For a nation so deeply embedded in the history of the World Cup, it’s remarkable to think Brazil have not won it for almost quarter of a century. Carlo Ancelotti and his team will begin their campaign here in broiling New Jersey tonight with the weight of history sitting heavy on their golden shoulders.
Brazil and the World Cup. It’s hard to think of one without the other. But not since Ronaldo – the original one – struck twice to bury Germany in Japan in the 2002 final have the South Americans really come close to doing their reputation justice.
They remain a hot ticket. Today’s Group C opener is almost sold out with seats at the MetLife Stadium for their meeting with Morocco available on resale sites for around the £2,000 mark yesterday. Whether they can live up the hype that always follows them to these tournaments remains to be seen.
First there are the facts. Brazil’s qualification efforts were desperately mundane. They took the fifth of the six spots available to the CONMEBOL confederation, losing six of their 18 games – including to Paraguay and Bolivia – and finishing behind Argentina, Ecuador, Colombia and Uruguay.
Then there is the expectation. Even the hiring of the calmest man in football – Ancelotti took the job in May 2025 – has not managed to dampen down the squalls of contention and disagreement that regularly seem to batter the edges of the Brazilian game.
The great Brazilian full back Cafu – a member of that 2002 winning team – said this week: ‘Ancelotti brings serenity and leadership.
Brazil are on of the more unpredictable sides of the World Cup – they are in an identity crisis
Neymar has been called up after two and a half years to give the Brazilian public what they have asked for
‘Brazil needs to rediscover confidence and identity, without giving up that creativity which has always characterised our football.’
It felt like a vote of confidence in the Italian but also a challenge thrown down at the same time. You must win and win our way.
But for the modern Brazil, it’s actually the first part that is most important. They desperately need some calm but ahead of what will not be a straight forward opener the South Americans find themselves stuck in the middle of an identity crisis that threatens to unravel their challenge before it even begins.
Brazil only scored 24 goals in qualifying, a ratio of less than 1.5 per game. That doesn’t sit well with how they see themselves and Ancelotti has included nine forwards in his squad. But if they are to do well out here in America then it may well be a path trodden on the back of Ancelotti’s more pragmatic instincts.
The great icon Neymar is in the squad but for what reason is largely unknown. The former Barcelona and PSG forward has not played for his country for more than two and a half years. Yet Ancelotti’s decision to recall a 34-year-old who is not fit enough to play today spoke to the pressures felt by every Brazil coach to give a football public exactly what it wants.
Footage of the two embracing when the Brazil squad assembled in camp last month was not convincing. Has Ancelotti made one of the few big blunders of his storied career by inviting the big dog back into the house? Can Neymar really exist comfortably in a squad in which he is no longer the best player? They are questions that may sit close to the chances of Brazil making any kind of impression on this tournament at all.
Another bold if rather more understandable Ancelotti decision has been to recall the former Manchester United midfielder Casemiro to the squad after an 18-month absence.
The former Real Madrid player can expect to play alongside Newcastle’s Bruno Guimaraes in the centre of the midfield tonight, which will be a challenge for a 34-year-old who needs somebody to do some of his running for him these days. It is expected to be a touch over 90 degrees when the game kicks off at 6pm local time.
They appear to have the right manager to lead them in Carlo Ancelotti (left), but perhaps not the right group of players
This is not a Brazilian team short of talent and their 4-2-4 formation speaks of attacking intent. Meanwhile two Champions League finalists in Gabriel of Arsenal and Marquinhos of PSG will form an outstanding centre half partnership, perhaps the best in the tournament. The embrace they shared after Gabriel’s shoot-out miss in the Budapest final was genuine and moving and Brazil will not progress through this tournament without those two at the peak of their powers.
Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior will be the attacking outlet on the left against a Morocco team riddled with its own injuries while another United player, Matheus Cunha, will hope to get a place through the middle.
Ancelotti is not shy about talking up the talent he has at his disposal and is committed to the project, having signed a contract extension that will take him to the next World Cup in 2030.
Equally, he talks regularly about the need for sacrifice and unity. He has even gone so far as to say that he doesn’t want his attacking players arriving in America seeking individual honours and goal scoring records. If a coach feels the need to say that kind of thing, it tells you much of what you need to know.
Brazil’s passage through this tournament could be relatively straight forward if they can get their early bit right. Tonight’s game feels like a shoot-out for the place at the top of the group and the prize is significant. If Brazil finish top they may face last 32 and 16 games against the likes of Japan or Sweden and then Norway or Senegal. If they finish second they could face Spain or France much earlier in the tournament than they hoped.
The problem for Ancelotti is that not much of what the Brazilians have done in recent times has been straight forward. They are unreliable and capricious in a fashion that can occasionally border on self-herm.
It feels as though Brazil have the right manager for this tournament. Whether they have the right mixture of players is a tougher question to answer. More than ever, it’s hard not to wonder what happens to them when they don’t have the ball.
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