New York to the arena in New Jersey for the match against Ecuador." tutur Asosiasi Sepak Bola Jerman (DFB).

Sementara itu, persiapan matang juga ditunjukkan oleh Tim Nasional Meksiko melalui sang manajer.

"In 50 years of football, I haven’t had a better feeling than a World Cup at home, and I’ve experienced them all; this is something unforgettable. Starting tomorrow, this group will know what it means." ujar Javier Aguirre, Pelatih Tim Nasional Meksiko.

Di sisi lain, Presiden FIFA Gianni Infantino memberikan tanggapan terkait isu penolakan masuknya wasit Omar Artan ke wilayah Amerika Serikat.

"We don’t live on the moon, we live on planet Earth," kata Gianni Infantino, Presiden FIFA.

Infantino menekankan bahwa organisasi sepak bola internasional yang dipimpinnya harus menghormati aturan kepolisian dan pemerintah setempat.

"We have to respect that we are not kings of the world, who can rule over governments and police forces. We are a sports organisation that does as much as we can. It’s important sometimes to chill, relax.

We work on everything. Sometimes screaming and shouting does not find a solution." ujar Gianni Infantino, Presiden FIFA.

Kesiapan menghadapi tekanan turnamen juga disampaikan oleh Pelatih Tim Nasional Inggris Thomas Tuchel setelah timnya mengalahkan Kosta Rika dengan skor 3-0 dalam laga uji coba.

"Until now, it was more a feeling of a pre-season, like an overseas pre-season, and it was good like this," kata Thomas Tuchel, Pelatih Tim Nasional Inggris.

Tuchel menilai anak asuhnya sudah menunjukkan peningkatan intensitas permainan yang sangat baik dalam persiapan tersebut.

"I think it’s enough if the pressure and tournament pressure comes a bit later, because it will come. The tension will come naturally." tutur Thomas Tuchel, Pelatih Tim Nasional Inggris.

Mantan pelatih Chelsea tersebut menegaskan bahwa skuad Inggris saat ini berada dalam kondisi siap tempur untuk melakoni turnamen resmi.

"I think we set the tone today in the meeting and the players were ready to follow, to have the next step in intensity and the way we play, to push ourselves and get a good feeling out of it, which we absolutely did." ujar Thomas Tuchel, Pelatih Tim Nasional Inggris.