Brazil, France, others plan pre-World Cup friendlies in the US

Trophy contenders Brazil, France, Croatia and Colombia will tune up for this summer's FIFA World Cup in North America by playing friendlies in the United States in March.

The "Road to 26" series of matches announced on Thursday will be played in Boston, Orlando, Florida, and the Washington, DC, area during the FIFA international window.

In the current FIFA world rankings, France rank No 3, Brazil No 5, Croatia No 10 and Colombia No 13 (just ahead of the United States).

Vinicius Junior and Brazil will face Kylian Mbappe and France at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, on March 26 at 4pm ET, a rematch of the 1998 World Cup final won by the French side.

Luis Diaz and Colombia will take on title-hungry Croatia at 7:30pm on the same day at Camping World Stadium in Orlando.

 Croatia finished second at the 2018 World Cup and third in 2022.

On March 29, Colombia and France will meet at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland, at 3pm ET.

The series concludes on March 31 in Orlando with Brazil facing Croatia.

The 48-team 2026 World Cup, taking place in 16 cities across the US, Canada and Mexico, runs from June 11 through July 19.