The Brazilian team faces France, starting at 5pm (Brasília time) this Thursday (26), in a friendly match that marks the beginning of the final phase of preparation for the next World Cup, which will be played in Mexico, Canada and the United States. The match will be held at Gillette Stadium, in Boston.
One day before facing a team that is seen as one of the favorites to win the next world title, the Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti stated, in a press conference, that he sees the confrontation as an important test: “For us, it’s an important test, against a team that could be favorites in the World Cup. We want to show a good attitude and quality.”
The coach also declared that one of the French stars, striker Mbappé, will receive special attention. “They are players that everyone knows. Very strong players, with a lot of quality. Mbappé scored a lot of goals last year. Now he is a rival. We have to defend well against him. He is a very fast player, with quality, very effective in finishing.”
Even in the face of such a challenging opponent, Ancelotti made it clear that he will bet on an offensive team, with four attacking players: “These months I have been thinking about the best game model for the team, taking into account the players’ characteristics. We think that the game model we want to plan is with four up front. Against France, an important test, we want to play a good match, controlling the game, trying to defend well, which is very important, having balance and playing well with the ball, showing the quality that the four up front have.”
Against the French, Brazil has a certain absence, defender Marquinhoswho has pain in the hip region. Who could receive a chance in the position is Ibañez, from Al Ahli (Saudi Arabia). With this, a possible formation to measure forces with France is: Ederson; Wesley, Ibañez, Léo Pereira and Douglas Santos; Casemiro and Andrey Santos; Raphinha, Matheus Cunha, Vinicius Júnior and Martinelli.
Preparatory friendlies
Before the start of the World Cup, the Brazilian team will play three more preparatory friendlies. The first will be on March 31st, against Croatia, at the Camping World Stadium, in Orlando.
Afterwards, Brazil will play a farewell game for the Brazilian fans. The team will face Panama on May 31st at the Maracanã stadium, in Rio de Janeiro. Finally, on June 6th, a week before Brazil’s debut at the World Cup, the team faces Egypt in their last friendly before the debut. The game will be played at Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland.
Brazil in the World Cup
Brazil is in Group C of the 2026 World Cup. The debut will be against Morocco, on June 13th at MetLife Stadium, in New Jersey, at 7pm (Brasília time).
In the second round, Brazil faces Haiti at Lincoln Financial Field, in Philadelphia, at 10pm. The end of the first phase is scheduled for June 24th, against Scotland, at the Hard Rock Stadium, in Miami, at 7pm.
*Brazil Agency
