France defeated Brazil a few days ago at Boston Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
Coach Didier Deschamps, in the process, got his first ever win against Brazil.
Yet, France made it more difficult for themselves than it had to be. Early in the second half, they were reduced to a 10-man roster. Nevertheless, they hung on for the win.
Below is a brief summary of the match from a recent article by Reuters (see link below):
Captain Mbappe, showing no sign of the knee problems that had troubled him in recent weeks, opened the scoring in the first half, while Hugo Ekitike found the net after Dayot Upamecano was sent off 10 minutes into the second half.
Gleison Bremer pulled one goal back for Brazil.
France has enjoyed success against Brazil, historically. Despite Brazil generally being considered the premiere and most accomplished side in international soccer, France has earned some enormous and hugely important wins against Brazil.
Among the big wins for France over Brazil, there was the Gold Medal match at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. A couple of years after that, France knocked Brazil out of the World Cup in Mexico in 1986. The biggest match between the two sides occurred in the Men's Final at the 1998 World Cup at the Stade de France, when France blanked Brazil, 3-0, to secure their first World Cup championship. Then in 2006, France again knocked out Brazil in the quarterfinal of the World Cup in Germany.
So that seems like more success than most teams can expect against Brazil, which again, is generally considered the standard bearer for success in the sport. Or at least they were traditionally, although the Brazilian side has not actually advanced as far as the final since their last World Cup title back in 2002 in Japan.
It is a solid win in what amounts to a World Cup tuneup for France. Nevertheless, the French side know not to take this win too seriously:
Mbappe now has 56 goals with France and is just one shy of Olivier Giroud’s record, which he could at least equal when Didier Deschamps’s side take on Colombia in another friendly in Landover, Maryland, on Sunday.
"For us, it was not a friendly. Playing Brazil is a great opportunity to see where we stand tactically and technically. It’s great to play matches like this. I said before the game we should not draw conclusions from it, so I’m not going to be hypocritical and treat it like a World Cup final," said Mbappe.
"We showed creativity and remained solid. We’re moving forward. All I want is to be on the pitch and play — every kid dreams of playing a France-Brazil match. I know it’s a privilege.”
Indeed, it is not as big of a win as France has historically enjoyed over Brazil in the past.
Nevertheless, any win over Brazil can be considered a relatively big deal. And it looks like a promising sign, with the 2026 World Cup now fast approaching.
Below is the link to the article which was my main source for this piece, and from which I obtained all quotes used above:
Mbappe inspires 10-man France to Brazil win in friendly By Reuters March 26, 20266:24 PM EDTUpdated March 26, 2026
https://www.reuters.com/sports/soccer/mbappe-inspires-10-man-france-brazil-win-2026-03-26/
Mbappe inspires 10-man France to Brazil win in friendly | Reuters
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