What to know about Brazil, France men's soccer ahead of Gillette match

Two giants in the world of international men's soccer are set to clash at Gillette Stadium on Thursday, March 26. Brazil and France will face off in Foxboro in an international friendly as part of the four-match friendly series taking place across the United States between March 26-31 in preparation for hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup. This is the first meeting between the two muti-time World Cup champions since 2015, when the Seleção defeated Les Bleus 3-1 in a friendly at the Stade de France in Paris.

It’s also a preparation for Gillette Stadium itself, which for sponsorship reasons will be known as Boston Stadium while hosting seven matches , including a quarterfinal, in this summer’s tournament. Ahead of kickoff, which is scheduled for 4 p. m.

, here's what you need to know about the matchup: Who's playing for Brazil? Here is the squad named by head coach Carlo Ancelotti for Brazil's two matches in the US: Goalkeepers: Bento (Al-Nassr), Ederson (Fenerbahçe), Hugo Souza (Corinthians) Defenders: Bremer (Juventus), Danilo (Flamengo), Douglas Santos (Zenit Saint Petersburg), Roger Ibañez (Al-Hilal), Kaiki (Cruzeiro), Leo Pereira (Flamengo), Marquinhos (Paris Saint-Germain), Wesley (AS Roma) Midfielders: Andrey Santos (Chelsea), Casemiro (Manchester United), Danilo Oliveira (Botafogo), Fabinho (Al-Ittihad), Gabriel Sara (Galatasaray) Forwards: Endrick (Lyon), Gabriel Martinelli (Arsenal), Igor Thiago (Brentford), João Pedro (Chelsea), Luiz Henrique (Zenit Saint Petersburg), Matheus Cunha (Manchester United), Raphina (Barcelona), Rayan (Bournemouth), Vinícius Júnior (Real Madrid) Who's playing for France? Here's the squad named by head coach Didier Deschamps for France's two matches in the US: Goalkeepers: Brice Samba (Rennes), Lucas Chevalier (Paris Saint-Germain), Mike Maignan (AC Milan) Defenders: Dayot Upamecano (Bayern Munich), Ibrahima Konaté (Liverpool), Lucas Digne (Aston Villa), Lucas Hernandez (Paris Saint-Germain), Malo Guston (Chelsea) Maxence Lacroix (Crystal Palace), Pierre Kalulu (Juventus), Theo Hernandez (Al-Hilal) Midfielders: Adrien Rabiot (AC Milan), Aurélien Tchouaméni (Real Madrid), Eduardo Camavinga (Real Madrid), N'Golo Kanté (Fenerbahçe), Warren Zaïre-Emery (Paris Saint-Germain) Forwards: Désiré Doué (Paris Saint-Germain), Hugo Ekitike (Liverpool), Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid), Maghnes Akilouche (AS Monaco), Marcus Thuram (Inter Milan), Michael Olise (Bayern Munich), Ousmane Dembélé (Paris Saint-Germain), Randal Kolo Muani (Tottenham), Rayan Cherki (Manchester City) Who are the players to watch?

Real Madrid teammates Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior highlight the talent on both sides, and both should be expected to lead the way on attack for their respective sides. Mbappé, who's just three goals off from becoming France's all-time leading scorer, has been easing back from a left knee injury, making a pair of appearances off the bench for Los Blancos in his last two club matches. If the French captain is slowed down, Ekitike could be another one to watch on the attack.