LONDON, Nov 6 — England will host Brazil and Belgium at Wembley in March as part of their preparations for Euro 2024, the Football Association announced on Monday.

Gareth Southgate’s men secured qualification for the tournament in Germany with two games to spare following last month’s 3-1 win against Italy.

Five-time World Cup winners Brazil will visit on March 23, with a match against fifth-ranked Belgium, who have also already qualified for the Euro 2024 finals, scheduled for March 26.

England, the Euro 2020 runners-up, host Malta on November 17 in their penultimate Euro 2024 qualifier before travelling to face North Macedonia three days later.

“I am happy to have two strong matches in March as we build towards the Euro finals,” said Southgate. “It is important we take every opportunity to test ourselves against top opposition.

“Before then, we have our last qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia coming up. Getting two positive results is essential if we are to make sure of being top seeds in the Euro draw next month.

“We can’t afford to think the job is done as there is still work to do, while every second for us together in camp counts if we are to give ourselves the best chance of success next summer.” — AFP