Brazil has the richest football history out of any country in the world. They also have the best players who’ve ever played football. While a South American team may not have hoisted a World Cup trophy for two decades, the strength of Brazil remains, and it is hoping to win another title.
There’s nothing quite like Brazilian football. The Brazilian national football team has had different iterations in their squad throughout the years, and they are primed to win their sixth title.
Should you bet on Brazil to win it all and secure another trophy? Here is everything you need to know about the Brazilian football team and how they can win in the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Team History
As mentioned, Brazil has a rich history in football, especially during the World Cup. After accumulating five World Cup trophies, Brazil still has unfinished business in the 2022 World Cup.
What makes Brazil so special in the World Cup? There is quite a lot to uncover about Brazil’s team history, and it will help you get an assurance that this is the team you want on your radar before betting. Check out a brief history of their team compositions throughout the years:
How did they win their FIFA World Cup titles?
Brazil had the most success among all the FIFA World Cup teams. Winning five times which is the most compared to any other team, Brazil still boasts as the number one FIFA World Cup record-wise.
The squad proved itself to be the best throughout the years, winning in 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, and 2002 World Cups. Each championship team went through a steep competition like Sweden, Chile, Mexico, the United States, and Korea.
With spectacular defence and a mix of great players carrying their national teams, Brazil was unstoppable in all five instances where they hoisted the trophy. Also, they had a winning mindset embodied by years of legendary managers. In 2022, they seek to replicate what they have done in prior World Cups as the Qatar tournament nears.
Best Brazilian players who played for the national team
Brazil produced some of the best football players in the world. Each played for various leagues and tournaments, and Brazilian footballers have the accolades and poise to dominate on the football field.
Among these players is Pelé, a revered superstar who played decades of Brazilian football for his national team. He is often regarded as the best football player in history if not for worthy competitors of that title like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Aside from the legendary Pelé, Garrincha is among the most pivotal Brazilian players who contributed to Brazil’s World Cup titles during their run in the early 60s to the late 70s. Two younger generation players, Kaká and Neymar, also deserve to be listed as the top Brazilian players for their amazing feats outside the FIFA World Cup. More specifically, Neymar, the Brazilian fan-favourite superstar, won two LaLiga titles playing alongside Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.
Is Brazil going to win the 2022 FIFA World Cup?
The bigger question heading into the 2022 World Cup is: Does Brazil even stand a chance? There’s no denying that the competition in 2022 is rather steep, with teams like Argentina and France making a deep run while rising teams like the Netherlands and England are coming.
Despite all these fantastic football teams vying for the same trophy, Brazil remains on top of the FIFA World Cup hierarchy. But why is that? What’s special about this Brazilian national team heading into the 2022 Qatar World Cup?
Neymar and his entourage of superstars
Out of any squad in the World Cup, Brazil has the most superstar talent in the tournament. Despite the absences of the Brazilian Premier League trio of Gabriel Martinelli, Philippe Coutinho, and Dani Alves, the team makes up for it with other named stars like Neymar and Gabriel Jesus.
Brazil’s best player is none other than Neymar. He is one of the most prolific scorers this game has ever seen—however, many talks circulated on social media saying this would be Neymar’s final World Cup. Thus, you can expect Neymar to give it his all for his first World Cup title.
Momentum from the 2018 Russian World Cup
If it weren’t for the team’s mistakes like lack of defensive efforts and the lucky goals from the opponents, Brazil would’ve competed in the World Cup final in 2018. However, things didn’t exactly go as planned, and preparations for the 2022 World Cup immediately surfaced after their loss.
Entering the Qatar World Cup, Brazil didn’t change their roster too much. Instead, they got better after gaining more experience throughout the years leading up to 2022.
For instance, they were undefeated in their campaign for qualification to the Qatar World Cup. They won 14 matches and drew only three times. Comparing this to their 2018 run, they topped the CONMEBOL division but fell 0-2 to Chile in their first match.
They also secured the 2019 Copa America title and came close to winning it again in 2021 after falling to Argentina in the final. The Brazilian national team only lost two more times since the Russia World Cup in contrast to their four losses and one penalty-shootout defeat that led to the 2018 competition.
Familiar with opponents
With their spectacular experience in the 2018 World Cup, Brazil gained a lot of insight against their enemies. Being matched up against Denmark, Australia, France, and Switzerland gave the team a lot of time to think of the best game plan to beat them once the 2022 World Cup begins.
In a series of bizarre occurrences, two groups in the tournament will be close to identical to their 2018 counterparts, like France and Australia. They will all face each other during the group stages. This gives Brazil a huge advantage in the World Cup, especially when they retained almost the same roster from the Russian competitions.
To give you a little perspective, Brazil opened their 2018 World Cup run against Switzerland, which was tightly contested and ended up a 1-1 draw. Brazil felt they were robbed of a victory but quickly moved on to win their next match against Serbia. This also means that the team doesn’t get easily discouraged from draws or close wins, which is a great trait to have in this type of tournament.
A mix of both veteran and young players
Another reason Brazil has a massive chance of winning is its mix of proven veterans and rising stars. Of course, you have Neymar, who is easily the most recognisable and experienced star on the roster.
Brazil’s rising superstars, like Gabriel Jesus and Marcelo, will get even better once they reach their prime. With this perfect mix of veteran and young players, the team is the most cohesive it’s ever been since when Pelé and Garrincha still played football.
Brazilian national team 2022 overview
They have one of the best squads coming into the World Cup, and here is a general overview of the Brazil national team:
Notable players
Brazil’s pool of football players looks daunting for the rest of the competition, specifically in the forward positions. For the most part, Neymar is the definitive offensive forward who will be the centrepiece of the offence. Some great Brazilian players play for the team. A few are Vinicius Junior, the two Gabriels (Martinelli and Jesus), Raphina, and Roberto Firmino.
All these football players are household names in their respective leagues. This kind of depth means that they can both be offensive and defensive. Brazil’s size will threaten a lot of defences when the World Cup begins, and alongside their speed and athleticism, they will be tough to beat.
How did they do during the 2018 FIFA World Cup?
The 2018 Brazilian football team had some ups and downs that ended with a failure to secure a place in the finals. After beating Mexico in the first qualifying round, they met Belgium, where everyone thought they would win the matchup easily.
Unfortunately, their title hopes didn’t live up to their expectations as Kevin de Bruyne from the Belgium national team dominated the South American team to a pulp. While they were amazing throughout the qualifying stages en route to the Russian World Cup, their title aspirations were short-lived.
However, this didn’t stop them from looking forward to 2022 and dominating in different South American competitions, making them one of the most formidable teams coming into the Qatar World Cup. While they lost in the most important stage in 2018, they made up for it by making a stronger team.
Will Neymar’s age affect his World Cup run?
While Neymar is 30 years old already, he still hasn’t shown he has aged like other older superstars in the league. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo being much older than him, all three superstars are still as great as they were at their primes.
Perhaps the latter two ageing stars aren’t as athletic as before. In Neymar’s case, he is still at the tail end of his prime approaching father time soon. He is still a prolific scorer who can uplift his team to a championship if his heart desires. While most ageing stars’ will be limited by what they physically can’t do, Neymar is still as fast, strong, and agile.
Manager: Adenor ‘Tite’ Leonardo Bacchi
Adenor ‘Tite’ Leonardo Bacchi is a football manager responsible for the rich sports culture this Brazilian team embodies. Instilling discipline and plays drawn with hustle and sportsmanship, Tite is a formidable manager who can lead a team to the promised land.
His offence is what he is best known for, where he has to reside his full confidence with his superstar players. Luckily, there are three big players he can rely on to generate the offence, and this team’s size can play solid defence which can deny goals.
Coming into the World Cup 2022, Tite led Brazil to seven consecutive wins in all qualifying rounds and became the first nation to book its place in the World Cup. Tite also has a lot of accolades. For instance, he won multiple runner-up titles in the Internacional and the Brazilian Serie A, where he found his strides as a national manager for his football hometown.
Brazil’s biggest rivals
While Brazil is among the favourites to win it all, there are still a few hurdles that can ruin their championship dreams. Below are the top four teams who can seriously give trouble to this amazing Brazilian national team:
Argentina
Lionel Messi is still the undisputed best player in the world, no matter what people will say. He isn’t the prime superstar player he used to be, but he can still lead a team deep in the World Cup. Messi matches up well with Brazil’s defenders due to his excellent dribbling ability. Argentina’s complimentary pieces are also good playing alongside Messi, like Paulo Dybala and Emiliano Martinez.
Belgium
Belgium has Kevin de Bruyne, who knocked out the same Brazilian team in the 2018 Russian World Cup. In 2022, they’ll be facing the same old team but with a few rotation pieces that Brazil might find troublesome when they match up again.
Portugal
Like Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo proved to have a few tricks up his sleeves. With a resounding offence of the combination of Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes, this team must not be lightly taken when Brazil faces them in the qualifying rounds.
France
Being the defending champions, France is among the top three favourites to win it all in the World Cup 2022. The ascending Kylian Mbappe will once again play his best offence against unsuspecting teams, and Brazil hopes to be ready when they face this French powerhouse.
Boost your World Cup 2022 experience with BC.Game
Are you ready for the best FIFA World Cup games? Hopefully, the Brazil World Cup 2022 national team will prevail and secure their sixth title in over five decades. If you plan to bet on this historically significant team, visit BC.Game to have the best sports betting experience of your life leading up to the World Cup.
