Brazil and France, two former world champions, meet in a high-profile friendly in the United States as both teams continue final preparations for the World Cup less than three months away.
The match takes place at Gillette Stadium, near Boston, Massachusetts — home of the NFL’s New England Patriots — with kickoff at 20:00 GMT. It is the first time the sides have met in 11 years: their last friendly was in March 2015 at the Stade de France, when Brazil came from behind to win 3-1 (goals from Oscar, Neymar and Luiz Gustavo).
Brazil: form, selection and key names
Brazil arrive having experienced a difficult qualifying campaign in South America, finishing fifth after six defeats in 18 games. The national federation appointed Carlo Ancelotti to steady the ship and aim for a record-extending sixth World Cup title and the country’s first since 2002. After the Boston fixture Brazil travel to Orlando for another friendly against Croatia on 31 March — the side that eliminated them in the 2022 World Cup quarter-finals.
Neymar remains absent and has not played for Brazil since October 2023. Ancelotti framed the issue as physical rather than technical, saying: “With the ball, he is great, but he needs to improve physically. He is not yet at 100 percent and must keep working to reach full fitness.”
Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior is one of Brazil’s most eye-catching selections for the match. Despite sustained club success, his international scoring record remains modest (eight goals in 45 appearances), and he says he wants to translate that club form to the Seleção: “I feel more at ease, I’m happier; and when I’m happier, everyone around me is happier and more confident too. I want to bring great pride to our country and a lot of joy to our entire nation.” Several likely World Cup starters — goalkeeper Alisson Becker, centre-back Gabriel Magalhaes and midfielder Bruno Guimaraes — are not involved in this friendly. Also included is 19-year-old Rayan, an uncapped winger impressing for Bournemouth since his move from Vasco da Gama.
France: Mbappé and fitness concerns
France’s camp is focused on captain Kylian Mbappé. The 27-year-old has recovered from a knee problem and returned to Real Madrid duty, and he was keen to rejoin the France squad. Concern over his fitness has eased: Mbappé said his rehabilitation is behind him and he aims to play during the international break and be decisive for his country again: “It is behind me. I was following a protocol, and I wanted to start playing again gradually. I hope to be able to play during this international break and to start being decisive again.”
Looking ahead
The last competitive meeting between these sides was at the 2006 World Cup, when France beat Brazil 1-0 in the quarter-finals courtesy of Thierry Henry’s goal and a dominant display from Zinedine Zidane. If both nations win their groups at the upcoming World Cup as expected, they would not meet until the final, making this friendly an early barometer of form and fitness for two of the tournament’s most talked-about squads.
Thursday’s game in Boston offers a chance to assess player fitness, tactical tweaks and the mental readiness of both teams as they fine-tune their World Cup plans.