Table of Contents
- 1 Problems on the offensive: Vinicius Junior doesn’t live up to his expectations
- 2 No continuity: neither on the pitch nor in leadership
- 3 Third most valuable national team: Ronaldinho criticizes style of play
- 4 – How does the turnover of coaches and players in Brazil’s national team influence their overall performance during qualifiers and competitions?
Selection under Druck
©IMAGO
This article was first published on November 19th at 5 p.m. and was updated after the game against Uruguay.
Brazilian football is in crisis. The five-time world champion has been waiting for a World Cup title since 2002 and is under pressure in qualifying for the 2026 tournament. There is little left of the Seleção’s former “Joga Bonito” and there is some unrest within the association.
After twelve games in qualifying for the World Cup, Brazil is in fifth place with 18 points behind Argentina, Uruguay, Ecuador and Colombia – with a 1-1 draw against Uruguay on Tuesday evening (local time). Paraguay is lurking behind them and has 17 points. Seventh-placed Bolivia would now have to go into the intercontinental playoffs with 13 points. On the way to the 2022 World Cup, Brazil did not suffer a single defeat and currently has four.
They started qualifying in September 2023 with a 5-1 win against Bolivia and a 1-0 win against Peru. However, there was only one win and four defeats in the next six games. In October, the Brazilian selection improved its starting position with two wins over Chile (2:1) and Peru (4:0). At the end of the year there were only two draws. What are the Seleção’s problems and why does it have to worry about taking part in the 2026 World Cup?
Problems on the offensive: Vinicius Junior doesn’t live up to his expectations
After the 5-1 opening win against Bolivia, only eleven more goals followed in ten games. “There is currently a feeling of uncertainty in Brazil when it comes to the national team and the current situation is chaos,” says Marcos Watts, Area Manager Brazil at Transfermarkt. “No player has the ability to lead the team when Neymar is not there. Neither mentally nor technically. Without Neymar, the Brazilians look lost and don’t know what to do or who to give the ball to in moments of great pressure. Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo are next in line, but neither of them has lived up to the expectations of becoming the new leader of the team – maybe because they are too young, maybe they just don’t have it in them – only time will tell .”
The expert adds: “Vinicius Junior is probably the best example of how Brazilian players cannot bring their club form into the national team.” In 36 international matches, the Real Madrid winger scored five times and provided five assists. Vinicius Junior is measured against Neymar, who has not played a game for the Seleção since the end of 2023 due to injury. Although the 32-year-old didn’t win a major title with Brazil, he was always the decisive man. He scored 79 goals in 128 games, replacing Pelé as the country’s record goalscorer.
Compared to other Brazilian greats, Vinicius Junior performs significantly worse with 0.14 goals per game. Neymar’s value is 0.62, Pelé’s value is even 0.84. Ronaldo (0.63), Romário (0.77), Ronaldinho (0.34) and Kaká (0.32) also have better odds. “At Real Madrid he is probably the best player in the world and was fighting for the Ballon d’Or. But in Brazil he plays averagely and struggles to lead the team to success.”
No continuity: neither on the pitch nor in leadership
There has been a lack of continuity since Tite left the Brazilian national team after the 2022 World Cup. His successor Ramon Menezes was only in charge for three games, Fernando Diniz had six. Dorival Júnior has been coaching the team since January 2024, but he has not yet made any major changes.
The constant changes of coach led to a lot of rotation in the team, in which the wing defense is the major weak point. On the left were Renan Lodi, Guilherme Arana and Charles Augustus tried it out, there were ones on the right Emerson Royal, Danilo and Yan Couto. None of them were able to convince in the long term. Dorival trusted last Abner Vinicius and Vanderson – Brazil has already used more defenders than in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers.
Even at the association level, things have been anything but smooth lately. President Ednaldo Rodrigues communicated Carlo Ancelotti’s commitment after the 2023/24 season, but had to resign shortly afterwards due to legal problems, so the Italian canceled. The association subsequently descended into chaos, and Rodrigues returned just a month later.
Third most valuable national team: Ronaldinho criticizes style of play
The Brazilian national team is highly talented and has the most valuable squad in South America. At 894 million euros, the Dorival team is more valuable than Argentina (725 million) and Uruguay (394 million) – worldwide only France (1.01 billion) and England (996 million) have a higher squad value. In the 1-1 draw against Venezuela they faced a team valued at 73 million euros.
After the fourth-final exit from the Copa América in the summer of 2024 against Uruguay, world champion Ronaldinho spoke out and criticized the Seleção’s style of play: “That’s it, guys. I have enough. This is a sad moment for everyone who loves Brazilian football. It’s getting harder and harder to watch one of the worst teams in recent years. It has no respectable leaders, just average players. I repeat: our performance was one of the worst I have ever seen. Such a shame.”
There is now even criticism from government circles, because in October Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, or Lula for short, spoke out and questioned the careers of Brazilian footballers (see article). “We have become an export country for players. We sell them at 17 and buy them back at 34. That is the logic of Brazilian football,” Lula said. “Those who play abroad are no better than those who are here. (…) We have to give those who are here a chance.” The current squad includes seven professionals from the domestic league, including 17-year-old Estêvão.
Brazilian football has some issues that go beyond what happens on the pitch. After the draw against Uruguay, the pressure in World Cup qualification continues to grow, as the five-time world champion has always been able to qualify for a World Cup.
– How does the turnover of coaches and players in Brazil’s national team influence their overall performance during qualifiers and competitions?
1. What are some of the reasons why Brazil’s national football team is struggling in World Cup qualifiers, and how does this compare to their recent performances in other competitions?
2. How does the constant rotation of coaches and players affect the team’s performance and chemistry on the pitch?
3. Why do you think Brazilian footballers struggle to replicate their club form in the national team setting, and what can be done to address this issue?
4. What role does squad depth and continuity play in Brazil’s chances to succeed in future competitions, particularly with regards to homegrown talent?
5. How has the recent political turmoil within the Brazilian Football Confederation affected the team’s performance and reputation?
