Today’s friendly soccer match between Brazil and France marks the first international soccer competition at Gillette Stadium in a decade.
Here’s what you need to know about the exhibition match.
Why it’s a big deal
Known as an “international friendly,” the match is part of the Road to 26, a series of exhibitions leading up to this year’s FIFA World Cup.
Brazil and France are among the top five teams in the world, according to the latest FIFA rankings.
These two teams have a history, too, having faced off in the quarterfinals of the 2006 World Cup (which France won) and the 1998 World Cup final (which France also won). Their most recent meeting happened in Paris back in March 2015 (Brazil won that one by a score of 3-1), according to the Road to 26 website.
The 4 p.m. game will be the first international soccer match at Gillette Stadium since Copa América Centenario in 2016. It will be France’s first appearance at Gillette, and Brazil’s sixth, according to the event website.
How to attend in person
If you want to catch the action in person, tickets are still available.
As of Thursday morning, ticket prices ranged from around $240 to more than $6,000 (!) on Ticketmaster’s website.
French fans are urged to purchase tickets in Section 143 and Brazil supporters are encouraged to purchase seats in Section 120, according to Ticketmaster.
Parking lots at the stadium are scheduled to open at noon and gates will open at 2 p.m.
Gillette Stadium officials are reminding people to allow for plenty of travel time, as the match will coincide with weekday commuter traffic. Traffic restrictions will be in place on local roads before and after the event and there will be road closures that will not be captured by traffic and navigation apps.
How to watch from afar
The match will be broadcast on ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes in English and Spanish. Kickoff is at 4 p.m. Eastern time.
Express trains will run to Foxborough
Several lines on the MBTA commuter rail will operate on modified weekday schedules Thursday to accommodate four special event trains that will run express from South Station to Foxboro station, MBTA officials said.
Roundtrip tickets cost $30 and must be purchased on the mTicket app.
As of 12:40 p.m. Thursday, about 2,400 tickets had been sold, said Phillip Eng, the MBTA’s general manager. That’s 42 percent of the 5,760 roundtrip tickets set aside for the special trains.
The trains will leave Boston roughly every 15 minutes beginning at 12:45 p.m. The first return train will depart from Foxboro Station 30 minutes after the final whistle, MBTA officials said.
There will be no regular commuter rail service to Foxborough for the entire day due to Thursday’s match, and the schedule changes will affect riders who use the Franklin/Foxboro, Fairmount, and Providence/Stoughton lines, officials said.
The modified schedules can be viewed on the MBTA website at mbta.com/cr.
Looking ahead
The World Cup games will be played in Foxborough between June 13 and the tournament’s quarterfinal match on July 9.
The tournament is expected to bring as many as 2 million visitors to Greater Boston.
To prepare, public health officials have been prepping for the worst, so they’re ready in the unlikely event that a disease outbreak or terrorist attack were to occur.
The MBTA has created a World Cup travel guide for people taking public transportation during the tournament. MBTA officials say they’re planning to transport 20,000 passengers per game.
Emily Sweeney can be reached at emily.sweeney@globe.com. Follow her @emilysweeney and on Instagram @emilysweeney22. Laura Crimaldi can be reached at laura.crimaldi@globe.com. Follow her @lauracrimaldi.