The Ups And Downs of the Brazilian National Soccer Team

Soccer in Brazil is imbued with every inhabitant. It has been firmly embedded in the lives of Brazilians, and in the minds of generations, the opinion that Brazil is the true champion of soccer has long been established.

At the end of the 19th century, soccer became an outlet for Brazilians who were still under the oppression of slavery. Soccer became a way of self-expression, throwing off the shackles of Brazilian workers. You can also see it on the sports news on our website.

In 1902 the first national team was formed and until 1914 was preparing to show their skills to the general public. In the match against the English club Exeter, either the Brazilians were outnumbered (2-0), or the game was a draw, with a score of 3.

Five years later, Brazil took first America’s Cup. The success was dizzying, but the national team wanted more. The World Cup defied the team four times, in 1934, 1938, 1950, and 1954. The sixth World Cup in 1958 began with Brazil competing against England, Austria, and the USSR. With 2 wins and one draw, the players reached the quarterfinals against Wales and snatched their victory.

Then the team already felt its strength and won first place in the next two championships. Thanks to this, the belief that Brazil is the epitome of soccer was permanently cemented in the mind.

Top 10 performances of the Brazilian national team

Brazilian players have always made their way into the major leagues. And the national team itself has become famous for the following:

• 10th place. 1974. The Brazilians began the Championship with draws – first came out with an even score from the match against Yugoslavia, and then against Scotland. However, in the game with Zaire, the Brazilians won, so they advanced to the second group stage. After defeating the GDR and Argentina, they lost to the Netherlands, and in the match for third place the Polish team won. Brazil took 4th place in the Championship.
• 9th place. 1938. The tournament was held according to the Olympic system. Poland and Czechoslovakia were left behind. The match against the Swedes brought victory, but the national team lost to the then champions, the Italians, taking 3rd place in the competition.
• 8th place. 1978. A draw against Sweden and Spain, then a victory over Austria, propelled the athletes to the second round of the Championship. Here was a serious fight between Brazil and Argentina. Peru and Poland stayed behind, and the match against Argentina was a draw. In the end, the fate of the team was decided by the difference in goals scored and conceded. Here Argentina was stronger, and the Brazilians took third place.
• 7th place. 1998. Ronaldo was declared the best player in the championship and the Brazilian team took 2nd place. Behind were Scotland, Morocco, Chile, and Denmark. A draw with the Netherlands and a defeat against the French did not give the team the first place, but brought the deserved “silver”.
• 6th place. 1950 The match that triggered the victory in 1954. The decisive game against Uruguay separated the coveted “gold”. With a score of 2-1, the Brazilians were second in the standings.
• 5th place. 1994. Russia and Cameroon are defeated, and Sweden draws. Having defeated the United States, the Netherlands, and Sweden, the national team was on its way to first place. The complex match with Italy has decided only thanks to penalty kicks. The Brazilians were more accurate and snatched the gold medal.
• 4th place. 1962. Brazil won 5 games against England, Mexico, Spain, Chile and in the decisive match against Czechoslovakia. Players Wawa and Garrincha were among the six players who scored the most goals. The tournament ended with the victory of the Brazilian national team.
• 3rd place. 2002. Ronaldo received the Golden Boot for scoring 8 goals. Brazil easily left behind 7 opponents from 7 games. Brazil won the final match against Germany by a margin of 2 goals.
• 2nd place. 1958. The first year of the championship. The long road to glory and the desire to make a name for themselves in the world finally came true. Here then very young Pele became famous, scoring 6 goals, and the championship title was won thanks to the final match against Sweden.

First place, 1970. In all games, Brazil came out victorious. The game against Italy brought the gold, and the Brazilian soccer star Pele won the gold medal for the third time.

Brazil’s main defeats

Brazilians have participated in all World Cups. Only 17 times did the national team suffer defeats. Some of them were so unexpected that they became a national tragedy for Brazilian soccer.

Top 5 defeats for the Brazilian national team:

• 5th place. 1920. At the very beginning of their brilliant soccer career, the Brazilian national team was defeated by Uruguay in a crushing defeat. In September 1920, almost 10,000 spectators watched what was happening on the field. The Brazilians got 6 goals in the gate, and they could not open the account for the entire game. So the national team was only able to climb into third place.
• 4th place. 1950. This match can be called ambiguous, as it is also in the top spot. The Brazilians were able to break through to the final, but the defeat was a great disappointment. In the match against Uruguay, a draw would have been enough, and the bets on the Brazilian athletes were very high. But the claimed triumph never happened: Uruguay became the champion. The Brazilian players were condemned and some fans even took their own lives – so deep was their disappointment.
• 3rd place. 1966. This match is considered a national tragedy to this day. In the game Brazil – Portugal, the favorites were eliminated already in the group stage. All because of Hungary’s victory in the previous match. Conditions were such that the Portuguese were also able to score three goals, while the Brazilians scored only one. Against the backdrop of these events, a serious problem unfolded in the world – a wave of protests and riots swept the environment of fans. Disappointment at the failure of their favorite team agitated fans, forcing them to spew aggression toward the fans of other teams.
• 2nd place. 1998. Although defeat left the Brazilians in second place in the standings, it was not expected at all. High stakes were placed on Ronaldo. However, for unknown reasons, the player was not able to score well in the match. The game ended in a clean defeat for Brazil, and the French players took the championship title.
• 1st place. 2014. One of Brazil’s worst defeats occurred in 2014. The Brazilians and Germany met in the semifinals. After half an hour, the score was 5:0 in favor of the Germans. The match ended with a score of 7:1 and the Germans became the champions.

The team coach apologized to the fans for such a shameful defeat. At that time it looked just catastrophic to lose on home field. After the third goal, the Brazilians’ temper boiled over and they just lost the game. This allowed the Germans to sensibly take control of the situation.

The best years of the Brazilian national soccer team

Even though every decade Brazil produces a new soccer star, some cannot be surpassed. There is an opinion that it is the 1970 national team that is the best of all time.

That year, the Brazilians won six matches in the Championship and were the favorites to play. At that time the team consisted of Carlos Alberto Torres, Piazza, Felix, Pele, Rivelino, Brito, and other legendary players.

Before the 1970 match, the Brazilians did not have much support, as 1966 was a bad year for the team. Preparations were muddled, but the stages of selection were complete winners, showing a goal difference of 23:2. The match was the largest official soccer event at the time, with more than 180,000 people watching the final game against Paraguay.

If you imagine the dynamics of the ups and downs of the Brazilian national team, you can see the failures at certain stages of soccer. At the very beginning of the whole journey, the national team persevered toward the championship. Getting the fourth and third places the team did not leave the thought of a possible victory at the America’s Cup, and then the World Cup. The team’s finest hour came in the decisive tournaments. It is easy to see that if great success was followed by disappointment, then the next few seasons Brazil held firmly at the top.

Losses happened to the national team at times when fans and coaches expected a top result. Another pattern was that the players could lose control of the playing field due to their hot temper. This is what led to the crushing score in 1920, 1954, and even in 2014.

However, Brazil is a country steeped in soccer, champions are born there and their hard work leads the national team to high ratings at games.

Interesting facts about the Brazilian national team and soccer

The Brazilian national soccer team is a five-time world champion. They first won the title in 1958. And the most fierce opponent of the Brazilian team is the Argentines

The worst performance of the Brazilians is recognized by the World Cup in 2014. For the first time in 40 years, the team suffered such a devastating defeat. And at the beginning of 2021, the national team is recognized as the third best team in FIFA.

For Brazilians, soccer is a national treasure. To watch a match, people are allowed to leave work for three hours, and screens with broadcasts are located in all establishments in Brazil and on all street screens in the country.