TheBrazil national football team (Portuguese:Seleção Brasileira de Futebol;Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation:[se.leˈsɐ̃wbɾaziˈlejɾɐdʒifutʃiˈbɔw]), nicknamedSeleção Canarinho ("Canary Squad", after their bright yellow jersey), representsBrazil in men's internationalfootball and is administered by theConfederação Brasileira de Futebol (English:Brazilian Football Confederation), the governing body offootball in Brazil. It has been a member ofFIFA since 1923 and a founding member ofCONMEBOL since 1916. It was also a member ofPFC, the unified confederation of the Americas from 1946 to 1961.
Brazil has the highest averageElo football rating over time, and the fourth all-time peak football Elo rating, established in 2022.[18] In FIFA's ranking system Brazil holds the record for mostTeam of the Year first ranking wins with 13.[19] Many commentators, experts, and former players have considered the Brazil team of 1970 to be the greatest team of all time.[20][21][22][23][24] Other Brazilian teams are also highly esteemed and regularly appear listed among the best teams of all time, such as the Brazil teams of 1958–62 and the squads of the 1994–02 period, with honorary mentions for the gifted 1982 side.[25][26][27][28] In 1996, the Brazil national team achieved 35 consecutive matches undefeated, a feat which they held as a world record for 25 years.[29]
The first Brazil national team, 1914Brazil's first match at home againstExeter City in 1914
It is generally believed that the inaugural game of the Brazil national football[33] team was a 1914 match between aRio de Janeiro andSão Paulo select team and the English clubExeter City, held in Fluminense's stadium.[34][35] Brazil won 2–0 with goals by Oswaldo Gomes and Osman,[34][35][36] though it is claimed that the match was a 3–3 draw.[37][38]
In contrast to its future success, the national team's early appearances were not brilliant. Other early matches played during that time include several friendly games againstArgentina (being defeated 3–0),Chile (first in 1916) andUruguay (first on 12 July 1916), all nations to which football had been introduced decades earlier.[39]
Brazil participated in the first edition of the South American Championship (which would later become theCopa América) inArgentina in1916, finishing third place, and the1917 edition inUruguay, also finishing third. However, led by the goalscoring abilities ofArthur Friedenreich, they were champions on home soil in the1919 edition. Brazil finished third at the1920 tournament held inChile and runners-up at the 1921 edition in Argentina. Brazil won the second title at home in1922, the 100th anniversary of Brazilian independence.
Brazil finished fourth place at the1923 edition held in Uruguay, did not participate in the1924 edition also held in Uruguay, and finished second at the1925 tournament held in Argentina. Brazil did not take part in the1926 (hosted by Chile),1927 (held inPeru) and1929 (hosted by Argentina) editions.
First World Cup appearance and title drought (1930–1949)
After not taking part in the1935 South American Championship held in Peru and finishing runners up at the1937 South American Championship held in Argentina, Brazil reached the semi-finals in the1938 edition held inFrance, knocking outPoland 6–5,Czechoslovakia in the quarterfinals after a replay, before being defeated 2–1 by defending and eventual championsItaly. Brazil won third place after defeatingSweden 4–2. Brazil were the onlySouth American team to participate in this competition after other teams boycotted due to the fact that a European nation was hosting. After that, Brazil did not take part at the1939 South American Championship held in Peru.
Three South American Championship editions took place duringWorld War II:1941 (held in Chile, where Brazil didn't take part),1942 (hosted by Uruguay, and Brazil finished third), and1945 (again held in Chile, where Brazil were runners-up).
Unlike the other tournaments before and after, this edition had a final group stage to decide the champions. At this stage, Brazil defeatedSweden 7-1 andSpain 6–1, both at the Maracanã.
The team went into the last game of the final round, againstUruguay at the Maracanã needing only a draw to win the World Cup. Brazil opened the score, but Uruguay made a comeback and won the match 2–1 with a goal byAlcides Ghiggia deciding the match, and Uruguay won the World Cup in a game known as theMaracanazo. The match led to a period of national mourning and Brazil stopping wearing white as the main uniform.[42]
After the disappointment at the World Cup held at home, Brazil competed and finished runners up at the1953 South American Championship held in Peru.
For the1954 World Cup inSwitzerland, Brazil was then almost completely renovated, with the team's uniform changed to yellow shirts with green details, blue shorts and white socks. The uniform was designed byAldyr Schlee and is still used today.[43] Brazil wanted to forget the Maracanazo, and still had a group of star players. Brazil defeatedMexico 5-0 and tied withYugoslavia 1–1 at the group stage. France was also in the group, but Brazil didn't play them as the tournament only held two matched at the group stage. In the quarterfinals, Brazil were beaten 4–2 by tournament favouritesHungary in one of the ugliest matches in football history, known as the "Battle of Berne".[44]
For the1958 World Cup held inSweden, Brazil were drawn in a group withEngland, theSoviet Union andAustria. They beat Austria 3–0 in their first match, then drew 0–0 with England. Before the match, coachVicente Feola made three substitutions that were crucial for Brazil to defeat the Soviets:Zito,Garrincha andPelé. From the kick-off, they kept up the pressure relentlessly, and after three minutes, which were later described as "the greatest three minutes in the history of football",[45]Vavá gave Brazil the lead, and they won the match 2–0. Pelé scored the only goal of their quarter-final match againstWales, and they beatFrance 5–2 in the semi-final. Brazil then also beatSweden 5–2 inthe final, winning their first World Cup and becoming the first nation to win a World Cup title outside of its own continent. Pelé described it tearfully as a nation coming of age.[46]
Brazil then competed in two South American championships held in 1959. Thefirst was hosted by Argentina and Brazil finished runners-up. Thesecond was held in Ecuador and Brazil finished third place.
In the1962 World Cup held inChile, Brazil was drawn withMexico,Czechoslovakia andSpain. Brazil defeated Mexico 2–0 at the first match. The second was a goalless draw with Czechoslovakia, but Pelé got injured at this match and was unable to play for the rest of the tournament. So the protagonist became Garrincha as the star player, a mantle and responsibility laid upon him.[47][48] Brazil then defeated Spain 2–1 at the final group stage match. Brazil knocked outEngland 3–1 in the quarterfinals, defeated hostsChile 4–2 in the semifinals, and defended the World Cup title with a3-1 win in the final against Czechoslovakia.
In the1966 World Cup held inEngland, Brazil had their worst performance in a World Cup. Brazil defeatedBulgaria 2–0, but lost toHungary 3–1. The tournament was remembered for its excessively physical play, and Pelé was one of the players most affected. AgainstPortugal, several violent tackles by the Portuguese defenders caused forward player Pelé to leave the match and the tournament. Brazil lost this match 3-1 and was eliminated in the first round of the World Cup for the first time since 1934. They have not failed to reach the knockout stages of the competition since. Brazil became the second defending champion to be eliminated in the first round afterItaly in 1950. France in 2002 (without scoring a single goal and drawing a match), Italy in 2010,Spain in 2014 andGermany 2018 also repeated the unglorious feat. After the tournament, Pelé declared that he did not wish to play in the World Cup again. Nonetheless, he returned in 1970.[49]
After the early exit at the World Cup in 1966, Brazil did not take part in the1967 South American Championship held in Uruguay. This was the last time Brazil did not take part at the tournament, and that would be the last edition before the tournament was renamed as the Copa América.
The1970 FIFA World Cup-winning Brazil team, considered by many distinguished commentators as the greatest football team ever
At the1970 World Cup held inMexico, the first World Cup held inNorth America and the first held outsideEurope orSouth America, Brazil fielded what has been widely considered the best World Cup football squad ever,[20][21][22][25] led by Pelé in his last World Cup finals, captainCarlos Alberto Torres,Jairzinho,Tostão,Gérson andRivellino. Even though Garrincha had retired, this team was still a force to be reckoned with. They won all six of their games, starting with a 4–1 againstCzechoslovakia, then a 1–0 againstEngland, despite a spectacular save by Gordon Banks, and then a 3–2 againstRomania during group play. Brazil then won 4–2 againstPeru in the quarterfinals, then defeatedUruguay 3–1 in the semifinals andItaly 4–1 inthe final. Jairzinho was the second top scorer with seven goals, and is the only player to score in every match in a World Cup; Pelé finished with four goals. Brazil lifted theJules Rimet trophy for the third time (the first nation to do so), which meant that they were allowed to keep it. A replacement was then commissioned, though it would be 24 years before Brazil won it again.[50] The Jules Rimet trophywas stolen from the CBF in 1983, and never recovered. CBF then was awarded a replica.[51]
After the international retirement of Pelé and other stars from the 1970 squad, Brazil played at the1974 World Cup hosted byWest Germany. Goalless draws withYugoslavia andScotland were followed by a 3–0 win overZaire at the first group stage, finishing second in the group. At the second group stage, Brazil defeatedEast Germany 1-0 andArgentina 2–1, but was not able to overcome theNetherlands, being defeated 2–0, and then Brazil finished in fourth place after losing the third place game 1–0 toPoland.[52]
Brazil finished third place at the1975 Copa América, the first with no fixed hosts.
Then, at the1978 World Cup held inArgentina, Brazil tiedSweden 1-1, tiedSpain 0-0 and defeatedAustria 1–0 at the first group stage. Brazil finished second, the last time Brazil failed to win their group on the first stage. In the second group stage, Brazil defeatedPeru 3–0, tied with tournament hostsArgentina 0-0, and defeatedPoland 3–1. However, Argentina defeated Peru 6–0 in a match held later the same day, and thus Argentina qualified for the final in a match accused of ultimately-unprovenmatch fixing at the expense of Brazil.Brazil subsequently beatItaly 2–1 in the third place play-off, and were the only team to remain unbeaten in the tournament.
Brazil then ended at third place at the1979 Copa América, also without a single host country.
At the1982 World Cup, held inSpain, Brazil were the tournament favorites, and easily moved through the first group stage, with a 2–1 win against theSoviet Union, a 4–1 victory againstScotland and a 4–0 thrashing ofNew Zealand. In the second group stage, Brazil defeatedArgentina 3–1, but a3–2 defeat inBarcelona toItaly, in a classic World Cup match, eliminated them from the tournament in the match that they refer to as "Sarriá's Tragedy", referencing thestadium's name.[53][54] The1982 team, with a midfield ofSócrates,Zico,Falcão andToninho Cerezo, is remembered as perhaps the greatest team never to win aWorld Cup.[26]
At the1983 Copa América, the third and final tournament without a fixed host, Brazil lost the title toUruguay and finished runners-up.
Several players, including Sócrates and Zico, from 1982 returned to play at the1986 World Cup inMexico. Brazil, still a very good team and more disciplined defensively than four years earlier, won the three group stage matches (1–0 againstSpain, 1–0 againstAlgeria, and 3–0 againstNorthern Ireland), without conceding a goal. Then Brazil defeatedPoland 4–0 in the round of 16, and in the quarterfinals Brazil faced theMichel Platini-ledFrance in a classic ofTotal Football. The game played to a 1–1 draw in regulation time where Zico missed a penalty kick, and after a goalless extra time, it all came down to a penalty shoot-out, where Brazil was defeated 4–3.
Brazil finished fifth place at the1987 Copa América held inArgentina, and in 1989, Brazil hosted and won the1989 Copa América, thus ending Brazil's 19-year streak without an official title.
Brazil would struggle in the next cycle, as they finished runners-up at the1991 Copa América held inChile, losing the title toArgentina. In the1993 Copa América held inEcuador, Brazil was knocked out by Argentina on the quarterfinals on penalties. In thequalifiers for the 1994 World Cup, Brazil lost a qualifying match for the first time whenBolivia defeated the team 2–0 inLa Paz. Brazil qualified for the tournament after defeating Uruguay at Maracanã with two Romário goals.
Brazil went 24 years without winning a World Cup or even participating in a final. Their struggles ended at the1994 tournament held in theUnited States, where a solid side headed byRomário andBebeto in attack, captainDunga in midfield, goalkeeperCláudio Taffarel and defenderJorginho, won the World Cup for a then-record fourth time. Brazil started by defeatingRussia 2–0, then winning 3–0 againstCameroon and tying withSweden 1-1. Their campaign proceeded a 1–0 victory over theUnited States in the round of 16 atStanford Stadium on the4th of July, a 3–2 win over theNetherlands in the quarter-finals inDallas, and a 1–0 victory overSweden in a rematch of the group stage match at the semi-finals atPasadena'sRose Bowl. This set up Brazil–Italy in the final in Pasadena. A game played in searing heat ended as a goalless draw, with Italy's defence led byFranco Baresi keeping out Romário, penalty kicks loomed, and Brazil became champions withRoberto Baggio missing Italy's last penalty.[56] Despite the triumph, the 1994 World Cup winning team is not held in the same high esteem in Brazil as their other World Cup winning teams.FourFourTwo magazine labelled the 1994 team "unloved" in Brazil due to their pragmatic, defensive style over the more typical Brazilian style of attacking flair, in spite of the players' individual status as idols (mainly Romário, who was known as a clinical striker and whose contributions to the team are widely regarded as responsible both for allowing the team to qualify following a rocky start and for winning the tournament).[50]
Entering the1998 World Cup as defending champions, Brazil finished runner-up. Having topped their group after beatingScotland 2–1, defeatingMorocco 3-0 and losing 2–1 toNorway, Brazil thrashedChile 4–1 in the round of 16, defeatedDenmark 3–2 in the quarterfinals, and then Brazil beat theNetherlands on penalties in the semi-final following a 1–1 draw. Player of the tournamentRonaldo scored four goals and made three assists en route to thefinal. The build up to the final itself was overshadowed by Ronaldo suffering aconvulsive fit only hours before kick off.[57] The starting line up without Ronaldo was released to a shocked world media, but after pleading that he felt fine and requested to play, Ronaldo was reinstated by the coach, before giving a below par performance asFrance, led byZidane, won3-0.[58]
2002 World Cup-winning Brazil plane livery, fromVarig.
However, the2002 World Cup, co-hosted bySouth Korea andJapan, would be different, as Brazil topped their group with nine points and three wins. Brazil played the group stage in South Korea, and their first match was againstTurkey, inUlsan. In that match, Rivaldo fell to the ground clutching his face after Turkey'sHakan Ünsal had kicked the ball at his legs. Rivaldo escaped suspension but was fined £5,180 for play-acting, and became the first player ever to be punished inFIFA's crackdown ondiving. Brazil came from behind to defeat the Turks 2–1. This was followed by a 4–0 win overChina and a 5–2 victory againstCosta Rica. For the knockout round matches, Brazil traveled to Japan, continuing their campaign by defeatingBelgium 2–0 inKobe. They then proceeded to defeatEngland 2–1 in the quarter-finals inShizuoka, with the winning goal coming from a free-kick byRonaldinho from 40 yards out, but Ronaldinho was also sent off that match.[59] The semi-final was against Turkey inSaitama, a rematch of the group stage, with Brazil winning 1–0 to advance to their third consecutive final. Thefinal was againstGermany inYokohama, where Ronaldo scored both goals in Brazil's 2–0 triumph.[60] Ronaldo also won theGolden Shoe as the tournament's leading scorer with eight goals. Among the highlights of the campaign were the "Three R's" (Ronaldo,Rivaldo and Ronaldinho).[61] 2002 was Brazil's fifth world championship, their last to date, with the success seeing them receive theLaureus World Sports Award for Team of the Year.[62]
In the2006 World Cup held inGermany, Brazil won their three group games againstCroatia (1–0),Australia (2–0) andJapan (4–1).[66] Ronaldo scored twice and equalled the record for the most goals scored across all World Cups. In the round of 16, Brazil beatGhana 3–0.[67] Ronaldo's goal was his 15th in World Cup history, breaking the record, which would later be broken byMiroslav Klose in 2014.[67] Brazil, however, were eliminated in the quarter-finals againstFrance, losing 1–0 to aThierry Henry goal.[65]
In July 2010,Mano Menezes was named as Brazil's new coach.[73] At the2011 Copa América held inArgentina, Brazil lost againstParaguay on penalties and was eliminated in the quarter-finals. Brazil failed to score any penalty in the shootout.[74] In November 2012, coach Mano Menezes was sacked and replaced byLuiz Felipe Scolari.[75][76]
Brazil line-up against Colombia at the2014 FIFA World Cup. Neymar (front row, second from right) would play his last game at the tournament after being stretchered off with a fractured vertebra.
The team again faced South American opposition in thequarter-final, defeatingColombia 2–1. However, late in the match, Neymar was stretchered off after a horrible challenge byZuniga, which led to the Brazilian suffering afracturedvertebra, ruling him out for the remainder of the tournament.[85]
TheSeleção went on to lose7–1 to theGermans, their biggest ever defeat at the World Cup and first home loss in a competitive match since 1975.[86] The match has been nicknamed theMineirazo, making reference to the nation's previous World Cup defeat on home soil, theMaracanazo against Uruguay in 1950, and theMineirão stadium where the match took place.[87] In that match,Miroslav Klose scored, making him the top goalscorer at the FIFA World Cup with 16 goals. Curiously, Ronaldo Fenômeno was at the stadium as a commentator for Rede Globo.[88]
Brazil subsequently lost 3–0 to theNetherlands in the third-place play-off match.[89][90] Following the tournament, Scolari announced his resignation.[91]
Brazil's 1994 World Cup winning captain,Dunga, was coach from 2006 to 2010 and 2014 to 2016.
On 22 July 2014, Dunga was announced as the new manager of Brazil, returning to the position for his second stint leading the national team.[92]
At the2015 Copa América held inChile, Brazil finished first in Group C to advance to the knockout stages.[93] However, they were eliminated in the next round, again losing on penalties toParaguay.[94]
At the 2016Copa América Centenario held in theUnited States, Brazil began the tournament with a goalless draw withEcuador before beatingHaiti 7–1 in the next match.[95] Needing only a draw to progress to the knockout stage of the tournament, Brazil suffered a controversial 1–0 loss toPeru, withRaúl Ruidíaz scoring in the 75th minute.[96] This defeat saw Brazil eliminated from the tournament in the group stage for the first time since1987.,[97][98] and also resulted in Dunga being fired from the national team.[99]
Brazil team prior to their group game against Costa Rica at the2018 FIFA World Cup in RussiaBrazil supporters at the 2018 World Cup
On 14 June 2016,Tite replaced Dunga as manager of Brazil.[100][101] At the2018 FIFA World Cup, Brazil finished top of their group, tying withSwitzerland 1-1, defeatingCosta Rica 2-0 andSerbia 2–0.[102] After defeatingMexico 2–0 in the round of 16,[103] Brazil were eliminated in the quarter-finals byBelgium, losing 2–1.[104][105][106] Despite elimination from the tournament, Tite remained as head coach.
The2019 Copa América was held on home soil, with the team beginning the campaign with a 3–0 win againstBolivia, where the Brazilians notoriously wore a white uniform. Then Brazil had a goalless draw withVenezuela, and thumpedPeru 5–0. In the quarterfinals, Brazil defeatedParaguay on penalties after another goalless draw. After beating rivalsArgentina 2–0 in the semi-finals,[107] Brazil beat Peru 3–1 in the final to win their ninth Copa América title, and their first since 2007.[108] The team only conceded once during the tournament, during the final from a penalty kick. The next Copa América was originally scheduled to be played the following year, but due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, the competition was postponed to2021. As a result,Colombia andArgentina resigned as co-hosts,[109] and Brazil was selected to host the tournament.[110] The hosts reached thefinal once again, this time being defeated byArgentina 1–0 in theMaracanã Stadium; this was the first time Brazil failed to win the Copa América on home soil.[111]
At the2022 World Cup, Brazil finished first in their group, with the team defeatingSerbia 1–0,Switzerland 1-0 and losing toCameroon 1–0.[112] The team then facedSouth Korea in the round of 16, winning by 4–1,[113] and progressed to the quarter-finals where they lost on penalties toCroatia after a 1–1 draw.[114] Following their exit from the World Cup, Tite resigned as head coach.[115]
After Tite left,Ramon Menezes served as manager from March to July 2023, before being replaced byFernando Diniz until the end of the year. Diniz's tenure ended after Brazil lost toArgentina 1–0 at the Maracanã, with this defeat being their first home loss in FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Brazil's first team colors were white with blue collars, but following the defeat atMaracanã in the 1950 World Cup, the colors were criticized for lacking patriotism. With permission from the Brazilian Sports Confederation, the newspaperCorreio da Manhã held a competition to design a new kit incorporating the four colors of the Brazilian flag.[121] The winning design was a yellow jersey with green trim and blue shorts with white trim drawn byAldyr Garcia Schlee, a nineteen-year-old fromPelotas.[121] The new colors were first used in March 1954 in a match againstChile, and have been used ever since.Topper were the manufacturers of Brazil's kit up to and including the match againstWales on 11 September 1991;Umbro took over before the next match, versusYugoslavia in October 1991.[122]Nike began making the kits for Brazil in late 1996, in time for the1997 Copa América and the1998 FIFA World Cup.[123]
The use of blue and white as the second kit colors owes its origins to the defunct latter-day Portuguese monarchy and dates from the 1930s, but it became the permanent second choice accidentally in the1958 FIFA World Cup final. Brazil's opponents wereSweden, who also wore yellow, and a draw gave the home team, Sweden, the right to play in yellow. Brazil, who traveled with no second kit, hurriedly purchased a set of blue shirts and sewed the badges taken from their yellow shirts on them.[124]
The Brazil national team is known by different names in various parts of the world. Nicknames for the squad in Brazil include:
Canarinho, meaning 'LittleCanary', a reference to a species of bird commonly found in Brazil that has a vivid yellow color, this phrase was popularized by the late cartoonist Fernando "Mangabeira" Pieruccetti during the1950 World Cup despite the team not wearing the color yet back then[129]
Some Latin American commentators often refer to the Brazil team asEl Scratch orScratch du Oro (The Scratch), among others.[131] In the2022 World Cup,FIFA'sYouTube channel referred to the team asSamba Boys.[132][133]
Brazil's training camp is theGranja Comary inTeresópolis, located 90 km (56 mi) from Rio de Janeiro.[134] Granja Comary was opened in 1987,[135] and underwent significant renovations in 2013 and 2014.
^Some sources, includingFIFA, credit Romário with an extra goal in a 3–2 win againstMexico in the1997 Copa América while other sources give it as an own goal toCamilo Romero.[148] It is not counted here.
Mário Zagallo became the first person to win theFIFA World Cup both as a player (1958 and1962) and as a manager (1970). In 1970, at the age of 38, he became the second-youngest coach to win the tournament. While still in Brazil as an assistant coach, the team won the1994 FIFA World Cup.[152]
Brazil has qualified for every FIFA World Cup they entered, never requiring a qualifying play-off. With five titles, they have won the tournament on more occasions than any other national team.
^AFA andCBF differ from the total match count. Here, it shows only the numbers according to CBF. For more information, visit the articleArgentina–Brazil football rivalry
^159 times on eight occasions: 23 September–19 November 1993; 19 April–14 June 1994; 21 July 1994 – 16 May 2001; 3 July 2002 – 14 February 2007; 18 July–19 September 2007; 1 July–20 November 2009; 28 April–14 July 2010; 6 April–6 July 2017; 10 August–14 September 2017; 31 March 2022 – 6 April 2023.
^Kilpeläinen, Juuso (18 March 2018)."Neymar and the magical influence of an enigmatic amulet".Football Paradise.Archived from the original on 24 January 2021. Retrieved15 December 2020.For the Brazilians, the disappointment was too much to cope with. Canarinho subsequently dropped to fourth place as Holland cruised to a relatively comfortable 3–0 victory in the third place play-off at Estádio Nacional.
^"네이버 뉴스 라이브러리" [Declaration of conquest of the US Nike soccer equipment market].NAVER Newslibrary.Archived from the original on 26 November 2022. Retrieved26 November 2022.
^Since 1992, squads forFootball at the Summer Olympics have been restricted to three players over the age of 23. The achievements of such teams are not included in the statistics of the senior national team.
^"Taça Jorge Chavéz-Santos Dumont".Jogos da Seleção Brasileira de Futebol (in Portuguese). Jogos da Seleção Brasileira. 17 July 1970.Archived from the original on 31 July 2021. Retrieved31 July 2021.
Ruy Castro (2005).Garrincha – The triumph and tragedy of Brazil's forgotten footballing hero. Translated by Andrew Downie. London: Yellow Jersey Press.ISBN0-224-06433-9.
Ivan Soter (2015).Enciclopédia da Seleção: 100 anos de seleção brasileira de futebol. Rio de Janeiro: Folha Seca.ISBN978-85-87199-29-4.
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