Brazil vs France LIVE: First half recap! (0-1) 2026 international friendly at Gillette Stadium

Despite a fast-paced start to the game, not much has happened in the first half. Hadn't it been for Mbappe's incredible individual effort, the game would be 0-0 at the half, and it'd have been a reasonable score after the opening 45 minutes.

Brazil have had 6 shot attempts to France's 5, but the latter registered the lone one on goal, and it's the difference-maker so far.

Brazil's Casemiro and Leo Pereira are the only booked players, as France have shown better discipline than their counterparts.

Thanks to Mbappe's pretty goal, France lead Brazil by a score of 1-0 at the half.

Mbappe finishes a nice collective play from France, but his desire to find the top corner leads to a shot that missed the goal by a mile. Regardless, Brazil are still struggling to contain the French ace.

Casemiro connects after a precise cross off a corner kick, but his header is inaccurate and goes well over the crossbar.

Theo Hernandez picked the ball off Vinícius with ease, as Real Madrid's forward couldn't get a good hold of possession. So far, Vini looks to be a step off.

A beautiful pass from Tchouameni leaves Mbappe with space inside the box. However, he rushed into a shot that drifted wide of the right post. Still, France are putting Brazil on notice. If Ancelotti doesn't come up with a plan to stop Mbappe, Brazil are in for a very long evening in Foxborough.

Cunha tried to level the game with a shot from afar, but the ball missed Maignan's goal well wide.

What a goal! Mbappe leaks through Brazil's defense and makes no mistake one-on-one against Ederson. A beautiful chip shot, and France lead 1-0 at Gillette Stadium.

Following a harsh challenge, Pereira is booked.

France lost the ball near their box and Martinelli looked to take advantage of the defensive breakdown. After cutting inside to his left foot, Martinelli unleashed a good shot that went wide of Maignan's left post.

The game is stopped for both teams to cool off. Ancelotti and Deschamps take advantage of the brief intermission to give instructions to their players. We'll see if anything changes after this break.

Through the opening 20 minutes, France have held 70% of time of possession, via ESPN. Brazil are betting on the counter-attack and direct offense, but it's not paying off, yet.

Les Bleus are now evening the scales. Deschamps' side is now controlling the ball, as Brazil struggle to get it back. Still, the deadlock remains.

Yet another dangerous play ends up in nothing as Brazil's attack is struggling to get over the final hurdle. Game remains tied at 0 apiece, but Brazil's direct offense is the main story so far.

In vintage Brazil-soccer fashion, the "Verde-Amarela" combined in a nice passing play. However, the crossing attempt was blocked and deflected out over the goal line.

The middle of the pitch looks like a highway, with both teams advancing toward goal with no trouble. However, neither team has been able to get shots on goal or create truly dangerous plays.

Barcelona's striker connects on a volley inside the box, but his shot heads well over Maignan's crossbar.

A corner kick for France goes to waste, and Vinicius shows off his speed in a counter-attack maneuver. However, the Brazilians failed to do anything with that possession.

As a ball went out of bounds for a throw-in, Mbappe greeted Ancelotti, his former coach at Real Madrid. It was curious, to say the least, as players and coaches usually shake hands before the start of the game.

Gonzalez Jr. blows his whistle and the action is underway as Brazil opens with the ball.

Following emotional renditions of the Marseillaise and Brazil's National Anthem, both teams are ready for kickoff. Before the opening whistle, Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum flipped the coin to decide which team had the first possession of the game.

Led by Mbappe and Casemiro, respectively, France and Brazil step onto the pitch at Gillette Stadium.

Since his signing, 'Carletto' has managed the last 8 outings of Brazil's national team. So far, Ancelotti's side has won four games, lost two others, and tied the remaining two.

While Eduardo Camavinga will start on the bench, Real Madrid will have plenty of representatives on the pitch as Vinicius will meet with fellow club teammates Mbappe and Tchouameni.

Coming into this friendly matchup in "The Bay State", Brazil and France enter with very different realities.

On the one hand, France are riding a 7-game unbeaten streak. Their last loss was the 5-4 defeat against Spain in the UEFA Nations League semifinal. Since, they have won 6 games and only drawn one.

As for Brazil, they have two wins, two losses, and one tie in their last five outings. While France have outscored their opponents 14-3 in their last five games, Brazil have outscored theirs 10-5. That number is largely inflated by the 5-0 win over South Korea.

Brazil and France's last meeting was exactly 11 years and one day ago. On March 25, 2015, the two sides met in a friendly and it was the "Verde-Amarela" who came away with a 3-1 victory.

Fans may be in for a surprise as neither Brazil nor France will wear their home, traditional uniforms in the upcoming international friendly.

Brazil will don an alternate blue jersey, while Les Bleus will wear their new away jersey which is inspired in the Statue of Liberty and will be worn in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, as well.

This is how France will look against Brazil: Maignan (GK), Gusto, Konate, Upamecano, T. Hernandez; Tchouameni, Rabiot; Olise, Dembele, Ekitike; Mbappe. Les Bleus are expected to play on a 4-2-3-1 formation, which could shift occasionally to match and/or disrupt Brazil's 4-2-4 scheme.

The action will take place at Gillette Stadium, home of the New England Patriots (NFL) and New England Revolution (MLS).

The stadium, that sits approximately 22 miles away from Downtown Boston, can fit roughly 66,000 fans.

The venue recently underwent renovations for an estimated cost of $250 million. The updates include a new video board and a 22-story lighthouse that is open for guests to visit its 360-degree observation deck.

The action between Brazil and France will be officiated by an American squad.

• Referee: Guido Gonzalez Jr.
• Nick Uranga (assistant)
• Cody Richardson (assistant)
• Armando Villarreal (fourth official)
• Tim Ford (VAR)

Although France have yet to confirm their lineup to take on Brazil, RMC Sport reports that Kylian Mbappe will be among the starters.

With Ederson protecting the goal, this is how the rest of Brazil's starting XI will look: Wesley, Bremer, Pereira, Douglas Santos; Casemiro, Andrey Santos; Raphinha, Cunha, Vinicius Jr, Martinelli. On paper, it looks like Ancelotti will put a 4-2-4 scheme, but much can change when his team takes to the pitch.

Watch Brazil vs France live in the USA on Fubo. The international friendly can also be streamed in the States on ESPN+, ESPN 2, and ESPN Deportes.

The action between Brazil and France's national teams is set to begin at 4:00 pm ET at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.

Welcome to Bolavip's live coverage of the international friendly between France and Brazil. Although Paris is closer to Foxborough than Brazil's capital, Brasilia, it will be the "Seleção" who acts as the home team at Gillette Stadium.

Stay with us and don't miss a single moment as we keep you posted with minute-by-minute updates, every goal, and highlights.