Brazil

It is generally believed that the inaugural game of the Brazil national football team was a 1914 match between a Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo select team and the English club Exeter City, held in Fluminense's stadium. Brazil won 2–0 with goals by Oswaldo Gomes and Osman, though it is claimed that the match was a 3–3 draw.

In contrast to its future success, the national team's early appearances were not brilliant. Other early matches played during that time include several friendly games against Argentina (being defeated 3–0), Chile (first in 1916) and Uruguay (first on 12 July 1916), all nations to which football had been introduced decades earlier.

Brazil participated in the first edition of the South American Championship (which would later become the Copa América) in Argentina in 1916, finishing third place, and the 1917 edition in Uruguay, also finishing third. However, led by the goalscoring abilities of Arthur Friedenreich, they were champions on home soil in the 1919 edition. Brazil finished third at the 1920 tournament held in Chile and runners-up at the 1921 edition in Argentina. Brazil won the second title at home in 1922, the 100th anniversary of Brazilian independence.

Brazil finished fourth place at the 1923 edition held in Uruguay, did not participate in the 1924 edition also held in Uruguay, and finished second at the 1925 tournament held in Argentina. Brazil did not take part in the 1926 (hosted by Chile), 1927 (held in Peru) and 1929 (hosted by Argentina) editions.

In 1930, Brazil played in the first FIFA World Cup, held in Uruguay. The squad lost 2-1 to Yugoslavia and defeated Bolivia 4-0, being eliminated from the competition in the group stage. Four years later, Brazil lost in the first round to Spain in the all-knockout 1934 World Cup, held in Italy.

After not taking part in the 1935 South American Championship held in Peru and finishing runners up at the 1937 South American Championship held in Argentina, Brazil reached the semi-finals in the 1938 edition held in France, knocking out Poland 6-5, Czechoslovakia in the quarterfinals after a replay, before being defeated 2-1 by defending and eventual champions Italy. Brazil won third place after defeating Sweden 4-2. Brazil were the only South American team to participate in this competition after other teams boycotted due to the fact that a European nation was hosting. After that, Brazil did not take part at the 1939 South American Championship held in Peru.

Three South American Championship editions took place during World War II: 1941 (held in Chile, where Brazil didn't take part), 1942 (hosted by Uruguay, and Brazil finished third), and 1945 (again held in Chile, where Brazil were runners-up).

After the war ended, Brazil participated in the 1946 South American Championship held in Argentina, finishing runners-up, and didn't take part in the 1947 edition hosted by Ecuador. At the 1949 South American Championship held in Brazil, the team won their third title, ending a 27-year streak without a South American title.

After World War II left Europe in ruins, Brazil hosted the 1950 FIFA World Cup unopposed.

At the tournament's group stage, Brazil defeated Mexico 4-0 at the Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro (then the Brazilian capital), tied with Switzerland 2-2 at the Pacaembu in São Paulo, and returned to the Maracanã to defeat Yugoslavia 2-0.

Unlike the other tournaments before and after, this edition had a final group stage to decide the champions. At this stage, Brazil defeated Sweden 7-1 and Spain 6-1, both at the Maracanã.

The team went into the last game of the final round, against Uruguay at the Maracanã needing only a draw to win the World Cup. Brazil opened the score, but Uruguay made a comeback and won the match 2-1 with a goal by Alcides Ghiggia deciding the match, and Uruguay won the World Cup in a game known as the Maracanazo. The match led to a period of national mourning and Brazil stopping wearing white as the main uniform.

After the disappointment at the World Cup held at home, Brazil competed and finished runners up at the 1953 South American Championship held in Peru.

For the 1954 World Cup in Switzerland, Brazil was then almost completely renovated, with the team's uniform changed to yellow shirts with green details, blue shorts and white socks. The uniform was designed by Aldyr Schlee and is still used today. Brazil wanted to forget the Maracanazo, and still had a group of star players. Brazil defeated Mexico 5-0 and tied with Yugoslavia 1-1 at the group stage. France was also in the group, but Brazil didn't play them as the tournament only held two matched at the group stage. In the quarterfinals, Brazil were beaten 4-2 by tournament favourites Hungary in one of the ugliest matches in football history, known as the "Battle of Berne".

Brazil didn't take part at the 1955 South American Championship held in Chile, but finished fourth at the 1956 edition held in Uruguay and the 1957 tournament hosted by Peru.

For the 1958 World Cup held in Sweden, Brazil were drawn in a group with England, the Soviet Union and Austria. They beat Austria 3-0 in their first match, then drew 0-0 with England. Before the match, coach Vicente Feola made three substitutions that were crucial for Brazil to defeat the Soviets: Zito, Garrincha and Pelé. From the kick-off, they kept up the pressure relentlessly, and after three minutes, which were later described as "the greatest three minutes in the history of football", Vavá gave Brazil the lead, and they won the match 2-0. Pelé scored the only goal of their quarter-final match against Wales, and they beat France 5–2 in the semi-final. Brazil then also beat Sweden 5–2 in the final, winning their first World Cup and becoming the first nation to win a World Cup title outside of its own continent. Pelé described it tearfully as a nation coming of age.

Brazil then competed in two South American championships held in 1959. The first was hosted by Argentina and Brazil finished runners-up. The second was held in Ecuador and Brazil finished third place.

In the 1962 World Cup held in Chile, Brazil was drawn with Mexico, Czechoslovakia and Spain. Brazil defeated Mexico 2-0 at the first match. The second was a goalless draw with Czechoslovakia, but Pelé got injured at this match and was unable to play for the rest of the tournament. So the protagonist became Garrincha as the star player, a mantle and responsibility laid upon him. Brazil then defeated Spain 2-1 at the final group stage match. Brazil knocked out England 3-1 in the quarterfinals, defeated hosts Chile 4-2 in the semifinals, and defended the World Cup title with a 3-1 win in the final against Czechoslovakia.

The team then finished runners-up at the 1963 South American Championship held in Bolivia.

In the 1966 World Cup held in England, Brazil had their worst performance in a World Cup. Brazil defeated Bulgaria 2-0, but lost to Hungary 3-1. The tournament was remembered for its excessively physical play, and Pelé was one of the players most affected. Against Portugal, several violent tackles by the Portuguese defenders caused forward player Pelé to leave the match and the tournament. Brazil lost this match 3-1 and was eliminated in the first round of the World Cup for the first time since 1934. They have not failed to reach the knockout stages of the competition since. Brazil became the second defending champion to be eliminated in the first round after Italy in 1950. France in 2002 (without scoring a single goal and drawing a match), Italy in 2010, Spain in 2014 and Germany 2018 also repeated the unglorious feat. After the tournament, Pelé declared that he did not wish to play in the World Cup again. Nonetheless, he returned in 1970.

After the early exit at the World Cup in 1966, Brazil did not take part in the 1967 South American Championship held in Uruguay. This was the last time Brazil did not take part at the tournament, and that would be the last edition before the tournament was renamed as the Copa América.

At the 1970 World Cup held in Mexico, the first World Cup held in North America and the first held outside Europe or South America, Brazil fielded what has been widely considered the best World Cup football squad ever, led by Pelé in his last World Cup finals, captain Carlos Alberto Torres, Jairzinho, Tostão, Gérson and Rivellino. Even though Garrincha had retired, this team was still a force to be reckoned with. They won all six of their games, starting with a 4-1 against Czechoslovakia, then a 1-0 against England, despite a spectacular save by Gordon Banks, and then a 3-2 against Romania during group play. Brazil then won 4-2 against Peru in the quarterfinals, then defeated Uruguay 3-1 in the semifinals and Italy 4-1 in the final. Jairzinho was the second top scorer with seven goals, and is the only player to score in every match in a World Cup; Pelé finished with four goals. Brazil lifted the Jules Rimet trophy for the third time (the first nation to do so), which meant that they were allowed to keep it. A replacement was then commissioned, though it would be 24 years before Brazil won it again. The Jules Rimet trophy was stolen from the CBF in 1983, and never recovered. CBF then was awarded a replica.

After the international retirement of Pelé and other stars from the 1970 squad, Brazil played at the 1974 World Cup hosted by West Germany. Goalless draws with Yugoslavia and Scotland were followed by a 3-0 win over Zaire at the first group stage, finishing second in the group. At the second group stage, Brazil defeated East Germany 1-0 and Argentina 2-1, but was not able to overcome the Netherlands, being defeated 2-0, and then Brazil finished in fourth place after losing the third place game 1-0 to Poland.

Brazil finished third place at the 1975 Copa América, the first with no fixed hosts.

Then, at the 1978 World Cup held in Argentina, Brazil tied Sweden 1-1, tied Spain 0-0 and defeated Austria 1-0 at the first group stage. Brazil finished second, the last time Brazil failed to win their group on the first stage. In the second group stage, Brazil defeated Peru 3-0, tied with tournament hosts Argentina 0-0, and defeated Poland 3–1. However, Argentina defeated Peru 6–0 in a match held later the same day, and thus Argentina qualified for the final in a match accused of ultimately-unproven match fixing at the expense of Brazil. Brazil subsequently beat Italy 2-1 in the third place play-off, and were the only team to remain unbeaten in the tournament.

Brazil then ended at third place at the 1979 Copa América, also without a single host country.

At the 1982 World Cup, held in Spain, Brazil were the tournament favorites, and easily moved through the first group stage, with a 2-1 win against the Soviet Union, a 4-1 victory against Scotland and a 4-0 thrashing of New Zealand. In the second group stage, Brazil defeated Argentina 3-1, but a 3–2 defeat in Barcelona to Italy, in a classic World Cup match, eliminated them from the tournament in the match that they refer to as "Sarriá's Tragedy", referencing the stadium's name. The 1982 team, with a midfield of Sócrates, Zico, Falcão and Toninho Cerezo, is remembered as perhaps the greatest team never to win a World Cup.

At the 1983 Copa América, the third and final tournament without a fixed host, Brazil lost the title to Uruguay and finished runners-up.

Several players, including Sócrates and Zico, from 1982 returned to play at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. Brazil, still a very good team and more disciplined defensively than four years earlier, won the three group stage matches (1-0 against Spain, 1-0 against Algeria, and 3-0 against Northern Ireland), without conceding a goal. Then Brazil defeated Poland 4-0 in the round of 16, and in the quarterfinals Brazil faced the Michel Platini-led France in a classic of Total Football. The game played to a 1–1 draw in regulation time where Zico missed a penalty kick, and after a goalless extra time, it all came down to a penalty shoot-out, where Brazil was defeated 4–3.

Brazil finished fifth place at the 1987 Copa América held in Argentina, and in 1989, Brazil hosted and won the 1989 Copa América, thus ending Brazil's 19-year streak without an official title.

At the 1990 World Cup in Italy, Brazil was coached by Sebastião Lazaroni, who had been the coach in the 1989 Copa América. With a defensive scheme, whose main symbol was midfielder Dunga, forward Careca and three centre-backs, the team lacked creativity but made it to the second round after defeating Sweden 2-1, Costa Rica 1-0, and Scotland 1-0. Brazil was eliminated by Diego Maradona-led Argentina in the round of 16 in Turin, losing to their South American archrivals 1–0.

Brazil would struggle in the next cycle, as they finished runners-up at the 1991 Copa América held in Chile, losing the title to Argentina. In the 1993 Copa América held in Ecuador, Brazil was knocked out by Argentina on the quarterfinals on penalties. In the qualifiers for the 1994 World Cup, Brazil lost a qualifying match for the first time when Bolivia defeated the team 2–0 in La Paz. Brazil qualified for the tournament after defeating Uruguay at Maracanã with two Romário goals.

Brazil went 24 years without winning a World Cup or even participating in a final. Their struggles ended at the 1994 tournament held in the United States, where a solid side headed by Romário and Bebeto in attack, captain Dunga in midfield, goalkeeper Cláudio Taffarel and defender Jorginho, won the World Cup for a then-record fourth time. Brazil started by defeating Russia 2-0, then winning 3-0 against Cameroon and tying with Sweden 1-1. Their campaign proceeded a 1-0 victory over the United States in the round of 16 at Stanford Stadium on the 4th of July, a 3–2 win over the Netherlands in the quarter-finals in Dallas, and a 1–0 victory over Sweden in a rematch of the group stage match at the semi-finals at Pasadena's Rose Bowl. This set up Brazil–Italy in the final in Pasadena. A game played in searing heat ended as a goalless draw, with Italy's defence led by Franco Baresi keeping out Romário, penalty kicks loomed, and Brazil became champions with Roberto Baggio missing Italy's last penalty. Despite the triumph, the 1994 World Cup winning team is not held in the same high esteem in Brazil as their other World Cup winning teams. FourFourTwo magazine labelled the 1994 team "unloved" in Brazil due to their pragmatic, defensive style over the more typical Brazilian style of attacking flair, in spite of the players' individual status as idols (mainly Romário, who was known as a clinical striker and whose contributions to the team are widely regarded as responsible both for allowing the team to qualify following a rocky start and for winning the tournament).

In the meantime, Brazil lost the 1995 Copa América to hosts Uruguay on penalties, followed by victory in the 1997 tournament against Bolivia, the host of the latter tournament, after a 3–1 win, the first time Brazil won the Copa América held outside of Brazil. That same year, Brazil won the Confederations Cup in Saudi Arabia with a 6-0 win against Australia.

Entering the 1998 World Cup as defending champions, Brazil finished runner-up. Having topped their group after beating Scotland 2-1, defeating Morocco 3-0 and losing 2-1 to Norway, Brazil thrashed Chile 4-1 in the round of 16, defeated Denmark 3-2 in the quarterfinals, and then Brazil beat the Netherlands on penalties in the semi-final following a 1–1 draw. Player of the tournament Ronaldo scored four goals and made three assists en route to the final. The build up to the final itself was overshadowed by Ronaldo suffering a convulsive fit only hours before kick off. The starting line up without Ronaldo was released to a shocked world media, but after pleading that he felt fine and requested to play, Ronaldo was reinstated by the coach, before giving a below par performance as France, led by Zidane, won 3-0.

Brazil won the 1999 Copa América held in Paraguay with a 3–0 win over Uruguay in the final, but lost the 1999 Confederations Cup final to hosts Mexico, before being eliminated from the 2001 Copa América held in Colombia in the quarterfinals with a 2–0 loss to Honduras. The team would also struggle in the 2002 World Cup qualifiers, only securing a spot on the final matchday with a 3–0 victory over Venezuela.

However, the 2002 World Cup, co-hosted by South Korea and Japan, would be different, as Brazil topped their group with nine points and three wins. Brazil played the group stage in South Korea, and their first match was against Turkey, in Ulsan. In that match, Rivaldo fell to the ground clutching his face after Turkey's Hakan Ünsal had kicked the ball at his legs. Rivaldo escaped suspension but was fined £5,180 for play-acting, and became the first player ever to be punished in FIFA's crackdown on diving. Brazil came from behind to defeat the Turks 2–1. This was followed by a 4–0 win over China and a 5–2 victory against Costa Rica. For the knockout round matches, Brazil traveled to Japan, continuing their campaign by defeating Belgium 2–0 in Kobe. They then proceeded to defeat England 2–1 in the quarter-finals in Shizuoka, with the winning goal coming from a free-kick by Ronaldinho from 40 yards out, but Ronaldinho was also sent off that match. The semi-final was against Turkey in Saitama, a rematch of the group stage, with Brazil winning 1–0 to advance to their third consecutive final. The final was against Germany in Yokohama, where Ronaldo scored both goals in Brazil's 2–0 triumph. Ronaldo also won the Golden Shoe as the tournament's leading scorer with eight goals. Among the highlights of the campaign were the "Three R's" (Ronaldo, Rivaldo and Ronaldinho). 2002 was Brazil's fifth world championship, their last to date, with the success seeing them receive the Laureus World Sports Award for Team of the Year.

After their World Cup victory in Asia, Brazil won the 2004 Copa América in Peru, defeating Argentina on penalties after a 2–2 draw in the final, with a late goal by Adriano forcing the shootout. That was their third win in four competitions since 1997. They also won the FIFA Confederations Cup for the second time in 2005, with a 4–1 thumping of Argentina. Manager Carlos Alberto Parreira built his side through a 4–2–2–2 formation. Nicknamed the "Magic Quartet", the attack was built around four players: Ronaldo, Adriano, Kaká and Ronaldinho.

In the 2006 World Cup held in Germany, Brazil won their three group games against Croatia (1–0), Australia (2–0) and Japan (4–1). Ronaldo scored twice and equalled the record for the most goals scored across all World Cups. In the round of 16, Brazil beat Ghana 3–0. Ronaldo's goal was his 15th in World Cup history, breaking the record, which would later be broken by Miroslav Klose in 2014. Brazil, however, were eliminated in the quarter-finals against France, losing 1–0 to a Thierry Henry goal.

Dunga was appointed as Brazil's new team manager in 2006. Brazil then won the 2007 Copa América held in Venezuela, with a 3-0 win against Argentina in the final. Two years later, Brazil won the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, defeating the United States 3–2 in the final, to seal their third Confederations Cup title.

At the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, Brazil won their first two matches against North Korea (2–1) and the Ivory Coast (3–1), respectively. Their last match, against Portugal, ended in a 0–0 draw. They faced Chile in the round of 16, winning 3–0, although in the quarter-final they fell to the Netherlands 2–1.

In July 2010, Mano Menezes was named as Brazil's new coach. At the 2011 Copa América held in Argentina, Brazil lost against Paraguay on penalties and was eliminated in the quarter-finals. Brazil failed to score any penalty in the shootout. In November 2012, coach Mano Menezes was sacked and replaced by Luiz Felipe Scolari.

On 6 June 2013, Brazil was ranked 22nd in the FIFA World Rankings, their lowest ever. At the 2013 Confederations Cup, Brazil defended their title, beating Spain in the final, winning 3–0 and sealing their fourth Confederations Cup title.

In the opening match of the 2014 World Cup on home soil against Croatia, two goals from Neymar and one from Oscar sealed a 3-1 comeback win after a Marcelo own goal. The team then drew 0-0 with Mexico, before confirming qualification to the knockout stage by defeating Cameroon 4–1. Brazil faced Chile in the round of 16, needing penalties to prevail to the next round following a 1–1 draw.

The team again faced South American opposition in the quarter-final, defeating Colombia 2–1. However, late in the match, Neymar was stretchered off after a horrible challenge by Zuniga, which led to the Brazilian suffering a fractured vertebra, ruling him out for the remainder of the tournament.

The Seleção went on to lose 7–1 to the Germans, their biggest ever defeat at the World Cup and first home loss in a competitive match since 1975. The match has been nicknamed the Mineirazo, making reference to the nation's previous World Cup defeat on home soil, the Maracanazo against Uruguay in 1950, and the Mineirão stadium where the match took place. In that match, Miroslav Klose scored, making him the top goalscorer at the FIFA World Cup with 16 goals. Curiously, Ronaldo Fenômeno was at the stadium as a commentator for Rede Globo.

Brazil subsequently lost 3–0 to the Netherlands in the third-place play-off match. Following the tournament, Scolari announced his resignation.

On 22 July 2014, Dunga was announced as the new manager of Brazil, returning to the position for his second stint leading the national team.

At the 2015 Copa América held in Chile, Brazil finished first in Group C to advance to the knockout stages. However, they were eliminated in the next round, again losing on penalties to Paraguay.

At the 2016 Copa América Centenario held in the United States, Brazil began the tournament with a goalless draw with Ecuador before beating Haiti 7–1 in the next match. Needing only a draw to progress to the knockout stage of the tournament, Brazil suffered a controversial 1–0 loss to Peru, with Raúl Ruidíaz scoring in the 75th minute. This defeat saw Brazil eliminated from the tournament in the group stage for the first time since 1987., and also resulted in Dunga being fired from the national team.

On 14 June 2016, Tite replaced Dunga as manager of Brazil. At the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Brazil finished top of their group, tying with Switzerland 1-1, defeating Costa Rica 2-0 and Serbia 2-0. After defeating Mexico 2-0 in the round of 16, Brazil were eliminated in the quarter-finals by Belgium, losing 2–1. Despite elimination from the tournament, Tite remained as head coach.

The 2019 Copa América was held on home soil, with the team beginning the campaign with a 3–0 win against Bolivia, where the Brazilians notoriously wore a white uniform. Then Brazil had a goalless draw with Venezuela, and thumped Peru 5–0. In the quarterfinals, Brazil defeated Paraguay on penalties after another goalless draw. After beating rivals Argentina 2–0 in the semi-finals, Brazil beat Peru 3–1 in the final to win their ninth Copa América title, and their first since 2007. The team only conceded once during the tournament, during the final from a penalty kick. The next Copa América was originally scheduled to be played the following year, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the competition was postponed to 2021. As a result, Colombia and Argentina resigned as co-hosts, and Brazil was selected to host the tournament. The hosts reached the final once again, this time being defeated by Argentina 1–0 in the Maracanã Stadium; this was the first time Brazil failed to win the Copa América on home soil.

At the 2022 World Cup, Brazil finished first in their group, with the team defeating Serbia 1-0, Switzerland 1-0 and losing to Cameroon 1-0. The team then faced South Korea in the round of 16, winning by 4-1, and progressed to the quarter-finals where they lost on penalties to Croatia after a 1-1 draw. Following their exit from the World Cup, Tite resigned as head coach.

After Tite left, Ramon Menezes served as manager from March to July 2023, before being replaced by Fernando Diniz until the end of the year. Diniz's tenure ended after Brazil lost to Argentina 1–0 at the Maracanã, with this defeat being their first home loss in FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

The CBF then appointed Dorival Júnior as manager. At the 2024 Copa América held in the United States, Brazil tied 0-0 with Costa Rica, thrashed Paraguay 4-1 and tied 1-1 with Colombia. Brazil was eliminated on penalties by Uruguay in the quarter-finals following a 0–0 draw. Dorival was fired after losing 4–1 to Argentina at the Monumental de Nuñez, and in his place the federation appointed Italian manager Carlo Ancelotti as a replacement.

Brazil qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup after a 1–0 victory against Paraguay on 10 June 2025.