No, acceleration and velocity cannot be equal without a force being applied. In the absence of any external force, an object will either remain at rest or continue to move with a constant velocity (zero acceleration).
Acceleration is the rate of change of velocity over time. When an object experiences a net force, it undergoes acceleration, causing its velocity to change. If there is no force acting on an object, the acceleration will be zero, and the object will either remain stationary or move with a constant velocity.
In order for acceleration to be non-zero and for the velocity to change, a force must be applied to the object according to Newton's second law of motion, which states that the force acting on an object is equal to its mass multiplied by its acceleration (F = m * a).