Owning the richest history in world football, the Brazilian National Team celebrates 110 years this Sunday (21). The date commemorates the first game of the team, played in 1914 against the English team Exeter City at Laranjeiras. Brazil won the match 2-0, with goals from Oswaldo Gomes and Osman.
Even during a time when sports like horse racing, cycling, rowing, and cricket reigned, the Brazilian National Team emerged and helped transform football into the national passion of the Brazilian people. Two months after the first game, the team lifted its first trophy: the Copa Roca, won against Argentina on September 27, 1914, thanks to a 1-0 victory, with a goal from Rubens Sales.
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INVESTMENT CONTINUES
Just last year, the CBF invested nearly R$ 200 million to fund the National Teams. In total, the organization is responsible for 16 teams (in field football, futsal, and beach soccer). The “Inclusive Teams” also receive support from the CBF. The Futsal Team for Athletes with Dwarfism competed last year in the first World Cup of the modality.
This year, Brazil has already been crowned world champion in beach soccer six times, and the Women’s National Team is preparing in France to compete in the Paris Olympic Games starting next week. Their debut will be against Nigeria on Thursday (25) in Bordeaux, France.
In 2023, the National Teams played over 160 matches and won 17 titles. The highlight was winning the gold medal at the Pan American Games in Santiago after more than 30 years without Brazil reaching the top of the podium. In addition to starting a new cycle for the senior team, the youth teams maintained their dominance on the continent by winning the U-20 and U-17 South American Championships.
THE LARGEST IN THE WORLD
A cradle of talent, Brazil has always produced stars who shone in the national jersey and were pillars of an era when the country was still finding its footing in sports. Among them are players like Leônidas da Silva, Ademir Menezes, Zizinho, and Heleno de Freitas, the first idols of the Brazilian National Team.
Before the creation of the World Cup, Brazil sought to establish its relevance in the South American scene, winning the Copa América in 1919 and 1922, amidst the prominence of Argentina and Uruguay, who were multi-champions in the inaugural editions of the continental tournament, known as the South American Championship until 1967.
Although Brazil did not win the 1930 World Cup, its presence was significant as it marked the beginning of the journey of the only country to participate in all editions of the world’s premier national team championship.
In 1950, the World Cup was held in Brazil. The Maracanã, one of the great stages of world football, was built for the tournament and hosted the final between Brazil and Uruguay. About 200,000 fans watched the game in the stands and cried with the Brazilian team’s 2-1 defeat to the South Americans.
Until then, the National Team played in white and did not wear the iconic yellow jersey, which started being used in the qualifiers for the 1954 World Cup. To decide on the uniform, the Brazilian Sports Confederation and the newspaper Correio da Manhã launched a public contest where people could submit uniform designs in Brazil’s colors. Aldyr Schlee won the initiative with the proposal of a green and yellow shirt and blue shorts, immortalizing the most recognized jersey in world football.
In its long history, the Brazilian National Team has faced difficult chapters, such as the Maracanazo. The sadness of losing the title was overcome eight years later when Brazilian fans heard over the radio from Sweden that Brazil had won the 1958 World Cup, largely thanks to the creativity of Mané Garrincha and the rise of the young King Pelé at just 17 years old. On the field, the team thrashed the hosts 5-2, with two goals from Pelé, two from Vavá, and one from Zagallo.
THE ONLY PENTA
In front of a shocked Swedish crowd, the first captain to win a World Cup for the National Team, defender Bellini, lifted the Jules Rimet trophy, a gesture that has been repeated in title celebrations ever since. Vicente Feola was the team’s coach during the tournament.
In the next World Cup, in 1962, the National Team repeated the feat. This time, the host was Chile. Without the brilliance of Pelé, who was injured in the first round, Garrincha led the team to a 3-1 victory over Czechoslovakia in the final. Amarildo, Zito, and Vavá scored the goals, with Aymoré Moreira as the coach.
Eliminated in the first round in 1966, Brazil arrived at the 1970 World Cup with a historic squad led by Zagallo. From midfield forward, the yellow jersey featured a series of stars: Pelé, Jairzinho, Rivellino, Gérson, Tostão, and captain Carlos Alberto Torres in defense.
It was with this team that the Brazilian National Team achieved its third title in Mexico, thrashing Italy 4-1 in the final, with goals from Pelé, Gérson, Carlos Alberto Torres, and Jairzinho, who became the first player to score in every match of a World Cup edition, earning the nickname “Hurricane of the Cup.”
Despite three titles in four World Cups, the National Team endured a drought that lasted until 1994. During this hiatus, Brazil mourned the elimination from the 1982 World Cup. Renowned worldwide for their beautiful football, Telê Santana’s team, featuring stars like Leandro, Zico, Falcão, Sócrates, and Júnior, was defeated by Italy in the quarter-finals.
In the United States, the National Team lifted the World Cup trophy for the fourth time. The Tetra came under the management of Carlos Alberto Parreira, the technical coordination of Zagallo, the captaincy of Dunga, and the talent of players like Taffarel, Branco, Mauro Silva, Bebeto, and Romário.
The Old Wolf, by the way, made history and became the only four-time world champion—having already won two as a player in 1958 and 1962 and one as a coach in 1970.
In 2002, after finishing as runners-up in the 1998 World Cup, the yellow jersey secured the Penta in the World Cup in South Korea and Japan. The title solidified the Brazilian National Team’s status as the only five-time world champion, with a generation formed by Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, Cafu, and Roberto Carlos, led by Luiz Felipe Scolari, known as Felipão.
During the period leading up to the 1994 World Cup, the Brazilian Women’s National Team played in its first World Cup. It was in the 1991 edition, held in China. Since then, the Brazilian women have been in pursuit of their first title in the competition, coming closest in 1999 with a third-place finish and in 2007 as runners-up to Germany.
WOMEN MAKING HISTORY WITH THE YELLOW JERSEY
Since then, women’s football has grown in Brazil, and naturally, stars and idols have emerged for new generations. Marta, Formiga, and Cristiane, along with Sissi and Pretinha, are some references whose performances for the Women’s National Team have been crucial not only for popularizing the sport in the country but also for normalizing the success of women playing football and shining in the yellow jersey.
TITLES AND MORE TITLES
But the story of the Brazilian National Teams is not made up solely of World Cups; it also includes other significant competitions in the South American and world arenas. The men’s team has won the Copa América nine times (1919, 1922, 1949, 1989, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2007, and 2019), the Confederations Cup four times (1997, 2005, 2009, and 2013), and two gold medals at the Olympics (Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020).
The Women’s National Team is the most successful in the Copa América, with eight titles (1991, 1995, 1998, 2003, 2010, 2014, 2018, and 2022), a silver medal at the Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 Olympics, and a gold medal in three Pan American Games (Santo Domingo 2003, Rio 2007, and Hamilton 2015).
In addition to football, the Brazilian National Team is also part of beach soccer and futsal. On the sand courts, Brazil achieved an unprecedented feat in February this year by winning the Hexa in Dubai. The team led by Marco Octavio became the first to win six world titles with the yellow jersey.
In futsal, both the men’s and women’s teams are dominant. In World Cups, the players have lifted the trophy five times (1989, 1992, 1996, 2008, and 2012) and have won 20 Copa América titles (1969, 1971, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1979, 1983, 1986, 1989, 1992, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2008, 2011, 2017, and 2024). In September, Marquinhos Xavier will lead the team in the World Cup in Uzbekistan. The world’s best players, Pito and Ferrão, are part of the squad.
The women athletes dominate the South American scene: they have won seven of the eight editions held (2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2017, 2019, and 2023). The team features the eight-time best player in the world, Amandinha. In 2025, FIFA will hold the first edition of the Women’s Futsal World Cup.
