Brazil will play friendlies against Australia and India in the first FIFA international break after the 2026 World Cup, the Brazilian federation confirmed on Wednesday.
They will play Australia on Sept. 25 and 29, before facing India on Oct 3.
The first match against Australia will be at the Queensland Country Bank Stadium in Townsville before they move to Brisbane for another encounter with the Socceroos in the Suncorp Sstadium there four days later.
Brazil and Australia last faced each other in June 2017 in Melbourne, a match Brazil won 4-0, with goals from Diego Souza (2), Thiago Silva and Taison.
After their two matches in Australia, the Brazilians will fly to Kolkata in India, where they will face India for the first time ever at the Salt Lake stadium on Oct. 3.
India, home to a large number of Brazil fans, previously hosted Pele in 1977 when his New York Cosmos played Mohun Bagan in Kolkata's Eden Gardens.
Interestingly, India are also playing the inaugural FIFA ASEAN Cup between Sept. 21 and Oct. 6, and it remains to be seen how they will manage the squad for the tournament and Brazil's historic visit.
Subrata Paul, Director of India's National Teams, said in an All India Football Federation release: "For our national team players, this is far more than just another match. It is a rare opportunity to test themselves against one of the greatest footballing nations the game has ever known. Experiences like these challenge players to grow, inspire them to dream bigger, and leave memories that stay with them throughout their careers."
Meanwhile, Brazil head coach Carlo Ancelotti views this as an opportunity to try out different players, he told the federation website. "With these three friendly matches, we will begin a new cycle to project the National Team towards the goals of the coming years, which are the 2028 Copa América and the 2030 World Cup," he said.
"We will take advantage of these three friendlies to call up new players for the National Team, especially young players, who can showcase their talent in the coming years.
"Integration with the youth categories and evaluation of the work in the Under-15, Under-17 and Under-20 teams are very important. We have to take into account that, four years ago, Rayan played in the Under-17 team, and he was a very important player. We need to have a good connection with the Under-20 team and also take advantage of the preparation for the next Olympics, where many players could, in theory, be at the 2030 World Cup."
