Today’s newsletter looks at the next World Cup hosts as they prepare to take on England and Italy with a squad with an average age of just 24
T
he road to the 2027 World Cup is long and winding for all teams hoping to qualify – apart from the hosts, Brazil. Having won their ninth Copa América Femenina in the summer, their next major tournament will be the World Cup in 20 months.
That may seem like a long time but the head coach, Arthur Elias, is aware that every minute of preparation counts, starting with their friendlies against England in Manchester on Saturday and then Italy in Parma on Tuesday.
By facing European opposition, Elias hopes his players will be able to test themselves in different conditions and against different playing styles to those most of them experience back home. It is also an opportunity to test themselves against one of the best teams in the world. “These games are really important for us to see how we behave collectively when facing different teams with different styles,” he said at the squad announcement. “We are at a stage where we are consolidating our team identity.
