(MENAFN- Brazil-Arab News Agency (ANBA)) São Paulo – The Brazilian men's rugby team will play two more matches in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, to determine its qualification for the 2027 World Cup in Australia. The first match took place on Saturday (8) against Samoa, but Brazil's team lost. However, two games remain-one on Thursday (13) against Belgium and another on Tuesday (18) against Namibia.

According to the team manager, Bruno Bragante Lopez, to secure the spot the team must win its next two matches and hope for a negative result from Samoa. If two teams win two games each, there is still a possibility of a tiebreaker based on the total number of points scored.

The Brazilian team has the support of its fans. According to Lopez, there was strong backing on social media during the match against Samoa, as well as the presence of supporters in the stadium.“There's a large Brazilian community here in Dubai, and even those who couldn't attend the first match sent positive messages to the players,” he said in an interview with ANBA from Dubai, where he is accompanying the team.

Rugby has many fans in the UAE, as there is a large European community living in the country and the sport is very popular in Europe. According to the manager, both children and adults practice the sport in the UAE.“At the venue where we're competing, The Sevens Stadium, there are eight rugby fields with daily training sessions,” he noted.

According to Lopez, the Brazilian men's rugby team is feeling confident about the upcoming challenges.“In the first match, despite the defeat, we had good moments that showed us the team is improving both technically and mentally,” he said. Attendance at the matches is free of charge.

The tournament in Dubai is a global repechage for the Rugby World Cup qualifiers. Only four teams are taking part-Brazil, Samoa, Belgium, and Namibia-and there's just one spot at stake. Brazil, whose national team is known as the Tupis, earned its place in the competition following Paraguay's withdrawal.

The Brazilians had never faced the Samoan team before, and it will also be their first time playing against Namibia. Against Belgium, however, the Tupis have a positive record-they've met twice and won both times, the most recent in 2024. Brazil's matches will take place at 5 p.m. (Dubai time) on both the 13^th and the 18^th. The Brazilian team's head coach and technical director is Josh Reeves.

The lineup announced by the Brazilian Rugby Confederation for the match against Belgium includes Thiago Oviedo, Théo Bastardie, Lorenzo Massari, Raphael“Raff” Hollister, Robert Tenório, João Amaral, Lucas Spago, André Arruda, Matheus Cláudio, Adrio de Melo, Gabriel“Fúria” Oliveira, Matteo Dell'Acqua, Wilton“Nelson” Rebolo, Henrique Ferreira, and Caique Segura. The substitutes are Yan Rosetti, Brendon Alves, Leonel Moreno, Ben Donald, Hélder Lúcio, Devon Muller, Gustavo Gobeti, and Lucas“Zé” Tranquez.

More information about the matches and how to take part can be found here.

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Qatar, Saudi Arabia qualify for World Cup

Translated by Guilherme Miranda

Brazil Rugby

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