The Men’s football event at the Paris 2024 Olympics will have a notable absence. Brazil, who won the gold medal at Tokyo 2020, have failed to qualify for the competition.
Instead, the South American representatives in the French capital will be Argentina and Paraguay, who claimed the two berths at stake for Conmebol teams.
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How Brazil failed to qualify for Men’s football at Paris 2024 Olympics
With Andre Jardine no longer at the helm, the one in charge to try and lead Brazil U23s to Paris was Ramon Menezes. However, he couldn’t get the job done in the Pre-Olympic tournament held in Venezuela early in 2024.
The Seleção started the competition strongly by winning Group A with nine points in four games, losing only in the group stage finale with an alternative team as they had already secured a place in the final phase.
However, the Brazilian side couldn’t carry that level into the final four, missing out on a ticket to Paris 2024 by finishing third in the table with three points, two shy of Argentina and four below leaders Paraguay.
Things got complicated from the very beginning for Menezes’ side as they lost 1-0 to La Albirroja. Despite a hard-fought win over Venezuela in the second matchday, a dramatic loss to La Albiceleste in the final minutes sealed their fate.
Remembering Zagallo
Sambafoot Series launched a new documentary about the football legend Zagallo. Known as ‘Velho Lobo‘ and as superstitious as it gets, Zagallo helped shape what Brazilian football is nowadays — as a player and as a coach.
Binge the full series, available on Sambafoot’s Youtube channel.
