It has been confirmed that England will host two friendly matches at Wembley Stadium against Brazil and then Belgium in March as they build towards challenging for the trophy at the UEFA European Championships in Germany later that summer.
The Three Lions will face off against Brazil on Saturday 26th March before then facing Domenico Tedesco’s Belgium three days later on Tuesday 29th March.
The last time that England played Brazil was in a friendly at Wembley Stadium in November 2017, where they shared a goalless draw with the Selecao. That result, as well as a goalless draw with Germany, gave Gareth Southgate the core of his ideas and identity ahead of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
England faced Belgium twice in the 2020/21 UEFA Nations League a couple of years ago. Mason Mount scored the winner at Wembley before the Belgians then defeated England by two goals to nil in Belgium. They also faced each other twice at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, once in the group stage where Belgium won 1-0 between two heavily rotated sides and then by two goals to nil in the third place playoff.
England qualified for UEFA EURO 2024 last month with an impressive 3-1 defeat of Italy, who defeated England in the final of UEFA EURO 2020 at Wembley Stadium in 2021.
Gareth Southgate is reportedly set to take charge of his final tournament next summer so these marquee friendlies will fall into the category of his final few matches in charge of the England national side.
The 1966 FIFA World Cup winners are currently unbeaten in their last eight matches in the calendar year of 2023 since they were beaten by France by two goals to one in the quarter-finals of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar last December.
