Hello and welcome to live coverage of the international football friendly between Australia and Brazil at Queensland Country Bank Stadium in Townsville. The Socceroos and Seleção both return to action for the first time since the 2026 World Cup with this the first of two international friendlies between the teams to be played in Queensland over the next few days. This is also the first men’s A international to be held in Townsville while the second game in the series will be played on Tuesday at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane. Sign up for Football Desk Australia: our free newsletter from Jonathan Wilson Australia will use the friendlies to begin their preparations for the 2027 Asian Cup while the five-time world champions take their first steps to regenerate the squad after failing to meet expectations at the global showpiece a few months ago. The Socceroos were, in case I need to remind you, knocked out on penalties by Egypt in the round of 32. Brazil went one step further when they beat Japan 2-1 in the new knockout phase before losing by the same score to Norway in the round of 16. Socceroos head coach Tony Popovic has called up a 25-player squad for the two-match series though striker Mohamed Toure has been forced out by injury along with Alex Robertson. On a more positive note, Riley McGree and Patrick Yazbek return after their untimely stint on the sidelines. Five players have been called up for the first time – goalkeeper Jacob Chapman, Kealey Adamson, Eli Adams, Yaya Dukuly and Marcus Younis. Kasey Bos – the younger brother of Jordy – and teenage defender Dylan Leonard are also in line for a debut. Brazil head coach Carlo Ancelotti has turned to youth for the first international window since the World Cup, though Real Madrid’s Vinícius Júnior, Barcelona’s Raphinha, Paris Saint-Germain’s Marquinhos and Arsenal duo Gabriel and Bruno Guimaraes are among the headline names to make the trip. Defenders Artur Dias (Athletico Paranaense) and Maurio Júnior (PSV Eindhoven) are among the new faces to look out for, along with Chelsea’s young attacker Estêvão. Kick off in Townsville is 8pm AEST / 7am BRT / 11am BST. I’ll be back shortly with the starting line-ups and team news. But now is the time to hit me up with thoughts and predictions – shoot me an email, or find me on Bluesky @martinpegan.bsky.social. Let’s get into it!