The Brazil-Argentina football rivalry ( es, Superclásico de las Américas; pt, Superclássico das Américas) is a
sports rivalry
A sports rivalry is intense competition between athletic teams or athletes, affecting participants, management, and supporters all to varying degrees.
The intensity of the rivalry can range anywhere from a light hearted banter to serious violen ...
between the national
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
teams of the two countries and their respective sets of
fans
Fan commonly refers to:
* Fan (machine), a machine for producing airflow, often used for cooling
** Hand fan, an implement held and waved by hand to move air for cooling
* Fan (person), short for fanatic; an enthusiast or supporter, especially wit ...
. Games between the two teams, even those that are only
friendly match
An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, a scrimmage, a demonstration, a preseason game, a warmup match, or a preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sporting event whose prize money and impact on the player's or ...
es, are often marked by notable and controversial incidents. The rivalry has also been referred to as the "Battle of the Americas."
FIFA
FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was found ...
has described it as the "essence of football rivalry".
CNN
CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by the M ...
ranked it second on their top 10 list of international football rivalries—only below the older
England–Scotland football rivalry
The England–Scotland football rivalry, between the England and Scotland national football teams, is the oldest international fixture in the world, first played in 1872 at Hamilton Crescent, Glasgow. Scottish nationalism has been a factor in t ...
.
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
-
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
matches are often known for the high level of competitiveness and talent between the two teams. Brazil and Argentina are the two teams with the highest ''average'' football
Elo Rating
The Elo rating system is a method for calculating the relative skill levels of players in zero-sum games such as chess. It is named after its creator Arpad Elo, a Hungarian-American physics professor.
The Elo system was invented as an improved ch ...
calculated over the entire team history, with 1994 and 1984 points respectively. Both are also routinely ranked among the top ten national teams in the world in both the
FIFA World Rankings
The FIFA Men's World Ranking is a ranking system for men's national teams in association football, led by Brazil . The teams of the men's member nations of FIFA, football's world governing body, are ranked based on their game results with the ...
and the
World Football Elo Ratings
The World Football Elo Ratings are a ranking system for men's national association football teams that is published by the website eloratings.net. It is based on the Elo rating system but includes modifications to take various football-specific va ...
. Both countries have produced players considered at the time the best in the world, such as
Alfredo Di Stéfano
Alfredo (, ) is a cognate of the Anglo-Saxon name Alfred and a common Italian, Galician, Portuguese and Spanish language personal name.
People with the given name include:
*Alfredo (born 1946), Brazilian footballer born as Alfredo Mostarda Filho ...
,
Diego Maradona
Diego Armando Maradona (; 30 October 196025 November 2020) was an Argentine professional football player and manager. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport, he was one of the two joint winners of the FI ...
and
Lionel Messi
Lionel Andrés Messi (; born 24 June 1987), also known as Leo Messi, is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Paris Saint-Germain and captains the Argentina national team. Widely regarded as one of the ...
for Argentina, and
Pelé
Edson Arantes do Nascimento (; born 23 October 1940), known as Pelé (), is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a forward. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time and labelled "the greatest" by FIFA, ...
,
Ronaldo
Ronaldo is a Portuguese given name equivalent to the English Ronald. It became a common name in all Portuguese-speaking countries, being also prevalent in Italy and Spanish-speaking countries. People
Notable people known as Ronaldo include:
As ...
and
Ronaldinho
Ronaldo de Assis Moreira (born 21 March 1980), commonly known as Ronaldinho Gaúcho () or simply Ronaldinho, is a Brazilian retired professional footballer who played mostly as an attacking midfielder, but was also deployed as a winger. Wide ...
for Brazil.
History
The origins of the football rivalry between Argentina and Brazil can be traced to a time before football became so popular in both countries. Today, few remember wars and other political confrontations between both countries, and only recall matches, victories, goals, and other sport-related incidents. Their
rivalry
A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant o ...
is found in almost all sports, but a men's
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
match between Argentina and Brazil is one that neither side wants to lose, and often acquires more importance than the championship within which it takes place. To exemplify the intensity of this rivalry, one only needs to remember that after the 1946 incidents (
see below), the two teams did not play against each other for ten years; either team would decline to play in a given cup so that they would never have to play against the
neighboring
A neighbourhood (British English, Irish English, Australian English and Canadian English) or neighborhood (American English; see spelling differences) is a geographically localised community within a larger city, town, suburb or rural ar ...
country.
A Brazilian defender threw the ball before Laguna reaches it, during the
1916 Copa América. Brazil wore a green and yellow striped jersey for that game.
Since their first match in 1914, the national teams have played 105 matches counting friendlies,
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament ha ...
matches, and other official competitions (excluding matches between youth sides).
Even though there is a difference depending on whether the
Argentine Football Association
The Argentine Football Association ( es, Asociación del Fútbol Argentino, ; AFA) is the governing body of football in Argentina based in Buenos Aires. It organises the main divisions of Argentine league system (from Primera División to Torn ...
(AFA) or the
Brazilian Football Confederation
The Brazilian Football Confederation ( pt, Confederação Brasileira de Futebol; CBF) is the governing body of football in Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country ...
(CBF) does the counting, the near-balance is not in dispute. According to FIFA, of the 105 matches played between both national teams, Argentina and Brazil hold 38 and 41 victories, respectively, with 26 draws. Argentina has 160 goals, while Brazil has 163. Only counting World Cup matches, Brazil is slightly ahead with two wins, one draw, and one loss, whereas in the
Copa América
The Copa América ( en, America Cup) or CONMEBOL Copa América, known until 1975 as the South American Football Championship (''Campeonato Sudamericano de Fútbol'' in Spanish and ''Campeonato Sul-Americano de Futebol'' in Portuguese), is the t ...
matches, Argentina holds a comfortable lead with 14 victories, 8 draws, and 9 defeats. Of the 60 friendly matches, 25 went to Brazil, 20 to Argentina, and 16 were draws.
Both captains shake hands before playing a match at the
1923 Copa América.
Since the first match between the two countries in 1914, Argentina dominated the early years with more than double the Brazilian victories. This is even when Brazil was world champion in 1958 and 1962. However, the 1970s proved to be dark times for Argentina, with seven defeats, four draws, and only one victory, although it should be mentioned that one of the draws came in the
1978 World Cup
The 1978 FIFA World Cup was the 11th edition of the FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial international football world championship tournament among the men's senior national teams. It was held in Argentina between 1 and 25 June.
The Cup was won by ...
played in Argentina. The 0–0 draw helped Argentina reach their second World Cup final and their first World Cup title. In the 1978 World Cup, Brazil was left behind, playing for third place.
The highest scoring wins between these two nations were for Argentina 6–1 (at home in
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
, 1940) and 1–5 (away at
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...
, 1939), for Brazil 6–2 (at home in Rio de Janeiro, 1945) and 1–4 (away at Buenos Aires, 1960).
The most important victory matches between these two nations were, for Argentina, the 2–0 match in the
1937 Copa América final, the tie 0–0 in the
1978 World Cup
The 1978 FIFA World Cup was the 11th edition of the FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial international football world championship tournament among the men's senior national teams. It was held in Argentina between 1 and 25 June.
The Cup was won by ...
that helped them to reach the final and their first World Cup title, the 1–0 victory over Brazil in the
1990 World Cup
The 1990 FIFA World Cup was the 14th FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial football tournament for men's senior national teams. It was held from 8 June to 8 July 1990 in Italy, the second country to host the event for a second time (the first being M ...
which eliminated Brazil from the World Cup in the Round of 16, and the 1–0 victory over Brazil in the
2021 Copa América Final, played in the
Maracana Stadium.
For Brazil, the most important were two Copa America victories in the Copa America finals. The first, in Peru in 2004, saw Brazil win in a penalty shootout (4–2) after a (2–2) draw, and the second was a (3–0) win in the 2007 Copa América final played in Venezuela. Another important victory for Brazil was the
2005 FIFA Confederations Cup
The 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup football tournament was the seventh FIFA Confederations Cup. It was held in Germany between 15 June and 29 June 2005, as a prelude to the 2006 FIFA World Cup. The tournament was won by 2002 FIFA World Cup winners ...
final, where the
Brazilians
Brazilians ( pt, Brasileiros, ) are the citizens of Brazil. A Brazilian can also be a person born abroad to a Brazilian parent or legal guardian as well as a person who acquired Brazilian citizenship. Brazil is a multiethnic society, which me ...
defeated Argentina 4–1 in the decisive match.
Statistics
Major official titles comparison
Head-to-head
Knockouts
*
1937 Copa América Final: Argentina 2 x 0 Brazil - Argentina Champion
*
1990 World Cup
The 1990 FIFA World Cup was the 14th FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial football tournament for men's senior national teams. It was held from 8 June to 8 July 1990 in Italy, the second country to host the event for a second time (the first being M ...
Round of 16: Argentina 1 x 0 Brazil - Argentina Classified
*
1993 Copa América
The 1993 Copa América was the 36th Copa América, CONMEBOL's football tournament for national teams. It was held in Ecuador between 15 June and 4 July. All 10 CONMEBOL members took part, but for the first time two nations from outside CONMEBOL w ...
Quarterfinal: Argentina 1 (6) x (5) 1 Brazil - Argentina Classified
*
1995 Copa América
The 1995 Copa América football tournament was staged in Uruguay. It was won by Uruguay, who beat Brazil 5–3 in the penalty shootout after a 1–1 draw in the final. All 10 CONMEBOL members took part, with Mexico and the United States invited i ...
Quarterfinal: Argentina 2 (2) x (4) 2 Brazil - Brazil Classified
*
1999 Copa América
The 1999 Copa América was a football tournament held in Paraguay, from 29 June to 18 July. It was organized by CONMEBOL, South America's football governing body.
There was no qualifying for the final tournament. Mexico and Japan were invited to ...
Quarterfinal: Argentina 1 x 2 Brazil - Brazil Classified
*
2004 Copa América
The 2004 Copa América was the 41st edition of the Copa América, the South-American championship for international association football teams. The competition was organized by CONMEBOL, South America's football governing body, and was held in P ...
Final: Argentina 2 (2) x (4) 2 Brazil - Brazil Champion
*
2005 Confederations Cup
The 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup football tournament was the seventh FIFA Confederations Cup. It was held in Germany between 15 June and 29 June 2005, as a prelude to the 2006 FIFA World Cup. The tournament was won by 2002 FIFA World Cup winners B ...
Final: Argentina 1 x 4 Brazil - Brazil Champion
*
2007 Copa América
The 2007 Campeonato Sudamericano Copa América, known simply as the 2007 Copa América or 2007 Copa América Venezuela, was the 42nd edition of the Copa América, the South-American championship for international association football teams. The c ...
Final: Argentina 0 x 3 Brazil - Brazil Champion
*
2019 Copa América
The 2019 Copa América was the 46th edition of the Copa América, the international men's association football championship organized by South America's football ruling body CONMEBOL. It was held in Brazil and took place between 14 June and 7 ...
Semifinal: Argentina 0 x 2 Brazil - Brazil Classified
*
2021 Copa América
The 2021 Copa América was the 47th edition of the Copa América, the international men's football championship organised by South America's football ruling body CONMEBOL. The tournament took place in Brazil from 13 June to 10 July 2021. The tour ...
Final: Argentina 1 x 0 Brazil - Argentina Champion
List of matches
Complete list of matches between both sides:
Note: Matches held before 1914 are not recognized by
FIFA
FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was found ...
so the International Federation considers that Brazilian squads formed until then were not official representatives of the country.
Before 1914, Argentina had toured Brazil twice, the first time in 1908, returning in 1912.
Recognised matches
Unrecognised matches
List of matches played from 1908 to 1914 – before the CBF was established – between the Argentina national team and diverse representatives (named themselves "Brazil"), such as
Liga Paulista
The Campeonato Paulista Série A1, commonly known as Campeonato Paulista, nicknamed Paulistão, is the top-flight professional football league in the Brazilian state of São Paulo. Run by the FPF, the league is contested between 16 clubs and typ ...
and
Liga Carioca combined, or clubs (
Paulistano,
SC Americano), among others. It is believed that in the first match held on 2 July 1908, Argentina wore the light blue and white shirt for the first time,
[ although other sources state that the shirt debuted in a ]Copa Newton
Copa Newton was a football friendly competition contested between Argentina and Uruguay. The trophy, donated by Nicanor Newton, was contested 27 times between 1906 and 1976.
History
Nicanor Newton, director of ''Sportsman'' magazine, donated t ...
match v Uruguay in September that year.[ARGENTINA NATIONAL TEAM ARCHIVE](_blank)
by Héctor Pelayes on the RSSSF In 1913, a Liga Paulista team arrived in Argentina to play two friendly matches there.[Los orígenes de los clásicos con Brasil (1908-1914)" on Viejos Estadios blogsite]
Pelé–Maradona rivalry
Among the elite group of players, football fans consider as contenders for the title, ''of the best player of all time'', Brazil's Pelé
Edson Arantes do Nascimento (; born 23 October 1940), known as Pelé (), is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a forward. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time and labelled "the greatest" by FIFA, ...
and Argentina's Diego Maradona
Diego Armando Maradona (; 30 October 196025 November 2020) was an Argentine professional football player and manager. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport, he was one of the two joint winners of the FI ...
are probably the most famous, and generally, dominate polls on the subject.[¿Pelé o Maradona? ¿Quién logró más goles y títulos en mundiales y competiciones internacionales?]
at CNN, 24 Sep 2022 Some of their countrymen also feature regularly in such debates. The next most notable pair are perhaps Garrincha
Manuel Francisco dos Santos (28 October 1933 – 20 January 1983), nicknamed Mané Garrincha, best known as simply Garrincha (, "little bird"), was a Brazilian professional footballer who played as a right winger. He is widely regarded as one of ...
(Brazilian) and Alfredo Di Stéfano
Alfredo (, ) is a cognate of the Anglo-Saxon name Alfred and a common Italian, Galician, Portuguese and Spanish language personal name.
People with the given name include:
*Alfredo (born 1946), Brazilian footballer born as Alfredo Mostarda Filho ...
(Argentine). The most dominant figures from the two countries in the modern game are Neymar
Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior (born 5 February 1992), known as Neymar, is a Brazilian professional association football, footballer who plays as a Forward (association football), forward for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain F.C., Paris Sain ...
(Brazilian) and Lionel Messi
Lionel Andrés Messi (; born 24 June 1987), also known as Leo Messi, is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Paris Saint-Germain and captains the Argentina national team. Widely regarded as one of the ...
(Argentine). Both Pelé and Maradona have declared Neymar and Messi their respective "successors".
However, the overriding discussion about which of Pelé and Maradona is the greater has proved to be never-ending. Even though they have been considered the best players of their times,[ many consider the comparison between them useless, as they played during incomparable eras and in different leagues. The debate between the pair has been described as "the rivalry of their countries in microcosm".]
Pelé was given the title "Athlete of the Century" by the International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swiss ...
. In 1999, ''Time'' magazine named Pelé one of the 100 Most Important People of the 20th Century. Also, he was elected ''Football Player of the Century'', by France Football's Golden Ball Winners in 1999, ''Football Player of the Century'', and ''South America Football Player of the Century'', both by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS), 1999. For his part, Maradona has been named ''Best Player of the 20th Century'' by the Globe Soccer Awards
The Globe Soccer Awards aka Dubai d'Or are football awards organised by the European Club Association (ECA) in conjunction with the European Association of Player's Agents (EFAA) and delivered by the organisation Globe Soccer. The award ceremony ...
, best soccer player in World Cup
A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...
history both by ''The Times
''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...
'' and FourFourTwo
''FourFourTwo'' is a football magazine published by Future. Issued monthly, it published its 300th edition in May 2019. It takes its name from the football formation of the same name, 4-4-2.
In 2008, it was announced that ''FourFourTwo'' had e ...
regarded him as the "Best Football Player of All Time". He was also elected as the "Greatest Athlete in History" by Corriere Dello Sport – Stadio
''Corriere dello Sport'' is an Italian national sports newspaper based in Rome, Italy. It is one of three major Italian sports daily newspapers and has the largest readership in central and southern Italy, the fourth most read throughout the co ...
.
The controversy reached a climax during the FIFA player of the century in 2000, in which Maradona was voted ''Player of the Century'' in an official internet poll, garnering 53.6% of the votes against 18.53% for Pelé. Shortly before the ceremony, FIFA decided to add a second award and appointed a "Football Family" committee composed of football journalists that gave to Pelé the title of 'best player of the century to make it a draw. This move was criticized in Argentina, that suspected Pelé was rewarded for his constant support of FIFA, in contrast to Maradona's frequent criticism.[Diego y Pelé, los mejores de siempre]
on ''Página/12'', 2000 Others believe that FIFA was considering issues other than football, notably Maradona's drug problem. Maradona left the ceremony right after receiving his award and before Pelé was given his.[CNNSI – "Split decision: Pele, Maradona each win FIFA century awards after feud"](_blank)
Last retrieved 31 May 2006.
In another internet poll that took place in 2002, Maradona received another award from FIFA, as one of his goals was selected as the World Cup Goal of the Century. One of Pelé's goals received third place, while Maradona had a second goal selected as fourth.
Despite their frequent confrontations, usually through quotations by the media, Pelé was the guest star of Maradona's TV show ''La Noche del 10'' ("''The Night of the #10''"), where they had a friendly chat and played a bout of headers. The two players also showed great respect for each other despite differences, such as when Pelé stated in 2018 that Maradona was better than Messi, or in 2019 when Maradona prayed for Pelé to recover after the Brazilian legend was admitted to hospital for health reasons. When Maradona died on 25 November 2020, Pelé was among the major football figures to mourn Maradona's death.
Famous players and football figures often give their opinion on the Maradona and Pelé rivalry, sometimes choosing one over the other. Others prefer not to compare them, as they played at very different times.
Incidents and historical matches
1925 Copa América
For the 1925 Copa América, Argentina and Brazil played the final match at Sportivo Barracas Stadium, on Christmas Day. The unusual date was not an obstacle to drawing a crowd of more than 30,000 people. In a crowded stadium, the match started in a tense atmosphere: at 27 minutes Lagarto intercepted a back pass by Ludovico Bidoglio
Ludovico Bidoglio, sometimes nicknamed ''Vico'' (5 February 1900 – 25 December 1970) was an Argentine football player, and one of Boca Juniors' idols during the 1920s. His position on the field was right back.
Due his elegant style, precise ...
and passed the ball to Arthur Friedenreich
Arthur Friedenreich (18 July 1892 – 6 September 1969) was a Brazilian professional footballer who played as a forward. He was nicknamed ''The Tiger'' or ''The Original "Black" Pearl'', and was arguably the sport's first outstanding mixed-race ...
, who beat Américo Tesoriere
Américo Miguel Tesoriere, sometimes nicknamed ''Mérico'' (Buenos Aires, March 18, 1899 – December 30, 1977), was an Argentine football goalkeeper who spent most of his career in Boca Juniors, where he became an early idol and remaining as a le ...
with a strong shot. It was 1-0 for the Brazilians. Three minutes later, Nilo scored the second for the ''canarinha''. The crowd was astonished, because if the Brazilian lead was maintained, a new match had to be played to determinate the champion.
Before completing the first half, a dangerous counterattack by the visitors was stopped by Ramón Muttis
Ramón Alfredo Muttis (12 March 1899 – 12 January 1955) was an Argentine football defender who spent most of his career with Boca Juniors. He also played for the Argentina national team winning the 1925 South American Championship.
Muttis ( ...
with a strong foul on Friedenreich, who in turn, reacted with a kick. The Argentine responded with a punch at the Brazilian's face, and the incident unleashed a buzz among several players and also with some spectators who invaded the pitch. The game was suspended, and only resumed - without a sending-off - after a hug between Friedenreich and Muttis that sealed a truce. However, the incident made a dent in the Brazilian players and the match changed course: at the end of the first half Antonio Cerrotti reduced the deficit and opened the road to recovery. The equaliser came ten minutes into the second half through Manuel Seoane
Manuel Seoane (19 March 1902 – 21 August 1975), nicknamed ''La Chancha'', was an Argentine footballer who played as a striker for Independiente and Argentina national team.
Seoane is considered one of the best all-time players for Independi ...
. The match ended tied 2–2, and Argentina won its second Copa America in history in a rugged match against Brazil. The incidents did not go unnoticed in Brazil and some local newspapers referred to the game as ''"The Barracas' War"''. Because of this match, Argentina and Brazil did not play-officially again for 11 years.
1937 Copa América final
In the 1937 South American Championship
The fourteenth edition of the South American Championship of football was held in Buenos Aires, Argentina from 27 December 1936 to 1 February 1937.
The participating countries were Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay thus mak ...
(currently Copa América
The Copa América ( en, America Cup) or CONMEBOL Copa América, known until 1975 as the South American Football Championship (''Campeonato Sudamericano de Fútbol'' in Spanish and ''Campeonato Sul-Americano de Futebol'' in Portuguese), is the t ...
), the rivalry between both teams was already something of national pride. There were verbal confrontations between both parties, and Argentine fans often taunted the Brazilians by calling them ''macaquitos'' and making monkey sounds. The final match, held in Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
, was played between the two sides and was goalless after 90 minutes. In extra time, Argentina scored two goals. Questioning one of the goals and fearful for their own safety, the Brazilian players decided to leave the stadium before the match was officially finished. The Brazilian press has since called this match "''jogo da vergonha''" ("the shame game"). Argentina won, 2–0, and was South American champion again.
1939 Copa Roca
The 1939 edition of Roca Cup was the longest in history, having been defined after four matches. The first two games were held in Estádio São Januário
Estádio Vasco da Gama, also known as Estádio São Januário, owing to its location on a street of the same name, is the home ground of Club de Regatas Vasco da Gama. Its facade is listed by the National Historical and Artistic Heritage.
It is ...
in Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...
. The first one, held in January, ended 5–1 to Argentina.
A second match was held only one week later, with the Brazilian team seeking revenge for the previous defeat. The match was vibrating; first Brazil went ahead 1–0, then Argentina recovered to lead 1–2, and Brazil then drew level at 2–2. Shortly before the end of the match, the referee, the same as in the previous match, gave a penalty to Brazil. Furious, Argentina player Arcadio López verbally attacked the referee and had to be escorted out of the pitch by police. The Argentine team, enraged by the actions of the referee and the police, left the pitch. The penalty that gave Brazil the 3–2 victory was scored without a goalkeeper, because the entire Argentine team had already walked off the pitch.
As both teams had won one match each, a third game was scheduled to be played at Parque Antarctica in São Paulo
São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaWC a ...
. The match ended 2–2 after extra time
Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a Draw (tie), tie or draw where the scores are the same. In some sports, this extra period is ...
therefore a fourth and final match was held in the same venue and was won by Argentina 3–0, which finally won the trophy.
1945–1946 incidents
In the 1945 Copa Roca match that Brazil won 6–2, young Brazilian Ademir de Menezes
Ademir Marques de Menezes (; 8 November 1922 – 11 May 1996) was a Brazilian footballer, regarded as one of the best forwards in football history. His prominent underbite earned him the nickname "Queixada", which means "jaw". He was also the ...
fractured Argentine José Battagliero's leg. Though it seemed to be only an unfortunate accident, the game was played roughly and sometimes violently.
A few months later, the 1946 South American Championship
The nineteenth edition of the South American Championship in football was held in Buenos Aires, Argentina from 12 January to 10 February. This tournament, an ''extra'' edition with no trophy handed to the winners, is considered official by CONM ...
final again involved Argentina and Brazil. There was widespread media coverage, and the conviction that it would be a rough match. Twenty-eight minutes after the beginning, when both teams went for a free ball, Brazilian Jair Rosa Pinto fractured Argentine captain José Salomón's tibia
The tibia (; ), also known as the shinbone or shankbone, is the larger, stronger, and anterior (frontal) of the two bones in the leg below the knee in vertebrates (the other being the fibula, behind and to the outside of the tibia); it connects ...
and fibula
The fibula or calf bone is a leg bone on the lateral side of the tibia, to which it is connected above and below. It is the smaller of the two bones and, in proportion to its length, the most slender of all the long bones. Its upper extremity is ...
. General disorder ensued, with Argentine and Brazilian players fighting on the pitch with the police. The public invaded the pitch and both teams had to go to the dressing rooms. After order was restored the game continued, and Argentina won the match 2–0. Salomón never recovered completely nor played professional football after the incident.
1974 World Cup
It would be the first ever meeting between Brazil and Argentina in the FIFA World Cup. Defending champions Brazil faced Argentina in West Germany's Niedersachsenstadion
Niedersachsenstadion (, ) is a football stadium in Hanover, Lower Saxony, Germany, which is home to football club Hannover 96.
The original 86,000-capacity stadium was completed in 1954 and has since been rebuilt several times for various maj ...
in Hanover
Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...
in the second round as both were placed in Group A
Group A is a set of motorsport regulations administered by the FIA covering production derived vehicles intended for competition, usually in touring car racing and rallying. In contrast to the short-lived Group B and Group C, Group A vehicles w ...
. Brazil won it by 2–1 via goals from Rivelino
Roberto Rivellino (also Rivelino, ; ; born 1 January 1946) is a Brazilian football pundit and retired footballer. He was one of the stars of Brazil's 1970 FIFA World Cup winning team. Rivellino currently works as a pundit for Brazilian TV Cult ...
and Jairzinho
Jair Ventura Filho (born 25 December 1944), better known as Jairzinho (), is a Brazilian former footballer. A quick, skillful, and powerful right winger known for his finishing ability and eye for goal, he was a key member and top scorer of th ...
whereas Brindisi
Brindisi ( , ) ; la, Brundisium; grc, Βρεντέσιον, translit=Brentésion; cms, Brunda), group=pron is a city in the region of Apulia in southern Italy, the capital of the province of Brindisi, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea.
Histo ...
scored the only goal for Argentina.
1978 World Cup
The Group B of the second round was essentially a battle between Argentina and Brazil, and it was resolved in controversial circumstances. In the first round of group games, Brazil beat Peru
, image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg
, image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg
, other_symbol = Great Seal of the State
, other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal
, national_motto = "Fi ...
3–0 while Argentina saw off Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
2–0. Brazil and Argentina then played out a tense and violent goalless draw – also known as "''A Batalha de Rosário''" ("The Battle of Rosario"), so both teams went into the last round of matches with three points. Argentina had an advantage that their match against Peru kicked off several hours after Brazil's match with Poland.
Brazil won their match 3–1, so Argentina could know that they had to beat Peru by four clear goals to go through to the final. Argentina managed it with what some saw as a suspicious degree of ease. Trailing 2–0 at half-time, Peru simply collapsed in the second half, and Argentina eventually won 6–0. Rumours suggested that Peru might have been somehow illicitly induced not to try too hard (especially because the Peruvian goalkeeper, Ramón Quiroga
Ramón Quiroga Arancibia (born 23 July 1950) is a Peruvian former football player and coach. A goalkeeper, he obtained 40 caps playing for the Peru national football team.
He is currently a youth coach for the Peruvian club Cienciano.
Club ca ...
, was born in Argentina); but nothing could be proved, and Argentina met the Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
in the final.
Brazil, denied a final place by Argentina's 6–0 win over Peru, took third place from an enterprising Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
side and were dubbed "moral champions" by coach Cláudio Coutinho
Cláudio Pêcego de Moraes Coutinho (5 January 1939 – 27 November 1981) was a Brazilian football manager who coached Brazil from 1977 to 1980 and Los Angeles Aztecs in 1981. He died as a result of a scuba diving accident at Rio de Janeiro.
Mi ...
, because they did not win the tournament but did not lose a single match either.
1982 World Cup
Brazil and Argentina were grouped together (along with Italy) in the second group stage in Group C, which was dubbed as the "group of death
A group of death in a multi-stage tournament is a group which is unusually competitive, because the number of strong competitors in the group is greater than the number of qualifying places available for the next phase of the tournament. Thus, in ...
". In the opener, Italy prevailed 2–1 over Argentina. Argentina now needed a win over Brazil on the second day, but they were no match, as the Brazilians' attacking game, characterised by nimble, one-touch passing on-the-run, eclipsed the reigning world champions. The final score of 3–1 – Argentina only scoring in the last minute – could have been much higher had Brazil centre-forward Serginho not wasted a series of near-certain scoring opportunities. Frustrated because of the poor refereeing and the imminent loss, Diego Maradona kicked Brazilian player Batista
Batista is a Spanish language, Spanish or Portuguese language, Portuguese surname. Notable persons with the name include:
* Batista (footballer, born 1955), Brazilian football player
* Dave Bautista, American actor and professional wrestler, also ...
and received a straight red card A red card is a type of penalty card that is shown in many sports after a rules infraction.
Red card may also refer to:
Art, entertainment, and media
* ''Red Card'' (album), 1976 release by Streetwalkers
* Red card, suit (cards) of hearts or d ...
. Brazil lost their next game to Italy and thus exited the World Cup along with Argentina.
1990 World Cup (The "holy water" scandal)
The last time both teams met in a World Cup match was in the Round of 16 at the 1990 World Cup
The 1990 FIFA World Cup was the 14th FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial football tournament for men's senior national teams. It was held from 8 June to 8 July 1990 in Italy, the second country to host the event for a second time (the first being M ...
, which featured Argentina defeating Brazil 1–0 with a goal from Claudio Caniggia
Claudio Paul Caniggia (; born 9 January 1967) is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as forward or winger. Caniggia played 50 times for the Argentina national team. He appeared in three World Cups, and was a member of both r ...
after a pass from Diego Maradona. The end of the match was controversial, however, with Brazilian player Branco accusing the Argentina training staff of giving him a bottle of water laced with tranquillizers while they were tending to an injured player. Years later, Maradona admitted the truth on an Argentine television show, saying that Branco had been given "holy water". The Argentine Football Association
The Argentine Football Association ( es, Asociación del Fútbol Argentino, ; AFA) is the governing body of football in Argentina based in Buenos Aires. It organises the main divisions of Argentine league system (from Primera División to Torn ...
and the team coach of the time, Carlos Bilardo
Carlos Salvador Bilardo Digiano (born 16 March 1938) is an Argentine former physician, football player, and manager.
Bilardo achieved worldwide renown as a player with Estudiantes de La Plata in the 1960s, and as the manager of the Argentina ...
, denied that the "holy water" incident ever took place, though prior to the previous denial Bilardo said of Branco's allegation: "I'm not saying it didn't happen."
1991 Copa América match
Argentina defeated Brazil 3–2 in Santiago
Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whose ...
in the first match of the final pool. Five players were sent off: Claudio Caniggia and Mazinho
Iomar do Nascimento (born 8 April 1966), known as Mazinho, is a Brazilian football manager and former player. Mazinho played primarily as a defensive midfielder and a full-back in his professional playing career. As a manager, he had a short ...
after tangling in the 31st minute; Carlos Enrique
Carlos Alberto Enrique (born 12 December 1963 in Adrogué) is a former Argentine football defender who won the Copa América 1991 with Argentina. At club level he won the Copa Libertadores and Copa Intercontinental with Club Atlético Indepen ...
and Márcio Santos for another fight in the 61st minute, with one player leaving on a stretcher; and Careca Bianchezi
Carlos Alberto Bianchezi, better known as Careca Bianchezi (born 25 August 1964) is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a striker.
Club career
Throughout his club career, Careca Bianchezi for Brazilian sides Marília, Gu ...
in the 80th minute, two minutes after coming on as a substitute.
1993 Copa América match
Argentina and Brazil finished 1–1 at the quarterfinal match, played in Guayaquil
, motto = Por Guayaquil Independiente en, For Independent Guayaquil
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, pushpin_map = Ecuador#South America
, pushpin_re ...
. Brazil started winning the game, but Leonardo Rodríguez drew with the head after a corner kick at the second part. In penalties, ''Los Gauchos'' defeated 5–4 and advanced to the quarter-finals. Argentina finally won the Copa América
The Copa América ( en, America Cup) or CONMEBOL Copa América, known until 1975 as the South American Football Championship (''Campeonato Sudamericano de Fútbol'' in Spanish and ''Campeonato Sul-Americano de Futebol'' in Portuguese), is the t ...
title after defeating Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
in the final.
1995 Copa América match
Held in Uruguay, the two nations met at the quarter-finals stage on 17 July 1995. The Brazilian Túlio became famous for scoring a late equalizer five minutes from time after controlling the ball with his left arm. Despite the obvious foul, the referee, Alberto Tejada Noriega
Carlos Alberto Tejada Noriega (born 11 November 1956 in Lima, Peru) is a former Peruvian Minister of Health between 2011 and 2012. He was also a urologist and later a football referee.
Football career
He refereed three matches in the FIFA Wo ...
of Peru, claimed he did not see the incident and the goal therefore stood. The game finished with a 2–2 draw and Brazil went on to win on penalties. The Argentine media labeled the incident as the "hand of the devil", a reference to the controversial goal scored by Diego Maradona in the 1986 World Cup
The 1986 FIFA World Cup was the 13th FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial Association football, football tournament for men's senior national teams. It was played in Mexico from 31 May to 29 June 1986. The tournament was the second to feature a 24-tea ...
against England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
.
2004 Copa América Final
Argentina was winning 2–1, but in a spectacular turn of events, Adriano
Adriano or Adrião is the form of the Latin given name ''Hadrianus'' commonly used in the Italian language; the form Adrian is used in the English language. Notable people with the name include:
* Adriano Banchieri, Italian composer, music theori ...
scored a goal in the last minute of the match, taking the match to penalties, where Brazil won with Júlio César stopping an impossible shot from Andrés D'Alessandro
Andrés Nicolás D'Alessandro (born 15 April 1981) is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder.
He has played top-flight football in Argentina, Germany, England, Spain, Brazil and Uruguay. He won an Olym ...
. Brazil was playing with its second-string team and this victory could be considered an underdog one.
2005 Confederations Cup Final
In 2005, Brazil and Argentina participated in the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup
The 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup football tournament was the seventh FIFA Confederations Cup. It was held in Germany between 15 June and 29 June 2005, as a prelude to the 2006 FIFA World Cup. The tournament was won by 2002 FIFA World Cup winners ...
. Brazil entered the competition as the reigning World Cup champions at the time. Since Brazil had also won the Copa América the previous year, however, Copa runners-up Argentina was allowed to participate in the tournament to take up the vacated berth. In the semi-finals, Brazil eliminated host nation Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
, while Argentina eliminated Mexico. This competition was the first time the two rivals would meet in a final game of a tournament sponsored by FIFA. In a surprising turn of events, the Brazilian team won the game easily, thrashing the Argentines 4–1. Adriano scored twice for Brazil, along with Kaká
Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite (; born 22 April 1982), commonly known as Kaká () or Ricardo Kaká, is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. In his prime as a playmaker at AC Milan, a period marke ...
and Ronaldinho
Ronaldo de Assis Moreira (born 21 March 1980), commonly known as Ronaldinho Gaúcho () or simply Ronaldinho, is a Brazilian retired professional footballer who played mostly as an attacking midfielder, but was also deployed as a winger. Wide ...
, while Pablo Aimar
Pablo César Aimar (born 3 November 1979) is an Argentine former professional footballer and current assistant coach of the Argentina national team.
Aimar played as an attacking midfielder. After starting his senior career at River Plate in 1 ...
scored Argentina's only goal.
2007 Copa América Final
Brazil defeated Argentina 3–0 in Maracaibo
)
, motto = "''Muy noble y leal''"(English: "Very noble and loyal")
, anthem =
, image_map =
, mapsize =
, map_alt = ...
, Venezuela, at the final. The goals scored were by Júlio Baptista
Júlio César Clemente Pereira Baptista (born 1 October 1981) is a Brazilian football manager and former player who played as an attacking midfielder or a forward. He is the current manager of Valladolid B.
Baptista is nicknamed "The Beast" du ...
, an own goal by Roberto Ayala
Roberto Fabián Ayala (; born 14 April 1973), nicknamed ''El Ratón'' ("The Mouse"), is an Argentine former footballer who played as a centre back for the Argentina national football team, as well as Valencia and Real Zaragoza in Spain, Milan a ...
, and by Dani Alves
Daniel Alves da Silva (born 6 May 1983), known simply as Dani Alves (), is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a right-back for Liga MX club UNAM and the Brazil national team. Widely considered one of the greatest full-backs of ...
.
2008 Summer Olympics – Beijing
Defending champions Argentina and Brazil met on 19 August in the semifinal game of the Summer Olympics. The game, billed as a tête-à-tête between Lionel Messi
Lionel Andrés Messi (; born 24 June 1987), also known as Leo Messi, is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Paris Saint-Germain and captains the Argentina national team. Widely regarded as one of the ...
and Ronaldinho
Ronaldo de Assis Moreira (born 21 March 1980), commonly known as Ronaldinho Gaúcho () or simply Ronaldinho, is a Brazilian retired professional footballer who played mostly as an attacking midfielder, but was also deployed as a winger. Wide ...
, Barcelona
Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...
teammates, was in the end a hard-fought clash between two historic rivals, marred by numerous fouls and two ejections for Brazil. Argentina convincingly won with a score of 3–0, and went on to beat Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
1–0 in the final, being the first in obtaining two consecutive gold medals in football in 40 years and the third overall after the Olympic teams of the United Kingdom and Uruguay. Brazil eventually won the gold medal at the Olympics themselves playing at home in 2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
.
2019 Copa América
Brazil and Argentina met at the semifinal of the 2019 Copa América
The 2019 Copa América was the 46th edition of the Copa América, the international men's association football championship organized by South America's football ruling body CONMEBOL. It was held in Brazil and took place between 14 June and 7 ...
, which was hosted in Brazil. Brazil defeated Argentina 2–0 with goals by Gabriel Jesus
Gabriel Fernando de Jesus (born 3 April 1997) is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Arsenal and the Brazil national team.
Jesus began his senior club career at Palmeiras, where he was voted Best Newcomer at ...
and Firmino Firmino is a surname and given name, the Portuguese form of Firmin.
Surname
* Cândido Firmino de Mello-Leitão (1886–1948), Brazilian zoologist
* Émerson Luiz Firmino (born 1973), Brazilian footballer
* Roberto Firmino
Roberto Firmino Ba ...
. Argentina eventually placed third and Brazil went on to win their 9th Copa América title.
2021 Copa América Final
The 2021 Copa América
The 2021 Copa América was the 47th edition of the Copa América, the international men's football championship organised by South America's football ruling body CONMEBOL. The tournament took place in Brazil from 13 June to 10 July 2021. The tour ...
was originally scheduled to be jointly held in Colombia and Argentina in 2020, but it was postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
. Colombia and Argentina were removed as hosts due to social unrest in Colombia and the COVID-19 pandemic in Argentina
The COVID-19 pandemic in Argentina is part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (). On 3 March 2020, the virus was confirmed to have spread to Argentina. As of , a t ...
. Brazil was chosen to host the tournament. In the final, Argentina defeated Brazil 1–0 with the only goal by Ángel Di María
Ángel Fabián Di María (born 14 February 1988) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays for club Juventus and the Argentina national team. He can play as either a winger or attacking midfielder.
Di María began his career with R ...
at the Maracanã Stadium
Maracanã Stadium ( pt, Estádio do Maracanã, standard Brazilian Portuguese: , local pronunciation: ), officially named Estádio Jornalista Mário Filho (), is an association football stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The stadium is part o ...
to win their 15th Copa América title, after 28 years without titles.
Club level official titles comparison
Note: Only official competitions (organised by CONMEBOL
The South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL, , or CSF; es, Confederación Sudamericana de Fútbol; pt, Confederação Sul-Americana de Futebol) is the continental governing body of football in South America (apart from Guyana, Suri ...
and/or other continental confederations) are included
;Note:
Copa Libertadores de America
In the history of this tournament, played since 1960
It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism.
Events
January
* Ja ...
, only twice has a Brazilian team captured a title on Argentine soil. In 1963, Brazilian side Santos defeated the most popular Argentine club, Boca Juniors
Club Atlético Boca Juniors () is an Argentine sports club headquartered in La Boca, a neighbourhood of Buenos Aires. The club is mostly known for its professional football team which, since its promotion in 1913, has always played in the A ...
, and in 2017, when Grêmio defeated Club Atlético Lanús
Club Atlético Lanús () is an Argentina, Argentine sports club from the Lanús district of Greater Buenos Aires. Founded in 1915, the club's main sports are association football, football and basketball. In both sports, Lanús plays in Argentin ...
. However, the same Argentine club team, Boca Juniors, has celebrated three of its six titles on Brazilian soil, defeating Palmeiras
Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras (), commonly known as Palmeiras, is a Brazilian professional football club based in the city of São Paulo, in the district of Perdizes. Palmeiras is one of the most popular clubs in South America, with around ...
in 2000
File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...
, Santos in 2003
File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...
and Grêmio in 2007
File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...
. The two greatest Argentine and Brazilian players that have ever played this sport had at one point played in these same two clubs: Pelé for Santos while Diego Maradona had done the same for Boca Juniors. It has been reported that in all three of Boca Juniors' victories on Brazilian soil, Boca's players were not allowed to properly sleep in their hotel rooms the night before their final matches because of the chaos and noise created by Brazilian fans outside the hotel rooms, who attempted to disrupt the Argentine players from performing to their best of their abilities the following day.
In the international arena, the most successful Argentine clubs are Boca Juniors
Club Atlético Boca Juniors () is an Argentine sports club headquartered in La Boca, a neighbourhood of Buenos Aires. The club is mostly known for its professional football team which, since its promotion in 1913, has always played in the A ...
(six Libertadores and three Intercontinental Cups), Independiente (seven Libertadores and two Intercontinental Cups), Estudiantes de La Plata
Club Estudiantes de La Plata ( lit. "Students from La Plata"), simply referred to as Estudiantes de La Plata , is an Argentine professional sports club based in La Plata. The club's football team currently competes in the Primera División, wh ...
(four Libertadores and one Intercontinental Cup), River Plate (four Libertadores and one Intercontinental Cup), Vélez Sársfield (one Libertadores and one Intercontinental), San Lorenzo
San Lorenzo is the Italian and Spanish name for Lawrence of Rome, Saint Lawrence, the 3rd-century Christian martyr, and may refer to:
Places Argentina
* San Lorenzo, Santa Fe
* San Lorenzo Department, Chaco
* Monte San Lorenzo, a mountain on t ...
(one Libertadores, one Copa Mercosur
The Copa Mercosur (, pt, Copa Mercosul , "Mercosur Cup") was a football competition played from 1998 to 2001 by the traditional top clubs from Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and Chile. The competition was created by CONMEBOL to generate TV m ...
and one Copa Sudamericana
The CONMEBOL Sudamericana, named as ''Copa Sudamericana'' (; pt, Copa Sul-Americana ), is an annual international club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 2002. It is the second-most prestigious club competition in South American ...
), Argentinos Juniors
Asociación Atlética Argentinos Juniors is an Argentine sports club based in La Paternal, Buenos Aires. The club is mostly known for its football team, which currently plays in the Argentine Primera División, and was recognized as one of the ...
(one Libertadores) and Racing Club Racing Club may refer to:
Football
* Racing Club Abidjan, Ivory Coast
* K.R.C. Genk, Belgium
* Racing Club Bafoussam, Cameroon
* Racing Club Beirut, Lebanon
* Racing Club de Avellaneda, Argentina
* Racing Club Haïtien, Haiti
* Racing Club Port ...
(one Libertadores and one Intercontinental Cup).
The most successful Brazilian clubs are São Paulo
São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaWC a ...
(three Libertadores, one FIFA Club World Cup
The FIFA Club World Cup is an international men's association football competition organised by the ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The competition was first contested in 200 ...
and two Intercontinental Cups), Santos (three Libertadores and two Intercontinental Cups), Grêmio (three Libertadores and one Intercontinental Cup), Palmeiras
Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras (), commonly known as Palmeiras, is a Brazilian professional football club based in the city of São Paulo, in the district of Perdizes. Palmeiras is one of the most popular clubs in South America, with around ...
(three Libertadores, one Copa Mercosur
The Copa Mercosur (, pt, Copa Mercosul , "Mercosur Cup") was a football competition played from 1998 to 2001 by the traditional top clubs from Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and Chile. The competition was created by CONMEBOL to generate TV m ...
and one Recopa Sudamericana
The CONMEBOL Recopa Sudamericana ( pt, CONMEBOL Recopa Sul-Americana), known also as the Recopa Sudamericana or CONMEBOL Recopa, and simply as the Recopa (, ; "Winners' Cup"), is an annual international club association football, football compe ...
), Internacional
Sport Club Internacional (), commonly known as Internacional or simply Inter, is a Brazilian professional football club based in Porto Alegre. They play in the Série A, the first division of the Brazilian league, as well as in Campeonat ...
(two Libertadores and one FIFA Club World Cup
The FIFA Club World Cup is an international men's association football competition organised by the ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The competition was first contested in 200 ...
), Cruzeiro (two Libertadores), Corinthians
The First Epistle to the Corinthians ( grc, Α΄ ᾽Επιστολὴ πρὸς Κορινθίους) is one of the Pauline epistles, part of the New Testament of the Christian Bible. The epistle is attributed to Paul the Apostle and a co-aut ...
(one Libertadores and two FIFA Club World Cups), Flamengo
Clube de Regatas do Flamengo (; English: ''Flamengo Rowing Club''), more commonly referred to as simply Flamengo, is a Brazilian sports club based in Rio de Janeiro, in the neighborhood of Gávea, best known for their professional football t ...
, (two Libertadores, one Copa Mercosur, one Copa de Oro, one Recopa and one Intercontinental Cup), Vasco da Gama
Vasco da Gama, 1st Count of Vidigueira (; ; c. 1460s – 24 December 1524), was a Portuguese explorer and the first European to reach India by sea.
His initial voyage to India by way of Cape of Good Hope (1497–1499) was the first to link E ...
(one Libertadores, one South American Championship of Champions and one Copa Mercosur) AND Atlético Mineiro
Atlético, Spanish for ''athletics'', or Athletico in English, may refer to:
Sports Teams Athletico
*Athletico SC (Lebanon), a Lebanese football academy
*Athletic Bilbao, or Atletico Bilbao, Basque students athletic club (also forming Athletic Cl ...
(one Libertadores and two Copa Conmebol
The Copa CONMEBOL ( en, CONMEBOL Cup) was an annual football cup competition organized by CONMEBOL between 1992 and 1999 for South American football clubs. During its time of existence, it was a very prestigious South American club football cont ...
).
Women's football
The Brazil women's national team is a successful women's football team. It was runner-up in the FIFA Women's World Cup
The FIFA Women's World Cup is an international association football competition contested by the senior women's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association ( FIFA), the sport's international governing bo ...
of 2007, and won a silver medal at the Olympic games
The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...
in 2004 and 2008. In comparison, Argentina does not have a professional (or even semi-professional) women's football league; the members of the Argentina women's national football team are all amateur players despite their clubs often being affiliated with prominent men's professional clubs. Although the two teams usually have to battle for the top qualification spots for CONMEBOL
The South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL, , or CSF; es, Confederación Sudamericana de Fútbol; pt, Confederação Sul-Americana de Futebol) is the continental governing body of football in South America (apart from Guyana, Suri ...
when the World Cup qualification comes around, this rivalry does not provide the passion that men's matches encounter yet.
Brazil won every game of the Sudamericano Femenino
The South American Youth Football Championship, also known as U-20 South American Championship and es, Torneo Juventudes de América, "Campeonato Sudamericano Sub 20" or pt, Juventude da América (English: "America's Youth") is a South American a ...
against Argentina until the 2006 edition, when Argentina finally beat them 2–0 in the final group stage, awarding Argentina the championship. Argentina did not participate in the 1991 South American
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...
competition and was second to Brazil in the following three tournaments. Beginning with the 2003 edition, both champion and runner-up qualified for the World Cup. As Argentina has not been past the group stages in the World Cup, the two teams have not met in the Olympic Football Tournament
Football at the Summer Olympics, referred to as the Olympic Football Tournament, has been included in every Summer Olympic Games as a men's competition sport, except 1896 (the inaugural Games) and 1932 (in an attempt to promote the new FIFA Wo ...
yet.
Notes
See also
* Argentina–Brazil relations
The Argentina–Brazil relationship is both close and historical, and encompasses the economy, trade, culture, education, and tourism. From war and rivalry to friendship and alliance, this complex relationship has spanned more than two centurie ...
References
External links
Argentina vs. Brazil statistics
by RSSSF
The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation (RSSSF) is an international organization dedicated to collecting statistics about association football. The foundation aims to build an exhaustive archive of football-related information from around the ...
Brazil vs. Argentina rivalry
on Netvasco.com
Argentina vs. Brazil September 5 2009 results
{{DEFAULTSORT:Argentina-Brazil football rivalry
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
Brazil national football team rivalries
International association football rivalries