1914–1929: Early history It is widely believed that Brazil's first-ever game was a 1914 match between a
Rio de Janeiro and
São Paulo select team and the English club
Exeter City, held in the stadium of
Fluminense FC. Brazil won 2–0 with goals by
Oswaldo Gomes and
Osman Medeiros, though it has also been claimed that the match was a 3–3 draw. In 1916, Brazil played its first matches against
Chile and
Uruguay. Brazil achieved third place at the first two editions of the South American Championship—which would later become the
Copa América—in
1916 and
1917. Led by the goalscoring abilities of
Arthur Friedenreich, they were champions in the
1919 edition, which was held in their own country. Brazil finished third in
1920 and second in 1921. They won the
1922 championship, again on home soil, and achieved second place in
1925.
1930–1949: First World Cup appearance and title drought In 1930, Brazil played in
the first FIFA World Cup, held in
Uruguay. After losing to
Yugoslavia and defeating
Bolivia in the group stage, they were eliminated from the competition. Four years later, Brazil lost in the first round to
Spain in the all-knockout
1934 World Cup in Italy. After finishing second at the
1937 South American Championship, Brazil reached the semi-finals at the
1938 FIFA World Cup in France. They were eliminated by eventual champions
Italy, but managed to achieve third place after defeating
Sweden. Brazil was the only
South American team to participate in the tournament; other teams held a boycott to protest the tournament being held in Europe twice in a row. During
World War II, Brazil finished third in the
1942 South American Championship and second in the
1945 edition. After the war, Brazil achieved second place at the
1946 edition, and won their third title at the
1949 edition, held in Brazil. The victory ended the team's 27-year drought without a South American title.
1950 World Cup and the Maracanazo After World War II caused widespread destruction in Europe, Brazil's bid to host the
1950 FIFA World Cup went unopposed. During the tournament's group stage, Brazil defeated
Mexico 4–0 at the
Maracanã in
Rio de Janeiro (then the Brazilian capital), tied with
Switzerland 2–2 at the
Pacaembu in
São Paulo, and returned to the Maracanã to defeat
Yugoslavia 2–0. Unlike World Cup tournaments before and after, this edition had a final group stage to decide the champion. At this stage, Brazil defeated
Sweden 7-1 and
Spain 6–1. In the last game of the final round against
Uruguay at the Maracanã, Brazil needed a win or draw to achieve a World Cup victory. Uruguay defeated Brazil 2–1, winning the World Cup in a game known as the
Maracanazo. The defeat led to a period of national mourning in Brazil, and marked the end of the Brazil team wearing white as their default uniform.
1951–1957: Modern uniform and the "Battle of Berne" After the disappointment of the Maracanazo, Brazil finished second at the
1953 South American Championship in Peru. At the
1954 World Cup in
Switzerland, Brazil debuted a new uniform designed by
Aldyr Schlee. It featured yellow shirts with green details, blue shorts, and white socks, and is still used today. In Barzil's two group stage matches, they defeated
Mexico 5-0 and tied with
Yugoslavia 1–1. In the quarter-finals, Brazil lost 4–2 to
Hungary in one of the ugliest matches in football history, known as the "
Battle of Berne". Brazil did not play in the
1955 South American Championship, but finished fourth at both the
1956 and
1957 editions.
1958–1970: Pelé and the First Golden Era During the
1958 World Cup in
Sweden, Brazil defeated
Austria 3–0 in their first group match, then tied
England 0–0. Before their third group match against the
Soviet Union, coach
Vicente Feola added
Zito,
Garrincha and
Pelé to the starting line-up. From the
kick-off, Brazil applied relentless pressure; in his biography of Garrincha,
Ruy Castro described the first three minutes of the match as "the greatest three minutes in the history of football".
Vavá gave Brazil the lead, and they won the match 2–0. Pelé scored the only goal of their quarter-final victory over
Wales, and they defeated
France 5–2 in the semi-final. Brazil then achieved a 5–2 victory over
Sweden in
the final, winning their first World Cup and becoming the first nation to win a World Cup outside of its own continent. Pelé described the moment as "a nation coming of age". Brazil competed in two South American championships held in 1959. They finished second in the
first tournament, and third in the
second tournament. At the
1962 World Cup in
Chile, Brazil defeated
Mexico 2–0 in their first group match, then tied 0–0 with
Czechoslovakia. Pelé was injured during the second match and was unable to play for the rest of the tournament. Brazil then defeated Spain 2–1 in their final group stage match. Brazil eliminated
England 3–1 in the quarterfinals, defeated
Chile 4–2 in the semifinals, and secured their second consecutive World Cup title with a
3–1 win in the final against Czechoslovakia. Brazil finished second at the
1963 South American Championship in Bolivia.In the
1966 World Cup held in
England, Brazil had their worst performance in a World Cup. Brazil defeated
Bulgaria 2–0, but lost to
Hungary 3–1. The 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 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 after
Italy in 1950. France in 2002 (without scoring a single goal and drawing a match), Italy in 2010,
Spain in 2014 and
Germany 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. After the early exit at the World Cup in 1966, Brazil did not take part in the
1967 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. -winning Brazil team, considered by many commentators as the greatest football team ever At the
1970 World Cup in
Mexico, Brazil fielded what is widely considered the best World Cup squad in history. It was led by Pelé, captain
Carlos Alberto Torres,
Jairzinho,
Tostão,
Gérson and
Rivellino. The team won all six of their games, starting with the group stage matches: 4–1 over
Czechoslovakia, 1–0 over
England (despite a famous save by Gordon Banks), and 3–2 over
Romania. Brazil then won 4–2 against
Peru in the quarter-finals, defeated
Uruguay 3–1 in the semi-finals, and achieved a 4–1 victory over
Italy in
the final. Jairzinho ranked second in total goals scored in the tournament with seven, and is the only player to score in every match in a World Cup; Pelé finished with four goals. Brazil became the first nation to lift the
Jules Rimet trophy for the third time, which meant they were allowed to keep it. A replacement trophy was then commissioned, though it would be 24 years before Brazil won it again. The Jules Rimet trophy
was stolen from the
Confederação Brasileira de Futebol (CBF) in 1983, and was never recovered. CBF was later awarded a replica trophy.
1971–1993: The first dry spell After the international retirement of Pelé and other stars from the 1970 squad, Brazil played at the
1974 World Cup hosted by
West Germany. Goalless draws with
Yugoslavia and
Scotland were followed by a 3–0 win over
Zaire at the first group stage, finishing second in the group. At the second group stage, Brazil defeated
East Germany 1-0 and
Argentina 2–1, but was not able to overcome the
Netherlands, being defeated 2–0, and then Brazil finished in fourth place after losing the third place game 1–0 to
Poland. Brazil finished third place at the
1975 Copa América, the first with no fixed hosts. Then, at the
1978 World Cup held in
Argentina, Brazil tied
Sweden 1-1, tied
Spain 0-0 and defeated
Austria 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 defeated
Peru 3–0, tied with tournament hosts
Argentina 0-0, and defeated
Poland 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-unproven
match fixing at the expense of Brazil.
Brazil subsequently beat
Italy 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 the
1979 Copa América, also without a single host country. At the
1982 World Cup, held in
Spain, Brazil were the tournament favorites, and easily moved through the first group stage, with a 2–1 win against the
Soviet Union, a 4–1 victory against
Scotland and a 4–0 thrashing of
New Zealand. In the second group stage, Brazil defeated
Argentina 3–1, but a
3–2 defeat in
Barcelona to
Italy, in a classic World Cup match, eliminated them from the tournament in the match that they refer to as "Sarriá's Tragedy", referencing the
stadium's name. The
1982 team, with a midfield of
Sócrates,
Zico,
Falcão and
Toninho Cerezo, is remembered as perhaps the greatest team never to win a
World Cup. Brazil would struggle in the next cycle, as they finished runners-up at the
1991 Copa América held in
Chile, losing the title to
Argentina. In the
1993 Copa América held in
Ecuador, Brazil was knocked out by Argentina on the quarterfinals on penalties. In the
qualifiers for the 1994 World Cup, Brazil lost a qualifying match for the first time when
Bolivia defeated the team 2–0 in
La Paz. Brazil qualified for the tournament after defeating Uruguay at Maracanã with two Romário goals.
The Second Golden Era (1994–2005) in the 2002 FIFA World Cup Brazil went 24 years without winning a World Cup or even participating in a final. Their struggles ended at the
1994 tournament held in the
United States, where a solid side headed by
Romário and
Bebeto in attack, captain
Dunga in midfield, goalkeeper
Cláudio Taffarel and defender
Jorginho, won the World Cup for a then-record fourth time. Brazil started by defeating
Russia 2–0, then winning 3–0 against
Cameroon and tying with
Sweden 1-1. Their campaign proceeded a 1–0 victory over the
United States in the round of 16 at
Stanford Stadium on the
4th of July, a 3–2 win over the
Netherlands in the quarter-finals in
Dallas, and a 1–0 victory over
Sweden in a rematch of the group stage match at the semi-finals at
Pasadena's
Rose 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 by
Franco Baresi keeping out Romário, penalty kicks loomed, and Brazil became champions with
Roberto Baggio missing Italy's last penalty. 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). 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 as
France, led by
Zidane, won
3-0. Brazil won the
1999 Copa América held in
Paraguay with a
3–0 win over
Uruguay in the final, but lost the
1999 Confederations Cup final to hosts
Mexico, before being eliminated from the
2001 Copa América held in
Colombia in the quarterfinals with a 2–0 loss to
Honduras. The team would also struggle in the
2002 World Cup qualifiers, only securing a spot on the final matchday with a 3–0 victory over
Venezuela. . However, the
2002 World Cup, co-hosted by
South Korea and
Japan, 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 against
Turkey, in
Ulsan. In that match, 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. Brazil came from behind to defeat the Turks 2–1. This was followed by a 4–0 win over
China and a 5–2 victory against
Costa Rica. For the knockout round matches, Brazil traveled to Japan, continuing their campaign by defeating
Belgium 2–0 in
Kobe. They then proceeded to defeat
England 2–1 in the quarter-finals in
Shizuoka, with the winning goal coming from a free-kick by
Ronaldinho from 40 yards out, but Ronaldinho was also sent off that match. The semi-final was against Turkey in
Saitama, a rematch of the group stage, with Brazil winning 1–0 to advance to their third consecutive final. The
final was against
Germany in
Yokohama, where Ronaldo scored both goals in Brazil's 2–0 triumph. Ronaldo also won the
Golden 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). 2002 was Brazil's fifth world championship, their last to date, with the success seeing them receive the
Laureus World Sports Award for Team of the Year.
The second dry spell (2006–2014) After their World Cup victory in
Asia, Brazil won the
2004 Copa América in
Peru, defeating
Argentina on penalties after a
2–2 draw in the final, with a late goal by
Adriano forcing the shootout. That was their third win in four competitions since 1997. They also won the
FIFA Confederations Cup for the second time in
2005, with a
4–1 thumping of
Argentina. Manager
Carlos Alberto Parreira built his side through a 4–2–2–2 formation. Nicknamed the "Magic Quartet", the attack was built around four players: Ronaldo,
Adriano,
Kaká and Ronaldinho. field at the
2006 FIFA World Cup In the
2006 World Cup held in
Germany, Brazil won their three group games against
Croatia (1–0),
Australia (2–0) and
Japan (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. Brazil, however, were eliminated in the quarter-finals against
France, losing 1–0 to a
Thierry Henry goal. Brazil then won the
2007 Copa América held in
Venezuela, with a
3-0 win against
Argentina in the final. Two years later, Brazil won the
2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, defeating the
United States 3–2 in
the final, to seal their third
Confederations Cup title. against Chile at the
2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa 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. In July 2010,
Mano Menezes was named as Brazil's new coach. At the
2011 Copa América held in
Argentina, Brazil lost against
Paraguay on penalties and was eliminated in the quarter-finals. Brazil failed to score any penalty in the shootout. In November 2012, coach Mano Menezes was sacked and replaced by
Luiz Felipe Scolari. , where they won all five matches. On 6 June 2013, Brazil was ranked 22nd in the
FIFA World Rankings, their lowest ever. At the
2013 Confederations Cup, Brazil defended their title, beating Spain in the
final, winning 3–0 and sealing their fourth Confederations Cup title.
2014 FIFA World Cup In the
opening match of the 2014 World Cup on home soil against
Croatia, two goals from
Neymar and one from
Oscar sealed a 3–1 comeback win after a
Marcelo own goal. The team then drew 0–0 with
Mexico, before confirming qualification to the
knockout stage by defeating
Cameroon 4–1. Brazil faced
Chile in the
round of 16, needing penalties to prevail to the next round following a 1–1 draw. . 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 the quarter-final, defeating
Colombia 2–1. However, late in the match, Neymar was stretchered off after a horrible challenge by
Zuniga, which led to the Brazilian suffering a
fractured vertebra, ruling him out for the remainder of the tournament. The
Seleção went on to lose
7–1 to the
Germans, their biggest ever defeat at the World Cup and first home loss in a competitive match since 1975. 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
Mineirão stadium where the match took place. 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. Brazil subsequently lost 3–0 to the
Netherlands in the third-place play-off match. Following the tournament, Scolari announced his resignation.
After the 2014 FIFA World Cup (2014–2022) , 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. At the
2015 Copa América held in
Chile, Brazil finished first in Group C to advance to the knockout stages. However, they were eliminated in the next round, again losing on penalties to
Paraguay. At the 2016
Copa América Centenario held in the
United States, Brazil began the tournament with a goalless draw with
Ecuador before beating
Haiti 7–1 in the next match. 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. This defeat saw Brazil eliminated from the tournament in the group stage for the first time since
1987., and also resulted in Dunga being fired from the national team. in Russia On 14 June 2016,
Tite replaced Dunga as manager of Brazil. At the
2018 FIFA World Cup, Brazil finished top of their group, tying with
Switzerland 1-1, defeating
Costa Rica 2-0 and
Serbia 2–0. After defeating
Mexico 2–0 in the round of 16, Brazil were eliminated in the quarter-finals by
Belgium, losing 2–1. Despite elimination from the tournament, Tite remained as head coach. The
2019 Copa América was held on home soil, with the team beginning the campaign with a 3–0 win against
Bolivia, where the Brazilians notoriously wore a white uniform. Then Brazil had a goalless draw with
Venezuela, and thumped
Peru 5–0. In the quarterfinals, Brazil defeated
Paraguay on penalties after another goalless draw. After beating rivals
Argentina 2–0 in the semi-finals, Brazil beat Peru 3–1 in the final to win their ninth Copa América title, and their first since 2007. 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 the
COVID-19 pandemic, the competition was postponed to
2021. As a result,
Colombia and
Argentina resigned as co-hosts, and Brazil was selected to host the tournament. The hosts reached the
final once again, this time being defeated by
Argentina 1–0 in the
Maracanã Stadium; this was the first time Brazil failed to win the Copa América on home soil. At the
2022 World Cup, Brazil finished first in their group, with the team defeating
Serbia 2–0,
Switzerland 1-0 and losing to
Cameroon 1–0. The team then faced
South Korea in the round of 16, winning by 4–1, and progressed to the quarter-finals where they lost on penalties to
Croatia after a 1–1 draw. Following their exit from the World Cup, Tite resigned as head coach.
Recent years (2023–present) After Tite left,
Ramon Menezes served as manager from March to July 2023, before being replaced by
Fernando Diniz until the end of the year. Diniz's tenure ended after Brazil lost to
Argentina 1–0 at the Maracanã, with this defeat being their first home loss in FIFA World Cup qualifiers. The CBF then appointed
Dorival Júnior as manager. At the
2024 Copa América held in the
United States, Brazil tied 0–0 with
Costa Rica, thrashed
Paraguay 4-1 and tied 1–1 with
Colombia. Brazil was eliminated on penalties by
Uruguay in the quarter-finals following a 0–0 draw. Dorival was fired after losing 4–1 to Argentina at the
Monumental de Nuñez, and in his place the federation appointed Italian manager
Carlo Ancelotti as a replacement. Brazil qualified for the
2026 FIFA World Cup after a 1–0 victory against
Paraguay on 10 June 2025. == Team image ==