The Brazil national football team (Portuguese: Seleção Brasileira de Futebol), nicknamed Canarinho, represents Brazil in men's international football and is administered by the Brazilian Football Confederation, the governing body of football in Brazil. It has been a member of FIFA since 1923 and was a founding member of CONMEBOL in 1916. It was also a member of PFC, the unified confederation of the Americas, from 1946 to 1961.
Brazil is the most successful national team in the FIFA World Cup, winning the tournament five times: 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994 and 2002. The Seleção also has the best overall performance in the World Cup competition with a record of 79 victories in 119 matches played and 135 goal difference. It is the only national team to have played in all World Cup editions without any absence nor need for playoffs, and the only team to have won the World Cup in four different continents. Brazil was the most successful team in the now-defunct FIFA Confederations Cup, with victories in 1997, 2005, 2009, and 2013.
Many commentators, football experts, and former players regard Brazil's 1970 World Cup-winning side as the greatest football team of all time. Other Brazilian squads are also highly esteemed and regularly appear listed among the best teams of all time, such as the teams of 1958–62 and of 1994–02 period. Brazil has developed many rivalries through the years, the most notable being with Argentina, Italy and Uruguay.
In FIFA's ranking system, Brazil holds the record for most Team of the Year first ranking wins with 13. It also has the highest average Elo football rating over time.
Contents
History
1914–1929: Early history
Historical records indicate 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 Brazil'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 Brazil 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. The 1966 World Cup in England was Brazil's worst performance in a World Cup. They defeated Bulgaria 2–0, then lost to Hungary 3–1. The tournament was remembered for its aggressively physical play. Against Portugal, several violent tackles by Portuguese defenders caused Pelé to leave the match and the tournament. Brazil lost the match 3–1 and was eliminated in the first round of the World Cup for the first time since 1934. Afterwards, Pelé said he would not play in another World Cup. However, he ultimately returned in 1970.
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 retirement of Pelé and other stars from the 1970 squad, Brazil played at the 1974 World Cup in West Germany. Scoreless draws with Yugoslavia and Scotland were followed by a 3–0 win over Zaire during the first group stage, with Brazil finishing second in the group. During the second group stage, Brazil defeated East Germany 1–0 and Argentina 2–1, but lost 2–0 to the Netherlands. Brazil finished in fourth place after losing the third place game 1–0 to Poland.
Brazil finished third at the 1975 Copa América. At the 1978 World Cup 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.
At the 1983 Copa América, the third and final tournament without a fixed host, Brazil lost the title to Uruguay and finished runners-up.
Several players, including Sócrates and Zico, from 1982 returned to play at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. Brazil, still a very good team and more disciplined defensively than four years earlier, won the three group stage matches (1–0 against Spain, 1–0 against Algeria, and 3–0 against Northern Ireland), without conceding a goal. Then Brazil defeated Poland 4–0 in the round of 16, and in the quarterfinals Brazil faced the Michel Platini-led France in a classic of Total Football. The game played to a 1–1 draw in regulation time where Zico missed a penalty kick, and after a goalless extra time, it all came down to a penalty shoot-out, where Brazil was defeated 4–3.
1994–2005: The Second Golden Era
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.
Brazil went 24 years without winning a World Cup or even participating in the World Cup final match. This drought 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 with 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 after extra time, with Italy's defence led by Franco Baresi keeping out Romário and Brazil's defence led by Cafu doing the same to Roberto Baggio, penalty kicks loomed and Brazil became champions with 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).
In the meantime, Brazil lost the 1995 Copa América to hosts Uruguay on penalties, followed by victory in the 1997 tournament against Bolivia, the host of the latter tournament, after a 3–1 win, the first time Brazil won the Copa América held outside of Brazil. That same year, Brazil won the Confederations Cup in Saudi Arabia with a 6-0 win against Australia.
Entering the 1998 World Cup as defending champions, Brazil finished runner-up. Having topped their group after beating Scotland 2–1, defeating Morocco 3-0 and losing 2–1 to Norway, Brazil thrashed Chile 4–1 in the round of 16, defeated Denmark 3–2 in the quarterfinals, and then eliminated Netherlands on penalties in the semi-final following a 1–1 draw. Player of the tournament Ronaldo scored four goals and made three assists en route to the final. The build up to the final itself was overshadowed by Ronaldo suffering a convulsive fit only hours before kick off. 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.
2006–2026: The second dry spell
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.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. Ronaldo's goal was his 15th in World Cup history, breaking the record, which would later be broken by Miroslav Klose in 2014. Brazil, however, were eliminated in the quarter-finals against France, a match involving several Brazilian and French players who had previously taken part in the 1998 FIFA World Cup Final, losing 1–0 to a Thierry Henry goal.
Dunga was appointed as Brazil's new team manager in 2006. 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.
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. They faced Chile in the round of 16, winning 3–0, although in the quarter-final they fell to the Netherlands 2–1.
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.
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.
Team image
Uniforms
Brazil's first team colors were white with blue collars, but following the defeat at Maracanã in the 1950 World Cup, the colors were criticized for lacking patriotism. With permission from the Brazilian Sports Confederation, the newspaper Correio da Manhã held a competition to design a new kit incorporating the four colors of the Brazilian flag. The winning design was a yellow jersey with green trim and blue shorts with white trim drawn by Aldyr Garcia Schlee, a nineteen-year-old from Pelotas. The new colors were first used in March 1954 in a match against Chile, and have been used ever since. Topper were the manufacturers of Brazil's kit up to and including the match against Wales on 11 September 1991; Umbro took over before the next match, versus Yugoslavia in October 1991. Nike began making the kits for Brazil in late 1996, in time for the 1997 Copa América and the 1998 FIFA World Cup.
The use of blue and white as the second kit colors owes its origins to the defunct latter-day Portuguese monarchy and dates from the 1930s, but it became the permanent second choice accidentally in the 1958 FIFA World Cup final. Brazil's opponents were Sweden, who also wore yellow, and a draw gave the home team, Sweden, the right to play in yellow. Brazil, who traveled with no second kit, hurriedly purchased a set of blue shirts and sewed the badges taken from their yellow shirts on them.
Nicknames
The Brazil national team is known by different names in various parts of the world. Nicknames for the squad in Brazil include:
Canarinho, meaning 'Little Canary', a reference to a species of bird commonly found in Brazil that has a vivid yellow color, this phrase was popularized by the late cartoonist Fernando "Mangabeira" Pieruccetti during the 1950 World Cup despite the team not wearing the color yet back then
Amarelinha (Little Yellow One)
Seleção (The National Squad)
Verde-amarela (The Green and Yellow)
Pentacampeão (Five-time Champions)
Esquadrão de Ouro (The Golden Squad)
Some Latin American commentators often refer to the Brazil team as El Scratch or Scratch du Oro (The Scratch), among others. In the 2022 World Cup, FIFA's YouTube channel referred to the team as Samba Boys.
Training camp
Brazil's training camp is the Granja Comary in Teresópolis, located 90 km (56 mi) from Rio de Janeiro. Granja Comary was opened in 1987, and underwent significant renovations in 2013 and 2014.
Results and fixtures
The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.
Win
Draw
Loss
Fixture
Players
Current squad
The following 26 players were named in the squad for the friendly matches against Australia on 25 and 29 September, and India on 3 October 2026.
Caps and goals are correct as of 5 July 2026, after the match against Norway.
Recent call-ups
The following players have also been called up to the Brazil squad in the last twelve months.
Individual records
As of 5 July 2026.
Players in bold are still active with Brazil.
Other records
Youngest goalscorer
Pelé (16 years and nine months) vs. Argentina, 7 July 1957
Oldest goalscorer
Romário (39 years and two months) vs. Guatemala, 27 April 2005
Most goals scored in a single match
Evaristo (5 goals) vs. Colombia, 24 March 1957
First goal scored
Oswaldo Gomes vs. Exeter City FC, 21 July 1914 (unofficial game)
Rubens Salles vs. Argentina, 27 September 1914 (official game)
Most clean sheets
Cláudio Taffarel (52 matches)
Most matches as a captain
Cafu (66 matches)
Most yellow cards received
Neymar (33 yellow cards)
Most red cards received
Dunga and Éder Aleixo (3 red cards each)
Manager records
Mário Zagallo became the first person to win the FIFA World Cup both as a player (1958 and 1962) and as a manager (1970). In 1970, at the age of 38, he became the second-youngest coach to win the tournament. While still in Brazil as an assistant coach, the team won the 1994 FIFA World Cup.
Competitive record
Champions Runners-up Third place Fourth place Tournament played fully or partially on home soil
*Draws include knockout matches decided via penalty shoot-out.
FIFA World Cup
Brazil has qualified for every FIFA World Cup they entered, never requiring a qualifying play-off. With five titles, they have won the tournament on more occasions than any other national team.
Head-to-head record
Below is a result summary of all matches Brazil have played against FIFA recognized teams.
Updated on 5 July 2026, after the match against Norway.
Positive Record
Neutral Record
Negative Record
Honours
Global
FIFA World Cup
Champions (5): 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002
Runners-up (2): 1950, 1998
Third place (2): 1938, 1978
FIFA Confederations Cup
Champions (4): 1997, 2005, 2009, 2013
Runners-up (1): 1999
Olympic Games
Silver medal (2): 1984,1 19881
World Champions' Gold Cup
Runners-up (1): 1980
Continental
South American Championship / Copa América
Champions (9): 1919, 1922, 1949, 1989, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2007, 2019
Runners-up (12): 1921, 1925, 1937, 1945, 1946, 1953, 1957, 1959-I, 1983, 1991, 1995, 2021
Third place (7): 1916, 1917, 1920, 1942, 1959-II, 1975, 1979
Panamerican Championship
Champions (2): 1952, 1956
Runners-up (1): 1960
CONCACAF Gold Cup
Runners-up (2): 1996, 2003
Third place (1): 1998
Friendly
Roca Cup (8): 1914, 1922, 1945, 1957, 1960, 1963, 1971s, 1976
Copa Rodrigues Alves (2): 1922, 1923
Copa Confraternidad (1): 1923
Copa Río Branco (7): 1931, 1932, 1947, 1950, 1967s, 1968, 1976
Taça Interventor Federal (1): 1934
Taça Dois de Julho (1): 1934
Taça Oswaldo Cruz (8): 1950, 1955, 1956, 1958, 1961, 1962, 1968, 1976
Copa Bernardo O'Higgins (4): 1955, 1959, 1961, 1966s
Taça do Atlântico (3): 1956, 1970, 1976
Taça Jorge Chavéz / Santos Dumont (1): 1968
Copa Emílio Garrastazú Médici (1): 1970
Taça Independência (1): 1972
U.S.A. Bicentennial Cup Tournament (1): 1976
Taça Centenário Jornal O Fluminense (1): 1978
Saudi Crown Prince Trophy (1): 1978
Rous Cup (1): 1987
Australia Bicentenary Gold Cup (1): 1988
Copa Teixeira (1): 1990s
Amistad Cup (1): 1992
Copa 50imo Aniversario de Clarín (1): 1995
Awards
FIFA Team of the Year (13): 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2022
FIFA Fair Play Award (1): 2023
Laureus World Team of the Year (1): 2003
World Soccer Team of the Year (2): 1982, 2002
Gazzetta Sports World Team of the Year (2): 1994, 2002
Prince of Asturias Award for Sports (1): 2002
FIFA World Cup Fair Play Trophy (4): 1982, 1986, 1994, 2006
FIFA World Cup Most Entertaining Team (1): 1994
FIFA Confederations Cup Fair Play Trophy (2): 1999, 2009
Copa America Fair Play Award (2): 2019, 2021
Summary
Notes
Official continental competition organized by PFC. It was a unified confederation of the Americas, which was formed by the NAFC, CCCF and CONMEBOL.
s Shared titles.