Brazil national football team

Early history (1914–57)

It is generally believed that the first game of the Brazilian national football team was a 1914 match between a Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo select team and the English club Exeter City, held in Fluminense's stadium. Brazil won 2–0 with goals by Oswaldo Gomes and Osman, though it is claimed that the match was a 3–3 draw.

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 against Argentina (being defeated 3–0), Chile (first in 1916) and Uruguay (first on July 12, 1916). However, led by the goalscoring abilities of Arthur Friedenreich, they were victorious at home in the South American Championships in 1919, repeating their victory, also at home, in 1922.

In 1930, Brazil played in the first World Cup, held in Uruguay in 1930. The squad defeated Bolivia but lost to Yugoslavia, being eliminated from the competition. They lost in the first round to Spain in 1934 in Italy, but reached the semi-finals in France in 1938, being defeated 2-1 by eventual winners Italy. Brazil were the only South American team to participate in this competition.

After being victorious in a third South American Championship in 1949 Brazil first achieved international prominence when it hosted the 1950 FIFA World Cup. The team went into the last game of the final round, against Uruguay at Estádio do Maracanã in Rio, needing only a draw to win the World Cup. Uruguay, however, won the match and the Cup in a game known as "the Maracanazo". The match led to a period of national mourning.

For the 1954 World Cup in Switzerland, the Brazilian team was then almost completely renovated, with the team colours changed (to a new design by Aldyr Schlee) from all white to the yellow, blue and green of the national flag, to forget the Maracanazo, but still had a group of star players. Brazil reached the quarter-final, where they were beaten 4–2 by tournament favourites Hungary in one of the ugliest matches in football history, known as the Battle of Berne.

The Golden Era with Pelé (1958–70)

For the 1958 World Cup, Brazil were drawn in a group with England, the USSR and Austria. They beat Austria 3–0 in their first match, then drew 0–0 with England. Before the match, coach Vicente Feola made three substitutions that were crucial for Brazil to defeat the Soviets: Zito, Garrincha and Pelé. 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", Vavá gave Brazil the lead. They won the match by 2–0. Pelé scored the only goal of their quarter-final match against Wales, and they beat France 5–2 in the semi-final. Brazil then beat Sweden 5–2 in the final, winning their first World Cup and becoming the first nation to win a World Cup title outside of its own continent.

In the 1962 World Cup, Brazil earned its second title with Garrincha as the star player, a mantle and responsibility laid upon him after the regular talisman, Pelé, was injured during the second group match against Czechoslovakia and unable to play for the rest of the tournament.

In the 1966 World Cup, Brazil had their worst performance in a World Cup. The 1966 tournament was remembered for its excessively physical play, and Pelé was one of the players most affected. Against Portugal, several violent tackles by the Portuguese defenders caused Pelé to leave the match and the tournament. Brazil lost this match 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 nation to be eliminated in the first round while holding the World Cup crown following Italy in 1950. After the 2002, 2010 and 2014 World Cups, France, Italy and Spain were also added to this list. After the tournament, Pelé declared that he did not wish to play in the World Cup again. Nonetheless, he returned in 1970.

Brazil won its third World Cup in Mexico at the 1970 World Cup. It fielded what has since then often been considered the best World Cup football squad ever, led by Pelé in his last World Cup finals, captain Carlos Alberto Torres, Jairzinho, Tostão, Gérson and Rivelino. Even though Garrincha had retired, this team was still a force to be reckoned with. They won all six of their games—against Czechoslovakia, England and Romania during group play, and against Peru, Uruguay and Italy in the knockout rounds. Jairzinho was the second top scorer with seven goals; Pelé finished with four goals. Brazil lifted the Jules 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.

The dry spell (1971–93)

After the international retirement of Pelé and other stars from the 1970 squad, Brazil was not able to overcome the Netherlands at the 1974 World Cup in West Germany, finishing in fourth place.

In the second group stage of the 1978 World Cup, Brazil was competing with tournament hosts Argentina for top spot and a place in the finals. In their last group match, Brazil defeated Poland 3–1 to go to the top of the group with a goal difference of +5. Argentina had had a goal difference of +2, but in its last group match, it defeated Peru 6–0, and thus qualified for the final in a match accused of ultimately-unproven match fixing. The Brazilian team qualified for the third place, and were the only team to remain unbeaten in the tournament.

At the 1982 World Cup, held in Spain, Brazil were the tournament favorites, and easily moved through the early part of the draw, but a 3–2 defeat in Barcelona to Italy, in one of the classic games in World Cup finals history, eliminated them from the tournament in the match that they refer to as "Sarriá's Disaster", referencing the stadium's name. The 1982 team, with players like Sócrates, Zico, Falcão and Éder, is remembered as perhaps the greatest team never to win a World Cup.

Several players, including Sócrates and Zico, from 1982 returned to play at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. Brazil, still a very good team and more disciplined defensively than four years earlier, met the Michel Platini-led France in the quarter-finals in a classic of Total Football. The game played to a 1–1 draw in regulation time, and after a goalless extra time, it all came down to a penalty shoot-out, where Brazil was defeated 4–3.

After 40 years, Brazil was victorious in the 1989 Copa América, this being their fourth victory in four tournaments hosted in Brazil. At the 1990 World Cup in Italy, Brazil was coached by Sebastião Lazaroni. With a defensive scheme, whose main symbol was midfielder Dunga, forward Careca and three centre-backs, the team lacked creativity but made it to the second round. Brazil was eliminated by Diego Maradona-led Argentina in the round of 16 in Turin, losing to their South American archrivals 1–0.

Return to winning ways (1994–2002)

Brazil went 24 years without winning a World Cup or even participating in a final. Their struggles ended at the 1994 tournament in the United States, where a solid side headed by Romário, Bebeto, Dunga, Cláudio Taffarel and Jorginho won the World Cup for a then-record fourth time. Highlights of their campaign included a 1–0 victory over the United States in the round of 16 in San Francisco, a 3–2 win over the Netherlands in the quarter-finals in Dallas, and a 1–0 victory over Sweden in the semi-finals in Los Angeles. This set up Brazil vs. Italy in the final once again in Los Angeles, which was less than 2,000 miles away from Mexico City, where Brazil had won their previous World Cup in 1970, ironically after beating Italy. After a 0–0 draw, penalty kicks loomed and Brazil became champions once again.

Entering the 1998 World Cup as defending champions, Brazil finished runner-up. After a respectable campaign during which they beat the Netherlands on penalties in the semi-final following a 1–1 draw, the team lost to the host France 3–0 in the final.

Fuelled by the "Three R's" (Ronaldo, Rivaldo and Ronaldinho), Brazil won its fifth championship at the 2002 World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan. Brazil beat all three opponents in group play in South Korea and topped the group. In Brazil's opening game against Turkey, in Ulsan, Rivaldo fell to the ground clutching his face after Turkey's Hakan 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 in FIFA's crackdown on diving. In their knockout round matches in Japan, Brazil defeated Belgium 2–0 in Kobe in the round of 16. Against England in the quarter-finals in Shizuoka, they won 2–1, with the winning goal coming from an unexpected free-kick by Ronaldinho. The semi-final was against Turkey in Saitama; Brazil won 1–0. The final was between Germany and Brazil in Yokohama, where Ronaldo scored two goals in Brazil's 2–0 triumph. Ronaldo also won the Golden Shoe as the tournament's leading scorer.

World Cup drought (2006–present)

Brazil won the 2004 Copa América, their third win in four competitions since 1997 Brazil also won the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup for the second time. Manager Carlos Alberto Parreira built his side through a 4–2–2–2 formation. Nicknamed the "Magic Square", the attack was built around four players: Ronaldo, Adriano, Kaká and Ronaldinho.

In the 2006 World Cup, Brazil won its first two games against Croatia (1–0) and Australia (2–0). In the final group game against Japan, Brazil won 4–1. Ronaldo scored twice and equalled the record for the most goals scored across all World Cups. In the round of 16, Brazil beat Ghana 3–0. Ronaldo's goal was his 15th in World Cup history, breaking the record. Brazil, however, was eliminated in the quarter-finals against France, losing 1–0.

Dunga was hired as Brazil's new team manager in 2006. Brazil then won the 2007 Copa América, where forward Robinho was awarded the Golden Boot and named the tournament's best player. Two years later, Brazil won the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup to seal their third Confederations Cup title. Kaká was named as the player of the tournament while striker Luís Fabiano won the top goalscorer award.

At the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, Brazil won their first two matches against North Korea (2–1) and the Ivory Coast (3–1), respectively. Their last match, against Portugal, ended in a 0–0 draw. They faced Chile in the round of 16, winning 3–0, although in the quarter-final they fell to the Netherlands 2–1.

In July 2010, Mano Menezes was named as Brazil's new coach. At the 2011 Copa América, Brazil lost against Paraguay and was eliminated in the quarter-finals. On 4 July 2012, due to a lack of competitive matches because the team had automatically qualified for the 2014 World Cup as tournament hosts, Brazil was ranked 11th in the FIFA ranking, the first time the Seleção was ruled out the top ten since the ranking was created in 1993.

Return of Luiz Felipe Scolari (2013–14)

In November 2012, coach Mano Menezes was sacked and replaced by Luiz Felipe Scolari.

On 6 June 2013, Brazil was ranked 22nd in the FIFA ranking, their lowest-ever rank. Brazil entered the 2013 Confederations Cup with the objective of defending their title. In the final, Brazil faced Spain, winning 3–0 and sealing their fourth Confederations Cup title. Neymar was named player of the tournament and received the Golden Ball Award and the Adidas Bronze Shoe, and Júlio César won the Golden Glove Award for the best goalkeeper of the tournament.

Brazil was drawn into Group A of the 2014 World Cup, alongside Croatia, Mexico and Cameroon. In the opening match of the tournament, Marcelo scored an own goal for Croatia, however two goals from Neymar and one from Oscar turned the game around to get the Seleção off to a winning start in their first World Cup on home soil in 64 years. The team then draw 0–0 with Mexico, as Guillermo Ochoa produced a man of the match performance in the Mexican goal. Brazil confirmed qualification to the knockout stage by defeating Cameroon 4–1 with Neymar again scoring twice, and Fred and Fernandinho providing further goals.

Brazil faced Chile in the round of 16, taking an 18th-minute lead through David Luiz's first goal for the Seleção. With no further scoring after Alexis Sánchez's equaliser, the match went to a penalty shootout. Brazil prevailed 3–2, with Neymar, David Luiz and Marcelo converting their kicks, and goalkeeper Júlio César saving from Chileans Alexis Sánchez and Mauricio Pinilla. The team again faced South American opposition in the quarter-final, defeating Colombia 2–1 with goals from central defenders David Luiz and the team captain Thiago Silva. Late in the match, Neymar was substituted on a stretcher after Juan Camilo Zúñiga's knee had made contact with the forward's back. Neymar was taken to hospital and later diagnosed with a fractured vertebra, which ruled him out for the remainder of the tournament. Prior to this, Neymar had scored four goals, provided one assist, and been named man of the match twice. Brazil faced further problems ahead of their semi-final against Germany, as Thiago Silva was to serve a one-match suspension for receiving his second yellow card of the tournament in the quarter-final. The Seleção went on to lose 1–7 to the Germans – their biggest ever defeat at the World Cup and first home loss in a competitive match since 1975. Towards the end of the match, the home crowd began to "olé" each pass from the German team, and booed their own players off the pitch after the final whistle. The match has been nicknamed the Mineirazo, making reference to the nation's previous World Cup defeat on home soil, the Maracanazo against Uruguay in 1950, and the Estádio do Mineirão where the match took place.

Brazil finished the World Cup in fourth place, having failed to avenge their semi final defeat to Germany by losing to the Netherlands 0–3 in the third-place match. The team ended the tournament with the worst defensive record of the 32 competing nations, having conceded 14 goals. The only other countries to concede 12 or more goals in the current World Cup format are North Korea and Saudi Arabia. Following these results, Scolari announced his resignation.

Return of Dunga (2014–2016)

On 22 July 2014, Dunga was announced as the new manager of Brazil, returning to the position for the first time since the team's exit at the 2010 World Cup.

Dunga's first match in his second reign as Brazil's manager was a friendly match against 2014 World Cup quarter-finalists Colombia at Sun Life Stadium in Miami on 5 September 2014, with Brazil winning the match 1–0 through a 83rd-minute Neymar free-kick goal. Dunga followed this up with wins against Ecuador (1–0), in the 2014 Superclásico de las Américas against Argentina (2–0), against Japan (4–0), against Turkey (0–4), and against Austria (1–2). Dunga continued Brazil's winning streak in 2015 by defeating France 3–1 in another friendly. They followed this with wins against Chile (1–0), Mexico (2–0) and Honduras (1–0).

2015 Copa América

Brazil started the tournament with a victory against Peru after coming from behind by 2–1 (with Douglas Costa scoring in the dying moments), followed by a 1–0 defeat against Colombia and a 2–1 victory against Venezuela. In the knockout stage, Brazil faced Paraguay and was eliminated after drawing 1–1 in normal time and losing 4–3 in the penalty shootout. As such, Brazil was unable to qualify for a FIFA Confederations Cup (in this case, the 2017 edition) for the first time in almost 20 years.

Copa América Centenario

Brazil began the tournament with a scoreless draw against Ecuador, with the Ecuadorians having a goal wrongly disallowed in the second half. This was followed by an emphatic 7–1 victory over Haiti, with Philippe Coutinho scoring a hat-trick. Needing only a draw to progress to the knockout stage of the tournament, Brazil suffered a controversial 1–0 loss to Peru, with Raúl Ruidíaz scoring in the 75th minute by guiding the ball into the net with his arm. This loss, Brazil's first loss to Peru since 1985, saw Brazil eliminated from the tournament in the group stage for the first time since 1987.

Tite era (2016–)

On 14 June 2016, Dunga was sacked as manager of Brazil. Tite, who had managed the 2015 Brazilian champion Corinthians, was confirmed as his replacement six days later. Tite's debut was marked with an away victory against Ecuador by 3–0 on 2 September, 2–1 win over Colombia, 5–0 shocking win against Bolivia and a 0–2 victory away against Venezuela, bringing Brazil to the top of the World Cup Qualifiers leaderboard.

Olympics

Brazil won its first Olympic gold medal in 2016 on home ground. Prior to that victory, the Olympic football tournament was the only international competition in football organized by FIFA that Brazil had never won. They have also won three silver medals (1984, 1988 and 2012) and two bronze medals (1996, 2008). The Brazilian Olympic team is often coached by the national team coach, such as Mário Zagallo in 1996, Vanderlei Luxemburgo in 2000, Dunga in 2008 and Mano Menezes in 2012.

Nicknames

The Brazilian national team with many nicknames and are known in different parts of the world by various nicknames. Nicknames for the squad in Brazil include Canarinho, meaning "Little Canary", a phrase that was popularized by the late cartoonist Fernando "Mangabeira" Pieruccetti during the 1950 World Cup. Other names like Amarelinha, "Little Yellow One", Verde-amarelo, or "Green-Yellow", Pentacampeão, "Five-time Champions", Esquadrão de Ouro (the Golden Squad), some Latin American commentators often refer to the Brazil National team El Scratch (The Scratch), among others.

Kit evolution

Brazil's first team colors were white with blue collars, but following defeat in the Maracanã at the 1950 World Cup, the colors were criticised for lacking patriotism. With permission from the Brazilian Sports Confederation, the newspaper Correio da Manhã held a competition to design a kit incorporating the four colors of the Brazilian flag. The winning design was a yellow jersey with green trim and blue shorts with white trim drawn by Aldyr Garcia Schlee, a nineteen-year-old from Pelotas. The new colors were first used in March 1954 in a match against Chile, and have been used ever since.

The use of blue as the away kit color dates from the 30s, but it became the permanent second choice accidentally in the 1958 World Cup Final. Brazil's opponents were Sweden, who also wear yellow, and a draw gave the home team, Sweden, the right to play in yellow. Brazil, who travelled with no spare kit, hurriedly purchased a set of blue shirts and sewed on emblems cut from their yellow shirts.

Home

Away

Venues

Brazil do not have a home national stadium like many other national teams, and rotate their home World Cup qualifying matches in various venues throughout the country, such as the Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. Since September 2006, Brazil have played many international friendlies at Arsenal's Emirates Stadium in London, England. Brazil also plays a number of international friendlies in the United States.

Brazil's training camp is the Granja Comary in Teresópolis, located 90 kilometres (55 miles) from Rio de Janeiro. Granja Comary was opened in 1987, and underwent significant renovations in 2013 and 2014.

Competitive record

The following tables shows only Brazil's results at major tournaments. To see Brazil's results at minor tournaments, see Brazil national football team competitive record. Brazil have won a total of 64 official international titles to professional and grassroots level selections, what constitutes a world record.

FIFA World Cup

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. Brazil is the only national team to have played in all FIFA World Cup editions without having any absence.

Results and fixtures

  Win   Draw   Loss

Current squad

The following 23 players were called up for the friendly match against Colombia on January 25. As the match was contested outside the FIFA International Match Calendar, only players from the South American leagues were available.
Caps and goals as of January 25, 2017 after the match against Colombia.

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up to the Brazil squad in the last 12 months.

Most capped players

Top goalscorers

Official titles

Friendly titles

Team for Olympics & Pan American Games