Brazil finished 5th in CONMEBOL during 2026 World Cup qualifying, but the five-time world champions are headed to next summer’s tournament and their on-field preparations begin with a trip to Seoul to take on South Korea on Friday (7 am ET).
MORE — 2026 World Cup draw | World Cup qualifying latest
Carlo Ancelotti’s side wound up eight points clear of the inter-confederation playoffs and just one point off 2nd-place Ecuador, but they were beaten six times in 18 games (two more than any other team that qualified). And so, Anceloti was appointed back in May with the campaign close to completion (four games remaining) and a bit of runway to work with before next summer. Notably, Brazil only conceded one goal in Ancelotti’s four qualifiers, a marked improvement after conceding four times to rivals Argentina in Dorival Junior’s last game in charge.
How to watch South Korea vs Brazil live, stream link and start time
Kick off time: 7 am ET, Friday (Oct. 10)
Venue: Seoul World Cup Stadium — Seoul, South Korea
TV Channel/Streaming: Unavailable to watch in USA
South Korea team news, focus
Bayern Munich center back Kim Min-jae is in the squad despite struggling with a shoulder injury this week. Kim suffered the injury during Bayern’s 5-1 victory over Pafos in the Champions League last week and subsequently missed the 3-0 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga over the weekend. Captain Son Heung-min is also in the squad and will make the 13-hour journey from Los Angeles, where he already has 8 goals, 3 assists in 9 appearances for LAFC, to join up with his national side.
Brazil team news, focus
OUT: Marquinhos (not in squad), Raphinha (hamstring), Joao Pedro (not in squad), Alisson (hamstring), Ederson (not in squad), Vanderson (hamstring)
South Korea vs Brazil prediction
Brazil might not do it “the Brazil way” under Ancelotti, but goodness gracious, they are simply not going to concede (m)any goals against most teams in the world. South Korea 0-1 Brazil.
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