Four World Cup contenders will play March friendlies in the United States as part of a “Road to 26” series of games held across three cities during the FIFA international window.
Brazil, Colombia, France and Croatia will stage games in Boston, Orlando and Washington, D.C., as part of the series, sources told The Athletic.
The series will open on Thursday, March 26, when Brazil squares off with France at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., at 4 p.m. ET. The Brazil-France match-up is a rematch of the 1998 World Cup final won by Les Bleus. The two superpowers, both top five in the FIFA world rankings, most recently met in March 2015 in Paris. For France, the match also provides a sneak peek at one of its World Cup venues; it’ll play Norway at Gillette Stadium to close play in Group I.
France, led by Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappé and 2025 Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembélé, topped its group in UEFA World Cup qualifying. Brazil finished a surprising fifth in CONMEBOL qualifying, but is now led by five-time Champions League-winning manager Carlo Ancelotti, who took charge in May 2025.
The series continues with Colombia taking on Croatia at Camping World Stadium in Orlando at 7:30 p.m. ET.
It’s the first match-up between Colombia, a dark-horse World Cup contender featuring Bayern Munich star Luis Díaz, and Croatia, which finished third at the 2022 World Cup and runner-up in 2018.
Games will then continue on Sunday March 29, with Colombia facing France at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Md., at 3 p.m. ET. Colombia will be familiar with the venue, as it beat the U.S. there, 5-1, ahead of the 2024 Copa América.
The series will wrap up on Tuesday, March 31, at Camping World Stadium with a Brazil-Croatia game at 8 p.m. ET. The two countries faced off in the 2022 World Cup quarterfinals, where Croatia advanced on penalties.
Tickets for all four matches will go on sale on Tuesday, Jan. 13 at 10 a.m. ET, with fans also able to register for pre-sale access.