The final stage of the 22nd edition of the FIFA World Cup is going to start in Qatar from November 20. Thirty two national football teams belonging to the international football organization FIFA will compete here. It is the last edition of the FIFA World Cup organized with the participation of 32 teams. The 48-team FIFA World Cup will be held from 2026 to be held in the United States, Mexico and Canada. The first match will see Qatar and Ecuador face off at the Al Bait Stadium.
The final is scheduled to take place on Qatar National Day on December 18. This season is significant for several reasons. This could be the last World Cup for Portuguese legend Cristiano Ronaldo and Argentinian magician Lionel Messi. But above all, another question is burning in the minds of football lovers worldwide. And that is, can the five times winner of World Cup Brazil will be able to fulfill their hexa dream?
The headquarters of the Brazilian team is located in Barra da Tijuca, on the Atlantic coast of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Tite is currently serving as the manager of this team and English Premier League defender Thiago Silva will serve as captain. Brazil is the most successful team in FIFA World Cup history, having won the World Cup 5 times in 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994 and 2002.
Brazil is the only team in FIFA World Cup history to have participated in all the tournaments. Brazil is also one of the most successful teams in the Copa America, where they have won 9 titles (1919, 1922, 1949, 1989, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2007 and 2019). Also, Brazil has won the FIFA Confederations Cup 4 times in 1997, 2005, 2009 and 2013, the most in the competition. Players like Pele, Cafu, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Kaka and Roberto Carlos have rocked the field in the Brazil jersey. There is a common saying about football, which is: The English invented it, the Brazilians perfected it.
The Brazil team made its full appearance at the 1954 FIFA World Cup held in Switzerland. Forgetting the pain of defeat in Maracana in the previous tournament, Brazil participated in the tournament with a bunch of talented footballers like Nilton Santos, Dalma Santos, Didi. But, they could not advance very far. They exited the tournament after losing 4-2 to Hungary in the quarter-finals.
Brazil defeated Sweden by 5-2 goals in the 1958 World Cup final to win their first World Cup and become the first country to win a World Cup title outside its own continent. In the 1962 FIFA World Cup, defending champions Brazil won their second title with a team that included star player Garrincha. In the 1966 World Cup, Brazil had their worst performance at the World Cup and was eliminated from the first round for the first time since 1934. In the 1970 FIFA World Cup, the Brazil team, considered by many prominent commentators to be the greatest football team of all time, won their third World Cup in Mexico.
Although surprising to many, it is true that the Brazilian team did not win the World Cup for 24 long years after 1970, not even reach the final. They managed to overcome that in the 1994 World Cup held in USA. At that time, the best attacking players in the world played in Brazil's attack. Among them were Romario, Bebeto, Dunga, Tafarel, and Jorginho. Brazil won the FIFA World Cup for a record fourth time in 1994. Brazil played very successfully in this tournament from the beginning. After advancing from the group stage, they reached the quarter-finals with a 10 goal victory over the United States in the round of 16.
Brazil finished as runners-up in the 1998 FIFA World Cup. Brazil drew with the Netherlands in the semi-finals. Ronaldo and Patrick Kluivert each scored one goal for their respective teams in this match. Brazil lost by 3-0 to France in the final. Brazil's defense was very weak in this match. In that match, Zinedine Zidane scored two goals with a header from a corner kick. Shortly before the final match, Ronaldo suffered from a nervous breakdown. Many criticized Ronaldo's inclusion in the first line-up as he was unable to make a significant contribution.
Brazil won the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa. Brazil did not have a very comfortable start to this tournament. In the first game, they won with Egypt by 4-3 goals. Brazil's victory came with a goal from the penalty spot against Egypt in the last minute of the game. It was the first time an African football team scored three goals in a match against Brazil. Later, however, the team beat Italy and the United States very well. Both were defeated by Brazil 3-0.
Also, after Brazil beat hosts South Africa in the semifinals, they faced the United States again in the final. Although Brazil trailed 2-0 in the first half of this thrilling final, they came back in full swing in the second half and scored both goals. Brazil then won their third FIFA Confederations Cup 3-2 with Lucio's winning goal six minutes before the end. Brazil's Kaka was named the player of the tournament and Luis Fabiano was the top scorer. He scored a total of 5 goals in 5 matches.
In the FIFA World Rankings, Brazil achieved their first-highest position (1st) in their history in the September 1993 ranking, and their lowest ranking in history was 22nd in the June 2013. On the other hand, Brazil's highest position in world football rankings is 1st which they first achieved in 1958 and their lowest position was 20th. Currently, Brazil is ranked 1st in the FIFA world rankings.
Writer: Columnist, and Asst Officer, Career & Professional Development Services Department (CPDS), Southeast University.
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