Is there a 'magic formula' for international friendlies ahead of the World Cup?

Brazil are following Ancelotti's wishes in their March fixtures, taking a different approach to Argentina's World Cup preparations.

Carlo Ancelotti made it clear to the CBF from the moment he took charge of the Brazil national team that he wanted friendlies against representatives from each of the main footballing schools they could face at the World Cup: Europe, Asia, Africa and North America, in addition to South American opponents already scheduled through qualifying. The March international window marks the final step in that plan, with upcoming fixtures against France and Croatia.

Ancelotti's idea was to prepare Brazil for opponents beyond South America. Whether that approach will prove decisive in the pursuit of the 2026 World Cup title remains to be seen.

The recent track record of other nations, however, suggests there is no single ideal approach no magic formula, when it comes to pre-tournament friendlies.

Argentina are a case in point. Throughout this cycle, the reigning world champions have largely avoided opponents of equal or similar quality. Of the sides Scaloni's team have faced since winning the title in Qatar, only Curacao, Panama and Australia will feature at this year's World Cup. Their next two opponents, in the March window, are Mauritania and Zambia.

Argentina opt for less demanding opponents ahead of the World Cup

This approach from the Argentine Football Association (AFA) dates back to 2018, when Argentina were hammered 6-1 by Spain in their penultimate fixture before the World Cup. The result drew heavy criticism of Jorge Sampaoli's side, who then struggled to advance from their group and were eventually knocked out in the last 16 at the Russia tournament.

Mauritania and Zambia have emerged as replacements for the Finalissima, in which Argentina had been scheduled to face Spain in Qatar. The ongoing conflict in the Middle East led to the suspension of all sporting events in the region, triggering a series of unresolved discussions between the Argentine and Spanish federations over relocating the match.

It is hardly surprising, though, that Argentina have sought less challenging opposition. Ahead of the 2022 World Cup, in their final four preparatory friendlies, the AFA arranged matches against Estonia, Honduras, Jamaica and the United Arab Emirates — none of whom qualified for the tournament in Qatar.

Argentina's warm-up fixtures before the 2022 World Cup:

Argentina 5-0 Estonia
Argentina 3-0 Honduras
Argentina 3-0 Jamaica
Argentina 5-0 United Arab Emirates

Estonia were, in fact, the last European side Argentina faced. Since then, only opponents from North and Central America, the Caribbean, South America, Asia and Africa have featured on the AFA's schedule — though, as was the case this year, a Finalissima against Italy had been planned for that cycle too.

For context, in 2014, when Argentina reached the final on home soil in Brazil, their preparation included matches against Romania, Slovenia and Trinidad and Tobago.

The UEFA Nations League has reduced South American fixtures against European sides

This is not a choice unique to Argentina, however. Since the creation of the UEFA Nations League in 2019, European nations have largely stopped playing intercontinental friendlies during pre-World Cup cycles. In international windows, European teams must fit in World Cup qualifying, European Championship qualifying and Nations League fixtures.

In 2018 — the last World Cup before the new UEFA competition — eventual champions France faced three European sides (Italy, Ireland and Russia), as well as Colombia and the United States. By 2022, their opponents had been reduced to Ivory Coast and South Africa, neither of whom qualified for the Qatar tournament.

The March international window is now the period in which South American nations are most likely to face European opposition. In 2026, with the exception of Argentina, every other CONMEBOL qualifier has arranged a fixture against a UEFA nation:

Brazil: France and Croatia
Colombia: Croatia and France
Uruguay: England and Algeria
Ecuador: Morocco and the Netherlands
Paraguay: Greece and Morocco

How is Brazil preparing ahead of the World Cup?

Ancelotti has had just five call-up windows to prepare the Brazil squad for the World Cup. The next, on 18th May, will confirm the 26 names travelling to Canada, the United States and Mexico — which is also why the manager has deliberately varied the quality and origin of opposition throughout the build-up.

In June, before travelling to the United States, Brazil will face Panama at the Maracana. Once in North America, they will take on Egypt in a further friendly. This marks the second consecutive tournament cycle in which all of Brazil's warm-up opponents have qualified for the World Cup.

In 2022, under Tite, Brazil faced South Korea, Japan, Ghana and Tunisia — all of whom appeared in Qatar — but notably did not play any European opposition, a decision the CBF justified on the grounds of the UEFA calendar.

Before the Nations League era, in 2018, all of Brazil's warm-up matches were against European sides: Russia, Germany, Croatia and Austria — with only Austria failing to qualify for the World Cup. In 2014, the CBF faced Serbia alongside friendlies against South Africa and Panama ahead of the tournament on home soil.