Global classic: Brazil and France face off this Thursday in Boston | OneFootball

Igor Thiago during the Brazilian National Team’s training warm-up in OrlandoCredits: Rafael Ribeiro/CBF

Brazil and France face off this Thursday (26) at 5 p.m. (Brasília time) at Gillette Stadium in Boston, in one of the most anticipated world football classics of recent years. The match against the third-placed team in the FIFA Men’s World Ranking will be the Seleção’s debut in 2026 and will be broadcast live on TV Globo, SporTV, GE TV (YouTube), and Globoplay.

“France are a quality team in every aspect. They have quality up front, speed. It is very important for the national team to play with balance. After that, we are focused on the quality of our own team, which is tremendous. Brazil can also play on the counterattack, with possession, and can play very well,” praised head coach Carlo Ancelotti in a press conference this Wednesday (25).

One of France’s standouts, forward Kylian Mbappé refused to talk about favoritism and praised Brazil’s football history, as well as the country’s World Cup tradition.

“You can never be the favorite against a team that has five stars on its shirt, that’s impossible. Brazil is the greatest country in football, it has five World Cups and a lot of history. For us, it is an opportunity to play against Brazil and show our quality and what we can do, to prepare ourselves to win the World Cup this summer,” he told GE TV.

Carlo Ancelotti and Davide Ancelotti during Brazilian National Team training in OrlandoCredits: Rafael Ribeiro/CBF

For the match, the Seleção will wear its new away kit for the first time, featuring a blue color scheme and developed in partnership with Jordan Brand. This is the first time the brand will appear on a national team uniform. France will also debut its green kit.

Of the called-up players, only center back Marquinhos remained in Orlando for treatment on hip pain.

In addition to the French, the Seleção will also face Croatia during this FIFA international window, on the 31st. These two matches are the last before the squad announcement for the World Cup, an event that will take place on May 18.

Officiating for Brazil vs. France

The officiating crew for the friendly will be American and made up of the following officials: Guido Gonzales Jr. (referee); Nick Uranga and Cory Richardson (assistant referees); Armando Villarreal (fourth official); and Tim Ford (VAR).

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.