The women's national football team takes the field this Saturday (10), starting at 4:30 pm (Brasília time), for the first of two friendlies against Argentina. The match will be at Beira-Rio, in Porto Alegre, marking the Brazilian women's debut at the Internacional stadium.
Beira-Rio is one of the eight arenas hosting matches of next year's Women's World Cup. The venue will stage six group-stage games and one round-of-16 match.
Inter is the only Brazilian club to host matches of three different World Cups in its own home. Beira-Rio received games of the 2014 men's World Cup. The Estádio dos Eucaliptos, which housed the Colorado between 1931 and 1969, was a venue of the 1950 edition.
Regarding the 28 players called up, coach Arthur Elias knows he will not be able to count on three of them this Saturday. Defender Tarciane and forwards Kerolin and Bia Zaneratto were sent off in the June 9 defeat to the United States, 1-0, at Arena Castelão, in Fortaleza. The coach himself will have to serve a suspension.
The trio of players will be available only for the second friendly against the Argentines, next Tuesday (13), at 8:30 pm, at Arena Pernambuco, located in São Lourenço da Mata (PE), in the Recife metropolitan region. The stadium is also one of the venues of next year's Cup.
Throughout the week of training in Porto Alegre, Arthur has not defined the lineup he will field, but has indicated that he will make several changes over the course of the games, with the aim of testing all the players who were called up. In goal, for example, each of the four called up should get half a match to show her work.
One of the novelties of the call-up is precisely in that sector. Standout of Bahia's historic campaign in the Brazilian Championship and decisive in the Steel Women's qualification to the semifinals, Yanne was called up to the main national team for the first time.
Among the outfield players, the new faces are fullback Tamara Bolt, of Washington Spirit (United States), and defender Carol Gil, Brazilian champion with São Paulo last Saturday (3), in a final broadcast by TV Brasil. The latter was called up after the withdrawal of Thaís Ferreira, of Corinthians, with discomfort in her left knee.
A possible lineup for Saturday's game would be: Lorena; Bruninha, Isa Haas, Mariza and Tamara Bolt; Angelina and Duda Sampaio; Priscila, Geyse, Gio Garbelini and Luany.
This will be only the second meeting between Brazil and Argentina since the start of Arthur's work at the helm of the green-and-yellow national team, after the 2023 World Cup. To give an idea, opponents such as Japan and the United States were in the Brazilian team's path six times in that period.
The only duel against the hermanas since then took place on March 3, 2024, in the quarterfinals of the Women's Gold Cup, in the United States. The Brazilians won 5-1, with goals from forwards Gabi Nunes and Bia Zaneratto (two), midfielder Yaya and fullback Yasmim. Defender Celeste dos Santos scored the consolation.
Coach Germán Portanova called up 22 players for the friendlies in Brazil. Two of them play in Brazil: midfielder Maricel Pereyra, of São Paulo, and forward Martina del Trecco, of Red Bull Bragantino.
Four other names have already played in Brazilian football. Midfielder Catalina Ongaro and forward Paulina Gramaglia played for Bragantino. Fullbacks Eliana Stabile and Adriana Sachs played for Santos.
Argentina is qualified for next year's Cup. The spot came with the runner-up finish in the Nations League, a tournament organized by the South American Football Confederation (Conmebol) bringing together the other nine teams of the continent. The title went to Colombia, also guaranteed in the World Cup, while Venezuela and Ecuador will face the international playoff.