Argentina–Brazil Football Rivalry

The Argentina–Brazil football rivalry, also known as Battle of the Americas or the Superclassic of the Americas (; ), is a sports rivalry between the national football teams of Brazil and Argentina. The rivalry is considered one of the biggest and fiercest in international football and FIFA has described it as the "essence of football rivalry". Initially a cordial friendly competition between the two nations, the ferocity of the rivalry grew in the early part of the 20th century, marked by repeated controversial high-profile incidents and periods of refusing to play each other.

The games between the two nations are known for both the high degree of skill and capability of the respective players, as well as a high level of competitiveness at a personal, federation and national level. The two teams are routinely considered to be among the best in the world, and commonly among the favourites for football tournaments such as the FIFA World Cup and CONMEBOL Copa América. They are also routinely ranked among the top national teams in the world in both the FIFA World Rankings and the World Football Elo Ratings.

As a matter of sporting pride, the two nations have produced players who in their own eras have often been considered to be the best in the world. This includes players such as Alfredo Di Stéfano, Diego Maradona, and Lionel Messi for Argentina and Pelé, Ronaldo, and Ronaldinho from Brazil.

In head to head comparison of senior titles, Brazil has won five FIFA World Cups while Argentina has won three. In contrast Argentina has won the Copa América sixteen times, compared to Brazil's nine. Moreover, the two nations have also seen success in other inter-confederation competitions, such as the FIFA Confederations Cup, won four times by Brazil and once by Argentina, the CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions, that Argentina won twice and Brazil none, and the Panamerican Championship, won twice by Brazil and once by Argentina.

History

The origins of the football rivalry between Argentina and Brazil can be traced to a time before football became popular in both countries. Their rivalry is found in almost all sports, but a men's football match between Argentina and Brazil is particularly important. Since their first match in 1914, the men's national teams have played more than 100 matches including friendlies, FIFA World Cup matches, and other official competitions (excluding matches between youth sides). The rivalry began with Argentina's 3–0 victory in 1914, but the early period of the rivalry was marked by periods of non-engagement due to violent incidents. Notably, after a violent Copa América final in 1925, both teams refrained from competing in tournaments where the other was present (Brazil withdrawing from the Copa America until a single appearance in 1937), and a similar decade long hiatus followed a 1946 match with Argentina not playing at any World Cups until 1958.

Argentina initially dominated the rivalry in head-to-head matches, and went on to have considerable success in the Copa America both with and without the Brazilians in attendance. Argentina won 12 titles between 1921 and 1959 (and were runners up 7 times), including seven wins against Brazil in the final (Brazils first success in the final against Argentina would arrive in 2004). However, after being runners-up at the first ever world cup in 1930, Argentina fell behind Brazil on the global stage after their rivals went on to win three World Cups, in 1958, 1962 and 1970 while their figurehead Pelé was to become the face of international football. Argentina eventually won their first World Cup in 1978 hosted in their home country, facing Brazil on their way, and won a second title in Mexico in 1986 led by their own hero Maradona. The two teams faced each other again in the World Cup knock out stages at the 1990 World Cup, where Argentina were eventual runners up against West Germany. Brazil subsequently added two more titles in 1994 and 2002 to bring their total to five, and Argentina won the 2022 title to bring their total to three.

Between 1914 and 1976 the two nations competed in the Roca Cup on 12 occasions. In 2011 the competition was reinstituted as the Superclassic of the Americas, which ran annually until 2019 (except in 2015 and 2016).

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, drawing a crowd of more than 30,000 people. After 27 minutes Lagarto intercepted a back pass by Ludovico Bidoglio and passed the ball to Arthur Friedenreich, who beat Américo Tesoriere with a strong shot, making it 1–0 to Brazil. Three minutes later, Nilo scored the second for the '' canarinha''. The crowd was astonished, because if the Brazilian lead was maintained, a new match would have to be played to determine the champion.

Before completing the first half, a dangerous counterattack by the visitors was stopped by Ramón Muttis with a strong foul on Friedenreich, who in turn reacted with a kick. The Argentine responded with a punch in the Brazilian's face, and the incident sparked a clash involving several players and a pitch invasion by some spectators. The game was suspended and only resumed - without a sending-off - after a hug between Friedenreich and Muttis that sealed a truce. However, the match had 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. The match ended 2–2, and Argentina won its second Copa America. 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 (currently Copa América), 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, 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 the South American champion again.

1939 Copa Roca

The 1939 edition of the Roca Cup was the longest in history, having been defined after four matches. The first two games were held in Estádio São Januário in Rio de Janeiro. 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. The match ended 2–2 after extra time 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 fractured Argentine José Battagliero's leg. Though it seemed to be only an unfortunate accident, the game was played roughly and sometimes violent.

A few months later, the 1946 South American Championship 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 start, when both teams went for a free ball, Brazilian Jair Rosa Pinto fractured Argentine captain José Salomón's tibia and fibula. 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 in Hanover in the second round as both were placed in Group A. Brazil won it by 2–1 via goals from Rivellino and Jairzinho whereas Brindisi 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 3–0 while Argentina saw off Poland 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 knew 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, was born in Argentina); but nothing could be proved, and Argentina met the Netherlands in the final.

Brazil, denied a final place by Argentina's 6–0 win over Peru, took third place from an enterprising Italy side and were dubbed "moral champions" by coach Cláudio Coutinho, 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". 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. 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 and received a straight red card. Brazil lost their next game to Italy and thus exited the World Cup along with Argentina.

1990 World Cup (The "holy water" scandal)

The teams met in the World Cup Round of 16 at the 1990 World Cup. Argentina defeated Brazil 1–0 with a goal from Claudio Caniggia 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 and the team coach of the time, Carlos Bilardo, 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 in the first match of the final pool. Five players were sent off: Claudio Caniggia and Mazinho after tangling in the 31st minute; Carlos Enrique and Márcio Santos for another fight in the 61st minute, with one player leaving on a stretcher; and Careca Bianchezi in the 80th minute, two minutes after coming on as a substitute.

1993 Copa América match

Argentina and Brazil finished 1–1 in the quarterfinal match, played in Guayaquil. Brazil took the lead, but Leonardo Rodríguez drew with the head after a corner kick in the second half. In penalties, ''Los Gauchos'' defeated Brazil 5–4 after Marco Antônio Boiadeiro missed the final spot kick for Brazil, and advanced to the semi-finals. Argentina won the Copa América title after defeating Mexico 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 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 against England.

2004 Copa América final

Argentina was winning 2–1, but Adriano scored a goal in the last minute of the match, taking the match to penalties. Brazil won with Júlio César stopping a shot from Andrés D'Alessandro. Brazil were playing with its second-string team.

2005 Confederations Cup final

In 2005, Brazil and Argentina participated in the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup. Brazil entered the competition as the reigning World Cup champion at the time. However, since Brazil had also won the Copa América the previous year, 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, 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. The Brazilian team won the game easily, thrashing the Argentines 4–1. Adriano scored twice for Brazil, along with Kaká and Ronaldinho, while Pablo Aimar scored Argentina's only goal.

2007 Copa América final

Brazil defeated Argentina 3–0 in Maracaibo, Venezuela, in the final. The goals scored were by Júlio Baptista, an own goal by Roberto Ayala, and Dani Alves.

2008 Summer Olympics

Defending champions Argentina and Brazil met on 19 August in the semi-final of the Summer Olympics. The game was billed as a tête-à-tête between Lionel Messi and Ronaldinho, two Barcelona teammates. It was a hard-fought clash between two historic rivals, marred by numerous fouls and two red cards for Brazil. Argentina convincingly won with a score of 3–0, and went on to beat Nigeria 1–0 in the final, being the first to obtain two consecutive gold medals in football in 40 years, and the third overall after the Olympic teams of the United Kingdom and Uruguay.

2019 Copa América

Brazil and Argentina met at the semifinal of the 2019 Copa América, which was hosted in Brazil. Brazil defeated Argentina 2–0 with goals by Gabriel Jesus and Firmino. Argentina eventually placed third and Brazil went on to win their 9th Copa América title.

2021 Copa América final

The 2021 Copa América 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. Colombia and Argentina were removed as hosts due to social unrest in Colombia and the COVID-19 pandemic in Argentina. Brazil was chosen to host the tournament. In the final, Argentina defeated Brazil 1–0 with the only goal by Ángel Di María at the Maracanã Stadium to win their 15th Copa América title, their first in 28 years.

2026 World Cup qualifiers

On 22 November 2023, Argentina defeated Brazil 1–0 again at the Maracanã in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier that was delayed due to crowd violence. It was the first time in history that Brazil were defeated at home in a FIFA World Cup qualification match after a run of 51 wins and 13 draws.

On 25 March 2025, Argentina defeated Brazil 4-1 again at the Mâs Monumental in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier and Argentina, and became the first South American team to advance into the next FIFA World Cup in 2026. It was the first time Argentina beats Brazil by such a margin since the 60's. It was also Brazil's first back to back loses in the FIFA World Cup Qualifier. The loss forced the CBF to fire coach Dorival Júnior a few days later.

Pelé–Maradona rivalry

Among the elite group of players football fans consider as contenders for the title, ''the best player of all time'', Brazil's Pelé and Argentina's Diego Maradona are amongst the most famous. Some of their countrymen also feature regularly in such debates. The next most notable pair are perhaps Garrincha (Brazil) Lionel Messi (Argentina) and Alfredo Di Stéfano (Argentina). The most dominant figures from the two countries in the modern game are Neymar (Brazilian) and Messi, who both played for Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain. 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. 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. 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 best soccer player in World Cup history both by ''The Times'' and FourFourTwo 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.

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 Pelé the title of The 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. 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.

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.

Statistics

Major official titles comparison

List of matches

Complete list of matches between both sides:

Note: Matches held before 1914 are not recognized by FIFA 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.

Recognized matches according to both sides

Unrecognized 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 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

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