Less than three months before the start of the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, the French team will fly out this Tuesday for an American international break during which they will face Brazil and Colombia. The opportunity for the Blues to have a “great rehearsal” before the World Cup. Not forgetting the economic stakes of such a trip.
An international break with a taste of the 2026 World Cup. The French team is getting ready to fly to the United States to play friendly matches against Brazil on March 26 in Foxborough, Massachusetts, and against Colombia on March 29 in Landover, Maryland.
Just released by their clubs, the players of the French team are expected to arrive at Clairefontaine on Monday. They will have lunch before an afternoon dedicated to photo shoots and activities with the partners of the team. The light training session at 5:30 pm has been canceled, so they will have free time and must return to the chateau before midnight. The entire delegation will take the plane on Tuesday morning, heading to Boston and staying at the 5-star Four Seasons hotel.
Returning as early as Sunday evening
According to Ouest-France, the Blues will not be able to test the training center at Babson College as FIFA has not yet completed all its installations. Instead, they will train at the facilities of the New England Revolution, a member of the MLS.
After the match against Brazil on Thursday at 9 pm, Didier Deschamps and his team will travel to Washington on the East Coast of the United States to face Colombia on Sunday at 9 pm. They will return to France overnight so the players can recover before their club matches over the weekend.
But was this American tour necessary from a sporting point of view? Or was it driven by economic interests? The president of the French Football Federation (FFF), Philippe Diallo, dismissed the second option in an interview with Le Figaro on Sunday. “There is a form of rehearsal for what the World Cup will be like since we will play in Boston, where we will have one of our matches. We will stay in the base camp that will be used for the World Cup. This American sequence is both a prestigious tour against top teams and an exciting competition for the future,” he assured.
A great opportunity for Nike?
However, just a few days earlier, Didier Deschamps had been less categorical when announcing his extended 26-man squad. “This tour is here because we deserve it since we don’t have playoffs to play, but it’s not ideal from a sporting point of view. There are other factors to consider, and I have to work with them as a coach,” said the manager.
While the French team unveiled the two jerseys they will wear during the World Cup on Monday morning, the interests of the equipment sponsor Nike, under contract with the Blues until 2034 (for around 100 million euros annually), may be to conquer the American market with the 2018 world champions. “Nike is obviously delighted, as a partner, that we are going to the United States,” acknowledged Philippe Diallo. “But it is not a choice imposed by our sponsor.”
