Brazil vs France: When and where is the match? Will Mbappe, Vinicius play?

French and Brazilian stars in focus as former world champions meet in a glamour friendly in Boston, US, before the World Cup.

Brazil and France will be among the leading contenders for FIFA World Cup glory later this year, and the two heavyweight teams continue their preparations for the tournament by facing off in a glamour friendly in the United States on Thursday.

With fewer than three months until kickoff, the countries ranked fifth and third respectively in the world rankings are in the US, familiarising themselves with what lies in store for them this June-July.

When and where is the Brazil vs France friendly match?

The former world champions go head-to-head on Thursday at 20:00 GMT at the Gillette Stadium near Boston, Massachusetts.

The home of the National Football League (NFL) side New England Patriots is the venue for the first meeting of these teams in exactly 11 years, since Brazil came from behind to win 3-1 in a friendly at the Stadium of France in March 2015 with goals from Oscar, Neymar and Luiz Gustavo.

How is Brazil’s form ahead of the match?

Brazil laboured their way through South American World Cup qualifying with six defeats in 18 games as they finished fifth. Now they are hoping the appointment of Carlo Ancelotti as coach will give them a genuine chance of winning a record-extending sixth World Cup, and first since 2002.

After this match, they will head to Orlando, Florida, for the next friendly on March 31 against Croatia, the team that ousted them from the 2022 World Cup in the quarterfinals.

Will Brazil miss Neymar?

Neymar is now 34 and has not played for his country since October 2023, but his absence from the squad has still been one of the main talking points coming into these matches.

“It is a physical issue, not technical. With the ball, he is great, but he needs to improve physically,” Ancelotti said after being asked about the absence of the former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain superstar, now at Santos.

“Because in my eyes and those of my staff, he is not at 100 percent. So he needs to keep working to get back to 100 percent.”

Who will be the key players for Brazil?

In the meantime, Brazil’s main man is Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior, while others likely to have key roles at the World Cup, such as goalkeeper Alisson Becker, centre-back Gabriel Magalhaes and midfielder Bruno Guimaraes, are missing here.

Despite a glittering club career that includes two Champions League triumphs and three La Liga titles, Vinicius has scored eight goals in 45 appearances for the five-time world champions and is determined to turn promise into international silverware with his second World Cup on the horizon.

“I feel more at ease, I’m happier; ⁠and when I’m happier, everyone around me is ⁠happier and more confident too,” Vinicius told reporters.

“I hope that everything I do for Real, I can go on to do ⁠here with the Brazilian national team. That’s my biggest goal. It’s where I’ve always dreamed of being, ⁠and I want to bring great pride ⁠to our country and a lot of joy to our entire nation.”

Among other players to feature is Rayan, the uncapped 19-year-old who earned his place after impressing in the Premier League for Bournemouth since arriving from Vasco da Gama in January.

Will Mbappe start for France?

The main focus for France, as ever, is Kylian Mbappe, and the national team captain was eager to feature on this trip after overcoming a knee injury to return for Real Madrid just last week.

There had been mounting fears in France that the 27-year-old’s fitness could become a real issue, but he said missing the World Cup or the end of the club season was never a concern.

“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,” he said on Monday.

What happened in the last Brazil-France match?

The last competitive meeting of the teams came at the 2006 World Cup, when France beat Brazil 1-0 in the quarterfinals, thanks to a Thierry Henry goal and a masterful performance by Zidane.

Will Brazil and France meet in the World Cup?

If both win their groups at the upcoming World Cup as expected, they would not meet each other until the final.

Getting that far is the aim for these sides, and Thursday’s game will be a good gauge of where both stand as the competition approaches.