BOSTON — Two of the best football nations in the world will play in a friendly Thursday afternoon at Gillette Stadium. Brazil and France will face off in a match that could help each team decide on their final rosters to bring for the World Cup this summer.
France is ranked third in the latest FIFA rankings while Brazil is fifth. Soccer fans at the Banshee in Dorchester are excited to see two heavyweights battle it out in Foxborough.
“Two of the most talented international teams in the world are coming to Gillette,” Scotland supporter Aaron Free said. “So many good players on either side. I will be watching it for sure. It’s just a friendly, but it’s a good introduction to what it’s going to be like in June and July. I think the whole town will be buzzing.”
The game is a warm-up for the World Cup. Final rosters will be decided in May. Both nations are bringing stacked rosters for the match on Thursday, even though the game doesn’t matter for standings or points for the World Cup.
“I’m really excited to see Mbappe play and some other big names. Although it’s a friendly, it’s still really cool to see their full rosters play just months before the World Cup kicks off,” Brian Gallagher said.
Gallagher bought tickets to the Brazil/France games months ago. While he doesn’t support either team, he didn’t want to miss out on seeing world-class talent in person.
“It should be a fun atmosphere,” he said.
French Forward Kylian Mbappe is one of the best goal scorers on the planet. He will be one of the top players to watch on Thursday.
“We’re kind of used to U.S.-based superstars. But now we have international-level superstars coming to our country,” Sanket Bhagat said. “Even if you don’t support the team, you understand certain clubs or certain teams have superstar players. France and Brazil are both on the same pitch of grass, playing at the same time, an hour from here. I don’t know what more you want. Mbappe is just a zip code away from where we are. It’s cool.”
The Brazilian and French fans are expected to pack Gillette Stadium and treat the game like the World Cup. It’s not often that two powerhouse nations play against each other in a friendly.
“I think American sports fans need to understand the energy that comes with worldwide football and its unbelievable energy,” Manchester United fan Sarah Knupp said. “That energy is what makes soccer/football so exciting. I think it’s a great thing to have in the city of Boston.”
Knupp and her sister, Riley, have traveled twice to watch the women’s World Cup. They both said the energy was unlike any other sporting event they had ever been to.
“The person sitting next to you, you’ll be strangers at the beginning, but by the end you’re best friends,” Riley Knupp said.
The ability to see and watch some of the best players in the world might swing the needle further for soccer interest in the United States. Fans of the sport hope games like this can entice more people to become fans.
“If we give people a chance to see world-class like the best athletes in the world, they’ll be more likely to watch soccer,” Chelsea fan Richard Abelard said.
Brazil and France play at Gillette Stadium Thursday at 4 pm.
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