Mbappe leads France to victory as Brazil stares at a future without Neymar at the 2026 World Cup

The road to the 2026 FIFA World Cup began on Thursday for five-time world champions Brazil and two-time champions France at Gillette Stadium in Boston, with Les Bleus beating Carlo Ancelotti’s side 2-1 A8iskX.

The build-up to this match revolved around two players – Kylian Mbappé and Neymar – both recovering from injuries, with one in the starting line-up and going on to score, while the other was left out after not being deemed fully fit.

Mbappe opened the scoring for France in the 32nd minute and showed no signs of discomfort before being substituted in the 65th minute. The French forward, played by Ousmane Dembele, kept his composure as he chipped the ball to mark his return after being sidelined due to injury at Real Madrid in recent weeks.

Brazil, on the other hand, had a strong attacking line-up, including Raphinha, who has been in good form for Barcelona and has scored 15 goals in all competitions this season. He was supported by Vinicius Junior, Gabriel Martinelli and Matheus Cunha.

None found the net for Brazil as Gleison Bremer, making his first appearance since the 2024 Copa America, scored with a right-footed volley from Luiz Henrique’s throw. Henrique had come on at the start of the second half for Raphinha, who had an early chance in the first half but failed to convert.

It summed up Brazil’s problem throughout the 90 minutes, as Vinicius made penetrating runs from the left but the side squandered chances in the final third.

France were forced to sit back for much of the second half after Dayot Upamecano was sent off for bringing down Wesley, who was through on goal.

The red card disrupted the form, with Adrien Rabiot dropping deeper alongside Ibrahima Konate, while Maxence Lacroix was introduced to strengthen the defence.

Brazil found positives in Casemiro, who made some good passes and stretched to the byline to keep the action alive in front of goal, underscoring his attacking contribution.

Brazil must also improve their transition when losing the ball, as Aurelien Tchouameni’s dispossession of Casemiro led to France’s opening goal.

The difference, however, was that France made their chances count, as evidenced by the second goal, which came from a Hugo Ekitike counter-attack.

Vinicius occasionally passed defenders and delivered crosses into the penalty area, and that will be positive for the team Selecao of the friendly. It will also be interesting to see if Neymar fits into an already talented front line and how that combination works with Raphinha.

When reporters asked Ancelotti about Neymar after the match, he played it down and said the focus should be on those who played in the match.

«We should talk about who was here, who played, who gave everything, who went the extra mile and who worked hard. It was said to me,» said the Italian, who has been in charge of Brazil since 2025.

Neymar last played for Brazil almost two years ago in a 2023 World Cup qualifier.

Brazilian captain Casemiro had only praise for the Santos attacker. «We know the quality he possesses. He is indispensable for any national team, especially when he is in form. For my generation, he is one of the top three: Cristiano, Messi and Neymar. I am a good friend of his, and it is not up to me to decide who they will bring in,» he said.

For France, it remains necessary to convert periods of dominance into clearer attacking options, without relying too much on Mbappé.

Mbappe looked untroubled on his return from a sprain and his goal against Brazil will give him confidence as he moves within one stroke of France’s all-time scoring record.

Published on March 27, 2026