![Pele celebrating 1970](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/85/Pele_celebrating_1970.jpg)
This article summarizes the results and overall performance of
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 ...
at the
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 ...
, including the
qualification phase and the final phase, officially called the World Cup finals. The qualification phase, which currently takes place over the three years preceding the finals, is used to determine which teams qualify for the finals. The current format of the finals involves 32 teams competing for the title, at venues within the host nation (or nations) over a period of about a month. The World Cup Final is the most widely viewed sporting event in the world, with an estimated over 1 billion people watching the
2014 tournament final.
Brazil is the most successful national team in the history of the World Cup, having won five titles, earning second place, third place and fourth place finishes twice each. Brazil is one of the countries besides Argentina, Spain and Germany to win a FIFA World Cup away from its continent and the only one to do it in four different continents. (
Sweden 1958,
Chile 1962,
Mexico 1970,
United States 1994 and
South Korea/Japan 2002). Brazil is the only national team to have played in all
FIFA World Cup editions without any absence or need for playoffs. In 22 World Cup tournaments,
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 ...
had 76 victories out of 114 matches. Brazil also has the best overall performance in World Cup history in both proportional and absolute terms with a record of 76 victories in 114 matches played, 129
goal difference, 247 points and only 19 losses.
Traditionally, Brazil's
greatest rival is
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 ...
. The two countries have met each other four times in the history of the FIFA World Cup, with two wins for Brazil (
West Germany 1974 and
Spain 1982), one for Argentina (
Italy 1990) and a draw (
Argentina 1978). The country that played most against Brazil in the finals is
Sweden: 7 times, with five wins for Brazil and two draws. Three other historical rivals are
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 ...
, which lost two World Cup finals against Brazil and eliminated the Brazilians in two tournaments (
France 1938 and Spain 1982),
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
, which has defeated Brazil on three occasions (
Mexico 1986,
France 1998 and
Germany 2006
The 2006 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Germany 2006, was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international Association football, football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which had won ...
), and 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 ...
, which has eliminated Brazil at two of their five meetings (
West Germany 1974 and
South Africa 2010) and won the third place match in
Brazil 2014
The 2014 FIFA World Cup was the 20th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national football teams organised by FIFA. It took place in Brazil from 12 June to 13 July 2014, after the country was awarded the hosting righ ...
.
Brazil won their first world cup final in 1958, 28 years after the first competition was held in 1930. The second longest streak before winning their fourth world cup title in 1994 came 24 years after winning their third title in 1970. Since earning their fifth world cup final and title in 2002, it has currently been 21 years since Brazil has reached and won another world cup final. By
2026
Predicted and scheduled events
* January 1
** In the United States, books, films, and other works published in 1930 will enter the public domain, assuming there are no changes made to copyright law.
** '' Soup to Nuts'', the first on-scre ...
, it will have been 24 years since Brazil has last won the title, the same duration between the third and the fourth title.
Records
''*Draws include knockout matches decided via penalty shoot-out
The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pe ...
.''
Winning World Cups
By match
By opponent
Record players
Brazil's record World Cup player,
Cafu
Marcos Evangelista de Morais (born 7 June 1970), known as Cafu (), is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a right-back. Known for his pace and energetic attacking runs along the right flank, he is regarded as one of the gr ...
is also the only player ever to have appeared in three consecutive World Cup finals: 1994, 1998 and 2002.
Most matches played
Most tournament appearances
Altogether eight players share the record of four participations. The goalkeeper
Émerson Leão
Émerson Leão (; born 11 July 1949) is a Brazilian former footballer and manager. He is regarded by pundits as one of best Brazilian goalkeepers of all time. A documentary video produced by FIFA, ''FIFA Fever'', called him the third-most im ...
is the only one who has played four tournaments non-consecutively (not called at 1982).
Top scorers
Five Brazilians have won the
World Cup Golden Boot Award over the years:
Leônidas
Leônidas da Silva (; 6 September 1913 – 24 January 2004) was a Brazilian professional footballer who played as a forward. He is regarded as one of the most important players of the first half of the 20th century. Leônidas played for Braz ...
with 7 goals in 1938,
Ademir with 9 goals in 1950,
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 o ...
and
Vavá
Edvaldo Izidio Neto (12 November 1934 – 19 January 2002), commonly known as Vavá, was a Brazilian footballer who is widely considered one of the best strikers of his generation. His nickname was "Peito de Aço" (Steel Chest). He played as a ...
with 4 goals each in 1962 and
Ronaldo with 8 goals in 2002.
Players provided by club
Below is the list of clubs that have provided more than 5 players throughout the FIFA World Cup editions:
;Notes
*1930: Some sources claim that players
Doca (
São Cristóvão) and Benevenuto (Flamengo) were not officially entered at the 1930 squad. This count includes
Benevenuto and Doca.
Araken never played for Flamengo, but he was registered as a club athlete just as a matter of formality, since
APEA (
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 Ga ...
) was in a power struggle over command of Brazilian football with the
CBD, situated 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 ...
. The player, in fact, had terminated with Santos and signed with São Paulo.
*1934: This count does not include players who didn't travel to Italy and stayed on stand-by in Brazil:
Almeida (
Bahia
Bahia ( , , ; meaning "bay") is one of the 26 states of Brazil, located in the Northeast Region of the country. It is the fourth-largest Brazilian state by population (after São Paulo, Minas Gerais, and Rio de Janeiro) and the 5th-largest b ...
), Bilé (
Ypiranga-SP),
Jaguaré (Corinthians) and
Pamplona
Pamplona (; eu, Iruña or ), historically also known as Pampeluna in English, is the capital city of the Chartered Community of Navarre, in Spain. It is also the third-largest city in the greater Basque cultural region.
Lying at near above ...
(Botafogo). Neither includes
Domingos da Guia
Domingos Antônio da Guia (born in Rio de Janeiro, November 19, 1912 – died in Rio, May 18, 2000) was a Brazilian footballer.
He played in four matches for Brazil in the 1938 FIFA World Cup finals. He is regarded as one of the best Brazilian d ...
, barred from participating in the competition by
Nacional Montevideo
Club Nacional de Football (, ''National Football Club'' or simply as Nacional) is a Uruguayan professional sports club based in Montevideo.
The club was founded on 14 May 1899 as a result of the merger between ''Uruguay Athletic Club'' and ''Mo ...
, who had already ceded
Patesko and demanded a high compensation fee.
Awards and records
Team awards
*
1958 World Cup
The 1958 FIFA World Cup was the sixth FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial football tournament for men's senior national teams, and was played in Sweden from 8 to 29 June 1958. It was the first FIFA World Cup to be played in a Nordic country.
Brazil be ...
Champions
*
1962 World Cup
The 1962 FIFA World Cup was the seventh edition of the FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football championship for senior men's national teams. It was held from 30 May to 17 June 1962 in Chile. The qualification rounds took place bet ...
Champions
*
1970 World Cup Champions
*
1994 World Cup
The 1994 FIFA World Cup was the 15th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national soccer teams. It was hosted by the United States and took place from June 17 to July 17, 1994, at nine venues across the country. The United States w ...
Champions
*
2002 World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Korea Japan 2002, was the 17th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial football world championship for men's national teams organized by FIFA. It was held from 31 May to 30 June 2002 at sites in South Korea an ...
Champions
*
FIFA Fair Play Trophy 1982
*FIFA Fair Play Trophy 1986
*FIFA Fair Play Trophy 1994
*FIFA Fair Play Trophy 2006
*
Most Entertaining Team 1994
Individual awards
Golden Ball awards
*Golden Ball 1938:
Leônidas
Leônidas da Silva (; 6 September 1913 – 24 January 2004) was a Brazilian professional footballer who played as a forward. He is regarded as one of the most important players of the first half of the 20th century. Leônidas played for Braz ...
*Golden Ball 1950:
Zizinho
Thomaz Soares da Silva, also known as Zizinho (; 14 September 1921 – 8 February 2002), was a Brazilian footballer who played as an attacking midfielder for the Brazil national football team. He came to international prominence at the 19 ...
*Golden Ball 1958:
Didi
Didi may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* "Didi" (song), a song by Khaled
* Didi, the principal character in ''Didi's Comedy Show'', a German comedy television show
* Didi Pickles, mother of Tommy and Dil in the cartoons ''Rugrats'' and ''All ...
*Golden Ball 1962:
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 o ...
*Golden Ball 1970:
Pelé
*Golden Ball 1994:
Romário
*Golden Ball 1998:
Ronaldo ''(youngest Golden Ball winner of all time at 21 years)''
*Silver Ball 1958:
Pelé ''(youngest Ball award winner at 17 years)''
*Silver Ball 1970:
Gérson
Gérson de Oliveira Nunes, generally known as Gérson (; born 11 January 1941 in Niterói), nicknamed ''Canhotinha de ouro'' (literally: Golden left foot), is a Brazilian former association footballer who played as a midfielder. He won numerous ...
*Silver Ball 1982:
Falcão
*Silver Ball 2002:
Ronaldo
*Bronze Ball 1950:
Ademir
*Bronze Ball 1978:
Dirceu
Dirceu José Guimarães, known as Dirceu (; 15 June 1952 – 15 September 1995), was a Brazilian footballer who played as an attacking midfielder, notably for Botafogo and the Brazil national team as well as numerous Italian teams in the 1980s ...
Golden Boot awards
*Golden Boot 1938:
Leônidas
Leônidas da Silva (; 6 September 1913 – 24 January 2004) was a Brazilian professional footballer who played as a forward. He is regarded as one of the most important players of the first half of the 20th century. Leônidas played for Braz ...
*Golden Boot 1950:
Ademir
*Golden Boot 1962:
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 o ...
and
Vavá
Edvaldo Izidio Neto (12 November 1934 – 19 January 2002), commonly known as Vavá, was a Brazilian footballer who is widely considered one of the best strikers of his generation. His nickname was "Peito de Aço" (Steel Chest). He played as a ...
''(shared)''
*Golden Boot 2002:
Ronaldo
*Silver Boot 1958:
Pelé ''(youngest Boot award winner at 17 years)''
*Silver Boot 1970:
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 ...
*Silver Boot 1986:
Careca
Antônio de Oliveira Filho (born 5 October 1960), better known as Careca (), is a Brazilian former footballer, who was deployed as a forward. During his career, Careca played for several clubs, most notably with Italian side Napoli. He also r ...
*Silver Boot 2002:
Rivaldo
Rivaldo Vítor Borba Ferreira (born 19 April 1972), known simply as Rivaldo (), is a Brazilian former footballer who played mainly as an attacking midfielder but also as a second striker, and on occasion deployed as a wide midfielder or as a ...
*Bronze Boot 1950:
Chico
*Bronze Boot 1982:
Zico
*Bronze Boot 1994:
Romário
*Bronze Boot 2006:
Ronaldo
*Bronze Boot 2014:
Neymar
Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior (born 5 February 1992), known as Neymar, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain and the Brazil national team. A prolific goalscorer and renowned ...
Other individual awards
*
Best Young Player Award 1958:
Pelé ''(youngest Best Young Player award winner at 17 years)''
*
Man of the Match award 2002:
Rivaldo
Rivaldo Vítor Borba Ferreira (born 19 April 1972), known simply as Rivaldo (), is a Brazilian former footballer who played mainly as an attacking midfielder but also as a second striker, and on occasion deployed as a wide midfielder or as a ...
Awards as coaches of other nations
Brazilian coaches have appeared on the sidelines of other nations with some regularity. Three of them have won team awards with their nations:
*
Otto Glória
Otto Martins Glória (9 January 1917 – 4 September 1986) was a Brazilian football coach.
Career
Glória was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, but had his greatest successes with Benfica in Portugal, guiding the club to nine national trophies. ...
won Third Place with
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
in 1966.
*
Didi
Didi may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* "Didi" (song), a song by Khaled
* Didi, the principal character in ''Didi's Comedy Show'', a German comedy television show
* Didi Pickles, mother of Tommy and Dil in the cartoons ''Rugrats'' and ''All ...
won the FIFA Fair Play Trophy with
Peru
, image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg
, image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg
, other_symbol = Great Seal of the State
, other_symbol_type = National seal
, national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...
in 1970.
*
Luiz Felipe Scolari
Luiz Felipe Scolari (; born 9 November 1948), also known as Felipão ("Big Phil"), is a Brazilian football manager and former player. He is the current manager of Athletico Paranaense.
Scolari was a defender during his playing days, and no ...
won the Most Entertaining Team award with
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
in 2006.
Team records
*Most titles (5)
*Most participations (22)
*Most games played (114)
*Most victories (76)
*Most goals scored (237)
*Biggest goal difference (+129)
*Most sendings-off (11)
*Most finishes in the Top 8 (19) and Top 16 (22)
*Most consecutive wins (11) and matches without losing (13)
*One of two teams to have defended their title as champions (1962). The other being
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 ...
(1938).
*One of two teams to have progressed to three consecutive World Cup finals (1994-2002). The other being
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 ...
(1982-1990).
*Most wins in one tournament (7, 2002)
*Biggest goal difference as champion (+14, 2002), shared with
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 ...
(2014)
Individual records
*
Pelé holds a number of FIFA World Cup records:
**Only player to win three FIFA World Cups (1958, 1962 and 1970)
**Youngest tournament winner (1958, at 17y 249d)
**Youngest goalscorer (1958 v Wales, at 17y 239d)
**Youngest hat-trick scorer (1958 v France, at 17y 244d)
**Youngest goalscorer in a final (1958 v Sweden, at 17y 249d)
*Youngest Golden Ball winner:
Ronaldo (1998, at 21y 9m 24d)
*Most appearances in an All-Star Team:
Djalma Santos
Djalma Pereira Dias dos Santos known simply as Djalma Santos (; also spelled Dejalma Santos), (27 February 192923 July 2013) was a Brazilian footballer who started for the Brazil national team in four World Cups, winning two, in 1958 and 1962. ...
(3, 1954–1962) ''(shared with
Franz Beckenbauer and
Philipp Lahm
Philipp Lahm (; born 11 November 1983) is a German former professional footballer who played as a full-back. Considered by many to be one of the greatest full-backs of all time, Lahm was the captain of Bayern Munich, having led them to numerous ...
)''
*Most appearances as a substitute:
Denílson (11, 1998–2002)
*Most tournament wins as player and coach:
Mário Zagallo
Mário Jorge Lobo Zagallo (; born 9 August 1931) is a Brazilian former professional football player, coordinator and manager, who played as a forward.
Zagallo holds the record for World Cup titles in general with four titles in total. He was ...
(3, 1958 & 1962 as player, 1970 as coach)
*Only player to appear in three consecutive FIFA World Cup finals:
Cafu
Marcos Evangelista de Morais (born 7 June 1970), known as Cafu (), is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a right-back. Known for his pace and energetic attacking runs along the right flank, he is regarded as one of the gr ...
(1994, 1998 and 2002)
*Most team awards won: Cafu (4, 1994–2006)
*Most cautions: Cafu (6), shared with
Zinedine Zidane
Zinedine Yazid Zidane (; born 23 June 1972), popularly known as Zizou, is a French professional football manager and former player who played as an attacking midfielder. He most recently coached Spanish club Real Madrid and is one of the mos ...
and
Rafael Márquez
Rafael Márquez Álvarez (; born 13 February 1979) is a Mexican former professional footballer and current head coach of Spanish team Barcelona Atlètic. Nicknamed '' El Káiser'', he is regarded as the best defender in Mexico's history and o ...
See also
*
Brazil at the CONCACAF Gold Cup
*
Brazil at the Copa América
*
South American nations at the FIFA World Cup
Nine of ten members of the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) have competed in the men's FIFA World Cup finals. National association football teams from CONMEBOL have won the tournament ten times, including Brazil's record five ch ...
References
External links
FIFA World Cup official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brazil At The Fifa World Cup
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 ...
Countries at the FIFA World Cup