The national team’s trajectory in the qualifiers was marked by changes in the technical committee, expansion of places in the tournament and the worst campaign in terms of points in the country’s history
The 2026 World Cup, hosted jointly by the United States, Mexico and Canada, marks the first edition of the tournament with 48 participating teams. For South America, this structural change represented a direct increase in the number of vacancies distributed by Conmebol. However, what should have been an easy path turned into a journey of instability for the five-time world champion team. To understand how the Brazilian team performed in the qualifiers and friendlies before the World Cup, it is necessary to analyze not only the final score, but the deep tactical identity crisis that plagued the team between 2023 and the beginning of 2026.
The timeline in technical command and the identity crisis
The Brazilian cycle for the North American World Cup began shortly after the fall in Qatar in 2022 and was characterized by an unprecedented turnover on the bench. The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) started the process with Ramon Menezes as interim, followed by the transfer of Fernando Diniz. Dorival Júnior took over afterwards, but could not resist the poor results, being fired after a historic 4-1 defeat to Argentina, in Buenos Aires, in March 2025.
It was only from May 2025 that stability began to emerge with the arrival of the Italian Carlo Ancelotti. The European coach took on the responsibility of restoring the squad’s confidence and implementing the tactical pragmatism necessary to stop the loss of points in the continental competition, guaranteeing the mathematical place the following month, after a 1-0 victory over Paraguay.
The new classification system and the mathematics of the qualifiers
With the expansion of the World Cup, Conmebol is now entitled to six direct places and one place for the intercontinental repechage, contested by the 10 South American teams in a straight points format with 18 rounds.
Despite the greater margin of error, Brazil recorded its worst campaign since this format was adopted continuously in 1996. The team ended the South American Qualifiers in fifth place. For the first time in history, the country lost both matches to Argentina in the same qualifying edition.
The final numbers of the national team in the qualifiers recorded:
- 28 points achieved (5th place overall);
- 8 wins;
- 4 draws;
- 6 defeats;
Human material and the fundamental pieces of the tactical scheme
The functioning of a football team depends on the characteristics of its members, and the Brazilian cycle exposed a lack of continuous protagonism. The team’s tactical scheme suffered from the chronic absence of Neymar, who was constantly sidelined by serious injuries over the last few years.
Without its main coordinator, expectations fell on the talents that shone in European football. Vinicius Junior, however, presented a lackluster performance during most of the South American rounds, failing to replicate his club’s efficiency. Rodrygo experienced moments of fluctuation, while Raphinha took on responsibilities for set pieces and creation. In the final phase of the cycle, already under Ancelotti’s tutelage, young players like Endrick began to be integrated as speed and line-breaking options, changing the offensive dynamic that previously depended excessively on centralized plays.
Negative records and tests in international friendlies
The cycle until 2026 will be marked by bitter statistics. The 4-1 defeat against Argentina broke a decades-old taboo: Brazil had not lost by three goals to their rivals since 1964. This vulnerability was also reflected on other South American stages, with consecutive defeats that dropped the team, at one point, to an uncomfortable sixth position in the table.
To try to balance the competitive level, the CBF used the dates separated by FIFA for friendlies against opponents from different continents. The preparation ranged from heavy clashes against Europeans, such as England and Spain in early 2024, to squad variation tests against African and Asian teams in 2025. Highlight results from the final stretch of preparation included:
- 5-0 victory against South Korea;
- 2-0 victory against Senegal;
- 1-1 draw with Tunisia;
- 3-2 defeat to Japan;
A few months away from the ball rolling in the United States, Mexico and Canada, the Brazilian team arrives at the 2026 World Cup surrounded by sporting distrust, but with the structure finally stabilized. The turbulent period of the qualifiers served as a practical laboratory for survival. Now, with the hierarchy reestablished by the new coaching staff and the main squad defined, the tactical challenge is to transform the shocks of the last three years into the resilience necessary to withstand the pressure of the short-shot knockout format of the biggest tournament in world sport.
