Brazil at the 2026 FIFA World Cup: Squad, Manager, Fixtures & Tournament History

There is only one team that has never missed a World Cup — and they are back again. Brazil will compete at the FIFA World Cup 2026™ for a record-extending 23rd consecutive time, the sole nation to have featured at every single edition of the tournament since its inception. The showpiece, held for the first time across three host nations — Canada, Mexico and the United States — offers the Seleção the chance to end a long wait for a sixth world title, their last coming in 2002.

The symmetry is not lost on Brazilian fans. Their longest barren spell — 24 years between the 1970 and 1994 titles — ended on North American soil. It has now been 24 years since they last lifted the trophy, and the continent is welcoming them back. History, they hope, is ready to repeat itself.

The Coach: Carlo Ancelotti

When Carlo Ancelotti stepped down from Real Madrid at the end of the 2024/25 season, he made the most unexpected career move of his managerial life — taking charge of the Brazilian national team. In doing so, the Italian becomes the first foreign head coach to lead Brazil at a FIFA World Cup, a landmark appointment for a country that has traditionally kept the role firmly in Brazilian hands.

Widely considered the most decorated manager in the history of club football, Ancelotti — affectionately known as "Don Carlo" — brings a different kind of experience to his first role in international football. It won't be his debut at a World Cup, however: he was part of Arrigo Sacchi's coaching staff when Italy finished runners-up at the 1994 tournament in the United States — losing the final on penalties to none other than Brazil.

Brazil's 2026 World Cup Fixtures & Group

13 June: Brazil v Morocco – New York New Jersey Stadium

19 June: Brazil v Haiti – Philadelphia Stadium

24 June: Scotland v Brazil – Miami Stadium

How Brazil Qualified

South American qualification for the 2026 World Cup saw all ten CONMEBOL nations compete in a round-robin league format, with six direct berths available. Brazil came through in fifth place, securing their spot — as they always do — in what has become the most reliable constant in World Cup history.

Brazil's World Cup Record

Confederation

CONMEBOL

Best Finish

Champions (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002)

Last Appearance

Qatar 2022 (Quarter-finals)

First Appearance

Uruguay 1930 (Group stage)

Total Appearances

23 (1930, 1934, 1938, 1950, 1954, 1958, 1962, 1966, 1970, 1974, 1978, 1982, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, 2026)

Consecutive Qualifications

23 (since 1930)

Hosted

1950 (Runners-up), 2014 (Fourth place)

Overall Record

P114 W76 D19 L19 F237 A108

Brazil's Best World Cup

With five titles to their name — more than any other nation — picking Brazil's finest tournament is a genuine dilemma. But Mexico 1970 makes the strongest case. That squad was something altogether extraordinary: Pelé, Jairzinho, Tostão and Rivellino formed one of the most devastating attacks the game has ever seen, and they swept through the tournament without dropping a single match. The final against Italy at the Azteca ended 4-1 — a performance so complete it remains the benchmark by which all World Cup football is measured. It was also the last time the Jules Rimet Trophy was ever lifted, with Brazil earning the right to keep it permanently.

Brazil's Last World Cup: Qatar 2022

Brazil's campaign in Qatar followed a now-familiar pattern of promise and penalty heartbreak. After beating Serbia and Switzerland in the group stage, they were beaten by Cameroon in their final group game — but topped the group nonetheless and marched into the knockout rounds. A 4-1 victory over South Korea in the last 16 set up a quarter-final date with Croatia.

What followed was a tense affair that finished goalless after 90 minutes, before both sides scored in extra time. On penalties, Croatia prevailed 4-2, sending the Seleção home at the same stage they had been eliminated four years earlier in Russia. For a nation that considers anything less than the title a disappointment, it was another painful early exit.

Brazil's First World Cup: Uruguay 1930

Brazil were among the seven South American sides who took part in the inaugural World Cup in Uruguay in 1930. Their campaign was brief — a surprise 2-1 defeat to Yugoslavia ended their hopes of progressing beyond the group stage. Their brightest performer was forward Preguinho, who scored three goals across two matches, including the very first in Brazil's World Cup history.

Brazil's All-Time World Cup Top Scorer

Ronaldo Nazário — two-time world champion (1994 and 2002) — is Brazil's leading scorer at the World Cup with 15 goals across three tournaments. His most important contribution came in the 2002 final in Yokohama, where he scored both goals in a 2-0 victory over Germany. He rounded off his World Cup account with a goal against Ghana in 2006 — his 15th and last — before Germany's Miroslav Klose eventually surpassed his all-time record at the 2014 tournament, on Brazilian soil of all places.

Brazil's Most Capped World Cup Player

Right-back Cafu made 20 World Cup appearances across four editions — the most of any Brazilian player. He was a fringe figure in the 1994 winning squad, coming off the bench three times, but grew to become a cornerstone of the side and captained Brazil to their fifth title in 2002. He is also Brazil's most-capped player across all competitions, with 150 international appearances to his name.

Brazil's Most Memorable World Cup Moments

Where to begin? Brazil's World Cup history is so rich it resists easy summary. The 1970 final alone provides a worthy highlight reel — particularly the fourth goal against Italy at the Azteca, a sweeping team move that captured everything the beautiful game can be. For Pelé, it was the crowning moment of a World Cup career that had begun in Sweden in 1958, where a 17-year-old tore apart the hosts in a 5-2 final win.

In Chile in 1962, with Pelé forced off through injury early in the tournament, Garrincha stepped into the breach and produced one of the most breathtaking individual displays the competition has ever seen. More recently, the nerve-shredding shootout victory over Italy in the 1994 final and the fluid, joyful attacking football of the Ronaldo–Rivaldo–Ronaldinho combination in 2002 rank among the tournament's great memories.

Brazil's Biggest World Cup Win

Brazil's heaviest victory came on 9 July 1950, when they put Sweden to the sword 7-1 at the newly built Maracanã, with Ademir de Menezes helping himself to four goals. It was the first of three decisive matches in the final round of the tournament and sent the host nation's expectations soaring. But football had a painful lesson waiting for them: Uruguay came from behind to win the final in front of an almost silent Maracanã — a result that became known as the Maracanazo, and remains one of the most shocking upsets in the history of the sport. For all their glory, Brazil's story is also one of heartbreak — and that, perhaps, is what makes them so compelling.