When the Brazilian team won the silver medal in the women’s football tournament at the Paris Olympic Games in 2024, it was a surprise. The team was not among the favorites and only participated in the knockout stage due to a combination of results that allowed them to advance with two defeats in three matches in the first phase.
The team then defeated hosts France, scored four against world champions Spain and had a handful of chances in the final against the United States. Today, if there were a major international competition in the near future, Brazil would not be considered an underdog.
The national team experienced a 2025 of consolidation, with the expected – albeit quite hard-earned – Copa América title and impressive results against the sport’s powers. The idea in 2026 is to take new steps and enter in the best possible way in 2027, the year in which the women’s World Cup will be held for the first time in Brazilian territory.
“We had a better year than the previous one. We once again placed Brazil as one of the main teams and we were more consistent, with significant and unprecedented victories”, said coach Arthur Elias.
He was referring, in terms of its originality, to the 2-1 victory over the United States, in San Jose, California, in April. The Brazilians had not beaten the North Americans anywhere since 2014 and had never triumphed at their home ground – until then, there were 11 visits and 11 defeats.
The team ended 2025 with ten wins, two draws and three defeats, with 39 goals scored and 18 conceded. One of the victories was over England, European champions. The two draws were against Colombia: one in the first phase of the Copa América, the other in the final, which saw the brilliance of the veteran Marta and glory on penalties after a thrilling 4-4. The defeats were in friendlies against the United States, France and Norway.
“I didn’t like the defeats we had, especially against the United States and Norway. We didn’t play our football. I put the defeat against France on a VAR issue”, said Arthur Elias, satisfied with the game proposal he believes he has implemented, with an average of 2.6 goals scored per duel.
“The team needed to score more goals, Brazil was missing that. We can change the tactical system, but the identity doesn’t change. The team today has more repertoire”, said the coach, who started to adopt 3-4-3 as his preferred formation.
He also highlighted “the mix of young and experienced players” adopted. If star Marta, 39, who always leaves and always stays, continues to show relevance, names like striker Amanda Gutierres, 24, top scorer in the Copa América and sold for a record price in Brazilian football (US$ 1.1 million, around R$ 6 million) by Palmeiras to Boston Legacy, from the United States, have gained space.
In this year of consolidation, Brazil came to occupy fourth place in the FIFA (International Football Federation) ranking and ended the season in sixth. In 2026, they will face England in the Finals, the clash between the South American champion and the European champion, in March, at a location to be defined.
In view of the English team and other commitments, the plan is to gain strength on the way to the 2027 World Cup. There is, in Arthur Elias’ view, plenty of room for growth, but his team is no surprise, as it was at the Paris Olympic Games.
“If the World Cup were today, we would be ready.”
