Rio de Janeiro, February 20 – Brazil will play Egypt in a friendly match a week before the 2026 FIFA World Cup begins in June, the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) said. This will allow both teams to finalize their preparations for the major event.
The match will be held at Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland on June 6, five days before the start of the tournament in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
Brazil will play its final home friendly match against Panama at the Maracana Stadium on May 31, a week before the World Cup.
Five-time World Cup champion Brazil will begin its Group C campaign against Morocco on June 13, followed by matches against Haiti on June 19 and Scotland on June 24.
The match will be against one of the oldest and most successful teams in Africa, aiming to solidify Brazil's dominance.
Brazil, the most successful team in the FIFA World Cup, with five titles (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, and 2002), is the only national team to have participated in every edition of the tournament and aims to win its sixth title.
Egypt, the most successful team in the Africa Cup of Nations, with seven titles, has participated in three FIFA World Cups, being the first African and Middle Eastern team to play in the tournament in 1934 in Italy.
Egypt will begin its FIFA World Cup campaign against Belgium on June 15 and will also face New Zealand on June 21 and Iran on June 26 in Group G.
The North African team will look to reaffirm its status as one of the greatest powers on the African continent and in the Arab world, with millions of fans dreaming of a historic campaign.
They rely on the talent and leadership of star player Mohamed Salah, as well as a squad that combines experience and youth, with names like Omar Marmoush, Mahmoud Trézéguet, and Mostafa Mohamed.
There have been six matches between Brazil and Egypt since 1960, with Brazil winning all six. The most significant match was on June 15, 2009, during that year's Confederation Cup in Bloemfontein, South Africa. Brazil won 4-3, with goals from Kaká (2), Luís Fabiano, and Juan. The other matches were friendly matches, the last one in 2011.