Ruse, Bulgaria, September 13, 2018 - Brazil and France clash Thursday for the ninth time in World Championship history, with the South Americans enjoying a 7-1 lead. It's been 12 years since France scored their only win, in 2006 in Fukuoka. Both sides are undefeated at the 2018 FIVB World Championship, after Brazil shut out Egypt and France beat China on Wednesday.
Head-to-Head
• France have lost seven of their eight World Championship matches against Brazil, with the only exception a 3-1 victory in Fukuoka in 2006.
• Brazil beat France in a deciding set in Katowice in the semifinal of the 2014 World Championship.
• Only Czech Republic (6, including Czechoslovakia) and Russia (5, including Soviet Union) have won more World Championship matches against France in straight sets than Brazil (4).
• France won both matches against Brazil in the 2018 Nations League - 3-0 in Varna in the League Round and 3-2 in Lille in the Final Round.
• France defeated Brazil in a deciding set in the 2017 World League final in Curitiba. It was their most recent title in a world level major tournament.
• The world level major tournaments are Nations League, Olympic Games, World Championship, World Cup, World League and Grand Champions Cup.
Brazil
• Brazil started their quest for the World Championship title with a 3-0 win over Egypt.
• Brazil have now won their opening match in each of the last 12 editions of the World Championship, with 10 of those victories in straight sets.
• The last time Brazil lost one of their first two matches at a World Championship was in 2002, their second match against United States (3-2).
• Wallace De Souza and Douglas Souza led Brazil in scoring against Egypt, with 12 points each.
France
• France beat China in straight sets in their World Championship opener.
• France could win their first two matches of a World Championship for the first time since 2010, when they won the first three.
• France could win back-to-back World Championship matches in straight sets for the first time since 1990, when Venezuela and Japan were blanked.
• Stephen Boyer scored no less than 23 of France's 75 points against China. The second best French scorer was Kevin Tillie with 10 points.