Nottingham Forest brought their 2026/27 pre-season campaign to a winning close on Sunday 16 August 2026, defeating French Ligue 1 side Stade Brestois 29 by two goals to nil at the City Ground. Chris Wood converted a 23rd-minute penalty and Luca Netz added a second seven minutes later, meaning both goals arrived inside a decisive opening half-hour before both managers emptied their benches in a typical pre-season afternoon of rotation and minutes-building.
The fixture mattered more than a usual August friendly. For Forest, it was the final rehearsal before the 2026/27 Premier League season begins on Friday 21 August, with Leeds United awaiting on the opening weekend. For Brest, it was the last chance to sharpen up under head coach Julien Lachuer with the new Ligue 1 campaign already under way in France. And for supporters of both clubs, it was a genuinely rare occasion: the first meeting of any kind between the two sides.
This page brings everything together in one place — the full match report, the goal timeline, verified lineups and substitutions, tactical analysis of what Oliver Glasner and Julien Lachuer learned, a complete review of Forest’s eight-game pre-season, the state of play at Brest after a difficult 2025/26 season, and practical details on how to rewatch the game. Where facts are confirmed by club communications or live-score providers, they are stated plainly; where interpretation begins, it is clearly labelled as analysis.
- Final score: Nottingham Forest 2–0 Brest (half-time 2–0).
- Scorers: Chris Wood (23’, penalty), Luca Netz (30’).
- Venue and date: The City Ground, Nottingham — Sunday 16 August 2026, 2pm BST (13:00 UTC).
- Status: A pre-season club friendly; the first-ever meeting between the two clubs.
- Key context: Forest’s final warm-up before the Premier League opener against Leeds United; Brest’s last tune-up for the 2026/27 Ligue 1 season.
Table of Contents
- Match Summary: Nottm Forest vs Brest at a Glance
- How Nottm Forest vs Brest Unfolded: The Match Report
- Goals & Key Moments Timeline
- Lineups, Formations & Team News
- Tactical Analysis: What the Game Revealed
- Nottingham Forest’s 2026 Pre-Season in Review
- Brest in 2026: Where the Bretons Stand
- Nottm Forest vs Brest: Head-to-Head Record
- Club Profiles: Two Different Paths to Trentside
- What Comes Next for Both Clubs
- How to Watch the Highlights & Full Replay
- Nottm Forest vs Brest: Frequently Asked Questions
- Final Verdict
Match Summary: Nottm Forest vs Brest at a Glance
Before the detail, here is the verified skeleton of the game. All facts below are drawn from club communications and live-score coverage of the fixture.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Fixture | Nottingham Forest vs Stade Brestois 29 (Brest) |
| Competition | Pre-season club friendly (2026/27 preparations) |
| Date | Sunday 16 August 2026 |
| Kick-off | 2pm BST (13:00 UTC) |
| Venue | The City Ground, Nottingham |
| Full-time score | Nottingham Forest 2–0 Brest |
| Half-time score | 2–0 |
| Scorers | Chris Wood (23’, pen), Luca Netz (30’) |
| Forest head coach | Oliver Glasner |
| Brest head coach | Julien Lachuer |
| Broadcast | Forest TV (match pass £5.99; not available in France) |
In short: Forest did their serious work early, scored twice inside half an hour, and then used the remaining hour to spread minutes across the squad — handing new goalkeeper Steven Benda his first appearance in a Forest shirt at the interval — while Brest, unbeaten in their previous three friendlies, could not find a way back into the game despite their own rotation.
How Nottm Forest vs Brest Unfolded: The Match Report
First half: Forest do the damage early
Oliver Glasner named a back five on paper — a 5-3-2 shape according to live scoreboards — with captain Chris Wood leading the line alongside Arnaud Kalimuendo, the scorer of the 90th-minute winner against Bayer Leverkusen four days earlier. The system asked the wing-backs to provide the width, and it was from that area of the pitch that the second goal arrived, but the first came from the penalty spot.
Chris Wood, wearing the armband, stepped up in the 23rd minute and converted to give Forest the lead. It was a fitting moment for a striker who has become one of the club’s most reliable voices and finishers — Wood’s penalty in the first leg of the 2025/26 Europa League semi-final against Aston Villa had been one of the big nights of the previous campaign — and it settled any early nerves in a game that began more cautiously than the final scoreline suggests.
Seven minutes later, Forest doubled their advantage. Luca Netz, the energetic left-sided option who told the club’s website this week that he feels ready for the season ahead, found the net in the 30th minute to make it 2–0. With the game effectively decided before the half-hour mark, the remainder of the first half became a contest between Forest’s control and Brest’s attempts to grow into the game through their captain, Kenny Lala, and the hold-up play of Ludovic Ajorque.
Brest were not without threat. A side that held Juventus to a 2–2 draw earlier in the summer and equalised late against Venezia through Ajorque in their previous outing carried enough quality to trouble a disjointed defence, but Forest’s back line — with Morato and Jair at its heart — kept the Bretons at arm’s length, and the teams went in at the interval with the scoreline exactly as it would remain: 2–0.
Second half: rotation takes over
The interval brought the changes that every pre-season crowd expects, and one with a little more intrigue than most. Steven Benda, who had joined Forest only a day earlier, came on in goal for the entire second half — a first appearance in a Forest shirt for the new signing — while Omari Hutchinson replaced Callum Hudson-Odoi at the same stop.
From there, the match turned into a managed workout. Julien Lachuer introduced Romain Del Castillo for Mady Baldé on 49 minutes and Axel Camblan for Junior Nonge on 58, trying to add creativity as the game stretched. Glasner responded in the final third of the match: Dilane Bakwa replaced captain Chris Wood on 70 minutes, and a double change on 78 minutes saw Omar Richards come on for Morato and Tyler Bindon for Zach Abbott, giving two more defenders a run-out.
With both benches used extensively, the rhythm of the game naturally dropped after the break. Neither side added to the scoreline — Brest’s Luc Zogbé came on for Bradley Locko on 79 minutes as the visitors looked for late width — and the final whistle confirmed a clean, professional afternoon for the home side: 2–0, a second consecutive pre-season win following the Leverkusen victory, and a first clean sheet of the summer against top-flight opposition.
Goals & Key Moments Timeline
| Minute | Event |
|---|---|
| 23’ | Goal — Nottingham Forest. Chris Wood converts from the penalty spot to make it 1–0. |
| 30’ | Goal — Nottingham Forest. Luca Netz finishes to double the lead, 2–0. |
| HT | Forest lead 2–0 at the break. |
| 46’ | Forest double change: Steven Benda (his first appearance for the club) on for the goalkeeper; Omari Hutchinson on for Callum Hudson-Odoi. |
| 49’ | Brest change: Romain Del Castillo on for Mady Baldé. |
| 58’ | Brest change: Axel Camblan on for Junior Nonge. |
| 70’ | Forest change: Dilane Bakwa on for captain Chris Wood. |
| 78’ | Forest double change: Omar Richards on for Morato; Tyler Bindon on for Zach Abbott. |
| 79’ | Brest change: Luc Zogbé on for Bradley Locko. |
| FT | Nottingham Forest 2–0 Brest. |
Two things stand out from that timeline. First, the entire scoring happened in a seven-minute first-half window — a reminder that pre-season games are often decided by whichever side fields its strongest unit earliest. Second, every substitution listed above was made with one eye on the league campaign that now begins in days, not weeks.
Lineups, Formations & Team News
Live scoreboards recorded Forest in a 5-3-2 and Brest in a 4-3-1-2. The starting XIs, as published by score provider Sofascore, were as follows.
| Nottingham Forest (5-3-2) | Brest (4-3-1-2) |
|---|---|
| Victor (GK) | Selvik (GK) |
| Moreira | Lala (c) |
| Morato | Chotard |
| Jair | Le Guen |
| Abbott | Locko |
| Netz | Tousart |
| Schlager | Nonge |
| DomÃnguez | Mboup |
| Hudson-Odoi | Doumbia |
| Kalimuendo | Baldé |
| Wood (c) | Ajorque |
Forest team news in context
Chris Wood had been listed as doubtful in pre-match coverage, but the captain not only started — he scored and led the side for 70 minutes. Glasner otherwise had a largely clean bill of health to work with, which is precisely why the afternoon could be used for rotation rather than damage limitation. The most-watched name among the replacements was Steven Benda, the goalkeeper whose signing was confirmed by the club only a day before the match, and who was given the full second half to acquaint himself with his new team.
It was also a notable week for the club’s newer faces. Diomande had made his debut in the midweek win over Leverkusen, and Luca Netz — a starter here and a goalscorer — has been publicly building towards a big season, telling the club’s website he feels ready for the campaign ahead.
Brest team news in context
Lachuer leaned on his experienced core: captain Kenny Lala at the back, Lucas Tousart in midfield, and Ludovic Ajorque — eight Ligue 1 goals last season and the scorer of the late equaliser against Venezia in Brest’s previous friendly — as the focal point of the attack. The introduction of Del Castillo and Camblan after the break underlined where Lachuer wants more output this season: chance creation from wide and half-space areas, an issue that contributed to a modest 43 league goals in 2025/26.
Tactical Analysis: What the Game Revealed
Reading too much into an August friendly is a classic supporter’s error, but this fixture still offered genuine signals about both managers’ plans. The following observations are interpretation of verified events, not claims of fact.
Glasner’s back five: control first, width from the wings
The 5-3-2 shape gave Forest two distinct advantages against a 4-3-1-2. Defensively, the back five matched Brest’s front two plus the number 10 comfortably, which is one reason the visitors never established sustained pressure. Offensively, it freed Netz and Moreira to operate as genuine wing-backs. Netz’s goal is the clearest example of the plan working: when the width comes from defenders, the central players — Schlager, DomÃnguez and the forwards — can attack the box in numbers while the opposition full-backs are pinned.
Just as telling was the pairing of Wood and Kalimuendo. Wood’s penalty aside, his value in this system is the platform he offers: he occupies both centre-backs, wins the first contact, and allows a quicker runner such as Kalimuendo — decisive against Leverkusen days earlier — to play off the second ball. It is a complementary strike pairing rather than a similar one, and that complementarity looks central to how Glasner wants Forest to attack.
Brest’s structure: solid base, unfinished edge
Brest’s 4-3-1-2 is a compact, central shape, and it asked Ajorque to do what he does best — hold, link and arrive in the box. The problem for the visitors was the classic one against a back five: with Forest’s wing-backs able to recover into a five-man line, Brest’s wide channels produced too little, and the front two were forced into deeper starting positions as the half wore on. Lachuer’s second-half changes, bringing Del Castillo and Camblan into creative roles, were a direct attempt to fix that supply line.
There is a clear continuity in what Lachuer is building, though. The same group that held Juventus to a draw earlier in the summer — and rescued a 2–2 draw with Venezia through an 88th-minute Ajorque goal — shows a team that is organised, hard to break down when compact, and increasingly confident on the counter. The gap between that and being a consistent Ligue 1 threat is creativity in the final third, and this match suggested that remains the project of the season.
Three things both managers will take into the season
- Forest: early-game intensity works. Both goals came before the half-hour, in the period when Glasner fielded his strongest available unit. Translating that into league starts is the next step.
- Forest: squad depth looks healthier. Benda’s instant introduction, Hutchinson’s half hour, and late minutes for Richards and Bindon all point to a group Glasner trusts beyond the first XI.
- Brest: the creative audit continues. A second consecutive 2–0-style defeat would worry no one in pre-season, but the pattern of relying on Ajorque moments for goals is one Lachuer knows must evolve.
Nottingham Forest’s 2026 Pre-Season in Review
Forest’s summer followed a clear arc: strong early results against English and Portuguese opposition, a chastening stretch on the road against top European sides, and a confident home finish. The confirmed fixtures and results, compiled from club and league coverage, are below.
| Date | Fixture | Result | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat 18 July | Notts County vs Forest | 0–2 (Forest win) | Meadow Lane |
| Wed 22 July | Forest vs Blackburn Rovers | 3–0 (Forest win) | Estádio de Nora, Portugal |
| Sun 26 July | Vitória SC vs Forest | 1–1 (draw) | Portugal |
| Fri 31 July | Forest vs Sporting CP | Defeat | Estádio Algarve |
| Early August | Forest vs Udinese (45-minute game) | 1–0 defeat (Solet header) | Friuli Venezia Giulia tournament |
| Early August | Forest vs Barcelona (45-minute game) | 1–0 defeat (Raphinha pen) | Friuli Venezia Giulia tournament |
| Wed 12 August | Forest vs Bayer Leverkusen | 2–1 (Forest win; Kalimuendo 90’) | City Ground |
| Sun 16 August | Forest vs Brest | 2–0 (Forest win; Wood pen, Netz) | City Ground |
That is eight fixtures: four wins, one draw and three defeats. The three defeats all came away from home and all by a single goal — a late Raphinha penalty against Barcelona among them — which frames the summer less as a slump and more as a series of narrow lessons against elite opposition. The two home wins that followed, each secured with late or early decisiveness, suggest a group that has absorbed those lessons at the right time.
For context, this pre-season carried extra weight because of where 2025/26 ended. Forest finished 16th in the Premier League on 44 points — comfortably safe, but a long way from the club’s European run, which ended in the Europa League semi-finals with a 4–1 aggregate defeat to Aston Villa after a 1–0 first-leg win at the City Ground. A season that also saw four different head coaches — Nuno EspÃrito Santo, Ange Postecoglou, Sean Dyche and VÃtor Pereira — makes the stability Glasner is trying to install the most valuable commodity of all.
Brest in 2026: Where the Bretons Stand
To understand Brest’s afternoon at the City Ground, you need the backdrop of their 2025/26 season. After the fairy-tale rise that took them into the UEFA Champions League knockout phase in 2024/25, last season was a corrective: 12th in Ligue 1 with 39 points from 34 matches, a record of 10 wins, 9 draws and 15 defeats, and a goal difference of minus 12 after scoring 43 and conceding 55.
Those numbers describe a team that was hard to beat for long spells but struggled to turn draws into wins and chances into goals. It is exactly the profile their pre-season has shown again: a 2–2 draw with Juventus in which the Italian side’s goals came from a DuÅ¡an Vlahović penalty and a Bremer strike; a 2–2 draw with Venezia levelled by an 88th-minute Ajorque header; and an unbeaten run of three friendlies heading into the Forest game. Resilience, yes; a killer instinct, not yet.
Under Julien Lachuer, the project now is about converting that resilience into a higher league ceiling. The squad retains a strong spine — Lala’s experience, Tousart’s midfield discipline, Ajorque’s goals — while integrating younger options such as Nonge, Camblan and Zogbé, all of whom featured at the City Ground. For a club that has established itself in the French top flight since promotion in 2019, a stable mid-table season would represent consolidation; a repeat of the 2023/24 surge would represent ambition exceeded.
Nottm Forest vs Brest: Head-to-Head Record
One of the quieter storylines of this fixture is that it had no history at all. Sunday’s game was the first recorded meeting between Nottingham Forest and Stade Brestois 29, competitive or otherwise — a reminder of how globalised pre-season scheduling has become, pairing a two-time European Cup winner with a Breton club whose own continental breakthrough is barely two years old.
With Forest’s victory, the all-time head-to-head therefore stands at one played, one win for Forest, two goals to zero. Whether the fixture ever repeats will depend on cup draws and future summer planning rather than any league structure, which is precisely why friendly first meetings like this one are worth documenting carefully while they happen.
Club Profiles: Two Different Paths to Trentside
Nottingham Forest
Founded in 1865, Nottingham Forest are one of English football’s most storied clubs — European Cup winners in 1979 and 1980 under Brian Clough, and a club whose very stands carry that heritage, from the Brian Clough Stand to the John Robertson Stand. The City Ground, on the banks of the River Trent in West Bridgford, holds around 30,000 supporters and remains one of the most atmospheric venues in the Premier League. The 2025/26 season tested the club with a four-manager saga and a 16th-place finish, but the Europa League semi-final run in the same campaign underlined how quickly the ceiling can rise when stability arrives.
Stade Brestois 29
Brest, founded in 1950 in Brittany, spent decades as a journeyman club before the modern era transformed them. Promotion to Ligue 1 in 2019 began the current spell in the top flight; a third-place finish in 2023/24 sent them into the Champions League, where they reached the knockout phase in 2024/25. The Stade Francis-Le Blé is their home, and the red-and-white identity — “ici, c’est Brest” — has become one of French football’s more distinctive modern stories. The 2025/26 dip to 12th did not erase that progress; it simply reset the expectations around it.
What Comes Next for Both Clubs
The final whistle at the City Ground effectively opened the countdown to the 2026/27 Premier League season, which begins on Friday 21 August. Forest’s opening fixture comes against Leeds United, and the club has also confirmed the date and kick-off for a Carabao Cup tie against Leeds — an unusual early-season double header against the same opponent that will test Glasner’s squad management immediately.
For Brest, the rhythm is different: the 2026/27 Ligue 1 season is already under way in France, so the flight home from the East Midlands leads straight back into competitive football. Lachuer’s task is to fold the lessons of the summer — the Juventus draw, the Venezia rescue, the Forest defeat — into results that lift the club clear of last season’s 12th-place ceiling.
Both clubs will also continue their transfer business as the window runs on. Forest’s late signing of Steven Benda, blooded for a full half hour against Brest, is the clearest sign that the squad-building is still active rather than complete.
How to Watch the Highlights & Full Replay
The match was streamed live on Forest TV, with individual match passes priced at £5.99 — though the club noted that passes were not available for purchase in France. For those who missed the live broadcast, the club confirmed that highlights of the match, together with the full 90 minutes, will be available on Forest TV on the Thursday following the game.
Tickets for the fixture were on general sale with special pricing for Season Card holders and MyForest members, and the club’s official website remains the authoritative source for any replay, ticketing or broadcast information as the season begins.
Nottm Forest vs Brest: Frequently Asked Questions
What was the final score of Nottm Forest vs Brest?
Nottingham Forest beat Brest 2–0 at the City Ground on Sunday 16 August 2026. Both goals came in the first half — Chris Wood’s 23rd-minute penalty and Luca Netz’s strike in the 30th minute — and the scoreline remained unchanged after a heavily rotated second half.
Who scored for Nottingham Forest against Brest?
Chris Wood opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 23rd minute, captaining the side on the day, and Luca Netz doubled the lead seven minutes later. No other goals were scored, with both managers making extensive substitutions after the break.
Was this a competitive match?
No. Nottm Forest vs Brest was a pre-season club friendly, the final warm-up for both sides before the 2026/27 league campaigns. Friendly results do not count towards Premier League or Ligue 1 records, and both coaches used the game primarily for fitness and rotation.
Had Nottingham Forest and Brest ever played before?
No. The meeting at the City Ground was the first recorded fixture of any kind between the two clubs, competitive or friendly. Forest’s win therefore stands as the first result in what is currently a one-game head-to-head history.
How can I watch the Nottm Forest vs Brest replay?
The match was shown live on Forest TV via a £5.99 match pass (not available in France), and the club confirmed that highlights plus the full 90-minute replay will be available on Forest TV on the Thursday after the game. The club’s official site is the best source for access details.
Did any new signings play in the match?
Yes. Goalkeeper Steven Benda, whose arrival was confirmed by the club only a day before the fixture, played the entire second half — his first appearance in a Forest shirt. Luca Netz, a starter and goalscorer, and Dilane Bakwa, introduced late, also featured prominently in the summer squad picture.
What is next for Forest and Brest after this friendly?
Forest begin the 2026/27 Premier League season against Leeds United, with the league campaign starting on Friday 21 August and a Carabao Cup tie against Leeds also scheduled. Brest return to Ligue 1 action in France, where the 2026/27 season is already under way.
Final Verdict
Nottm Forest vs Brest will not be remembered as a classic, and it was never meant to be one. What it was, instead, was exactly the afternoon a head coach wants one week before the league begins: two early goals, a clean sheet, a captain leading by example, a new signing blooded without pressure, and an hour of minutes spread across the squad. For Brest, the defeat extended a winless pre-season pattern without damaging the deeper signs of organisation and resilience that Lachuer is building on.
The true value of the result will only be measurable in September. But as a snapshot of two clubs at the start of the 2026/27 season — one seeking stability after a turbulent year, the other seeking to rediscover its ceiling — this first-ever meeting told both stories with unusual clarity.
Follow this page for ongoing coverage as the 2026/27 season unfolds, and check your club’s official channels for tickets, broadcast details and team news ahead of the opening weekend.