Brazil vs France: Warm-up for the Top Teams at the 2026 World Cup
JAKARTA - The big match from the 2026 World Cup favorites, Brazil and France. The test match that warmed up the two teams was held in the United States, which is one of the hosts of the biggest football tournament on earth.
Brazil's first meeting against France after the last 11 years. At that time, Brazil defeated France 3-1 in a friendly match at the Stade de France, March 2015. Brazil's winning goals were scored by Oscar, Neymar and Luiz Gustavo. Neymar, who was then 23, was at his best performance with Barcelona.
Only, Neymar, who is now back playing at Santos, is not in the squad for the trial held at Gillette Stadium, Boston, USA, Friday, March 27, 2026 WIB. Coach Carlo Ancelotti said the omission of the 34-year-old forward was more on physical problems and not technique.
Neymar himself has not been called up since October 2023. The factor of injury that needs a long recovery makes Neymar face physical problems. In addition, the performance of the former Paris Saint-Germain star has declined and has not been able to reach the best performance.
However, Neymar's failure to enter the Selecao remains in the spotlight. The reason is, he is considered still worthy of getting the opportunity to play for the national team.
"This is more about physical problems and not technique. Obviously, he is the best. But he has to improve his physical condition," said Ancelotti giving reasons for Neymar's absence.
"In my eyes and the coaching staff, he hasn't reached 100 percent. He needs hard work to achieve it," said the coach who last managed Real Madrid before moving to Brazil.
Not only Neymar, Ancelotti also crossed out Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker who is still injured. Likewise, Arsenal center back Gabriel Magalhaes and midfielder Bruno Guimaraes who play at Newcastle United.
On the other hand, the Madrid star Vinicius Junior will be the mainstay in the front line. Ancelotti also called up 19-year-old youngster Rayan who has been rising with Bournemouth since being recruited from Vasco da Gama in January 2026. This will be Rayan's debut to appear in a trial match.
Meanwhile, France is again led by captain Kylian Mbappe who has recovered from a knee injury. He has also returned to play in Madrid, dispelling doubts that Mbappe will miss the World Cup.
"All that is over. I follow all the [health] protocols because I want to play again. I also hope to be able to appear in this trial match," said Mbappe.
If the 27-year-old forward is able to perform, on the other hand, defender William Saliba is forced to miss due to injury. Coach Didier Deschamps also called Crystal Palace defender Maxence Lacroix.
The match was a warm-up for the two seeded teams in the 2026 World Cup. France, currently ranked third in the FIFA rankings, managed to reach the final in the 2022 World Cup. However, they had to admit Argentina's superiority through a penalty shootout.
Brazil itself had to work hard to pass the Conmebol zone qualification and make a coach change in the middle of the road to compete for a ticket to the final round. Ancelotti, who ended his duties in Madrid after the competition ended in 2024, successfully led Brazil to the World Cup after ranking fifth.
The two teams last met in the 2006 World Cup or 20 years ago. France, who then advanced to the final, defeated Brazil 1-0 in the quarterfinal.
The only goal was scored by Thierry Henry and Les Bleus legend Zinedine Zidane showed his best performance in the match. Zidane is also rumored to replace Deschamps after the 2026 World Cup.