The 2026 World Cup saw a record number of players playing in the Brazilian Championship, but only 30% of them played at least 90 minutes, after the initial three games of the group stage.
In total, 32 players from ten Serie A clubs were called up to defend seven World Cup teams.
Of this total, 25 athletes can still enter the field and show the fans goals, assists, tackles and other relevant moves. The seven players who played in the Brasileirão and represented Uruguay have already said goodbye to the tournament after the defeat to Spain, on Friday (26).
This number, 32, surpassed the mark of 1974, in West Germany, when 27 players from the first division were called up to compete in the tournament.
That year, 22 were Brazilians working for the team led by Mario Lobo Zagallo. The rest were athletes of other nationalities.
In 2026, the scenario is different. The Brazilian team has 7 players from the Brasileirão among the 26 called up: Danilo, Lucas Paquetá, Alex Sandro and Leo Pereira, from Flamengo; Danilo Santos, from Botafogo; Neymar, from Santos; and Weverton, from Grêmio. In other words, 79% are representatives of other countries that play in the Brazilian football elite.
Five of the seven have played at least one game so far: Danilo, Lucas Paquetá, Alex Sandro, Danilo Santos and Neymar. The red-and-blacks Danilo and Lucas Paquetá are the two players with the longest time on the field.
The Flamengo right-back has played 225 minutes, and the midfielder, 191 of the 270 possible minutes so far, according to Sofascore, a website that stores statistics on athletes and sports competitions. Danilo started two matches, and Paquetá started all three of Brazil’s games.
The national team’s number 20 was responsible for assisting Vinicius Junior to score the third and final goal in the clash against Haiti.
The score drops drastically for the other three players. Together, Danilo Santos, Neymar and Alex Sandro total 45 minutes on the field — less than half a game, considering the additions from both stages. There are 21 minutes for Botafoguense, 15 for Santos and another 9 for Flamenguista.
Until the end of the group stage, goalkeeper Weverton, from Grêmio, and defender Léo Pereira, from Flamengo, had not made their debut.
Tied with the Brazilian team are Paraguay and Uruguay — each took seven athletes from Brasileirão to the FIFA World Cup.
Ecuador (5), Colombia (4), Argentina (1) and the Netherlands (1) complete the list of teams with players who play in the Brazilian first division.
PARAGUAY
Gustavo Gómez and Maurício from Palmeiras were highlighted in the opening rounds of the World Cup.
The defender won most of the high and low duels against Türkiye and Australia. He owned the position and spent 270 minutes on the field. That is, he played all three games.
The attacking midfielder had a good individual performance against the United States. Maurício received the ball in the area and, facing goalkeeper Freese, scored the Paraguayans’ goal of honor. The score ended 4-1 for the home team. He also played in the 0-0 against Australia and has played 90 minutes on the field, according to Sofascore.
Júnior Alonso played a good game in the 1-0 victory over Turkey. The athlete was important in the disputes from below and covered ten kilometers in the defensive sector. He played in the team’s three games and played 181 minutes.
Damián Bobadilla, São Paulo midfielder, made a poor debut against the USA. In the 7th minute of the game, he scored an own goal and forced the team to be more exposed to North American attacks. Substituted at half-time, he has played 91 minutes in three games.
Isidro Pitta, from RB Bragantino, played just 45 minutes of a match, and Palmeiras native Ramón Sosa, 11. Balbuena, from Grêmio, did not debut in the World Cup.
Flamengo player Gonzalo Plata was the scorer of Ecuador’s second goal and secured a 2-1 victory over Germany, qualifying the Ecuadorian team to the knockout stage for the second time in five campaigns. Owner of the position, the striker has played 270 minutes in three games.
Atlético-MG midfielder Alan Franco had good performances against Ivory Coast and Curaçao, with at least 95% accuracy in his passes. He also helped with tackles and interceptions in the defensive sector. He started the matches and played 209 minutes.
Alan Franco’s backup, another Atletico midfielder, Preçado, had discreet performances. He entered the second stage in all three games and spent 67 minutes on the field, 11 more than Minda’s 56 — also from the Minas Gerais club, participating in just one game.
Felix Torres, Internacional defender, played 13 minutes against Germany, after replacing John Yeboah.
URUGUAY
The two Brasileirão athletes who played the most with the Uruguayan shirt were Varela and Canobbio, from Flamengo and Fluminense respectively. The red-and-black full-back started every game and spent 270 minutes on the field, despite three discreet performances.
The Tricolor striker risked two shots on goal in the 2-2 draw with Cape Verde and scored once. He spent 225 minutes on the field in the three games and was sent off in stoppage time in the duel against Spain.
The performances of Nico de la Cruz, from Flamengo, and Felix Rochet, from Internacional, were discreet and did not reach 90 minutes of play. Piquerez and Martinez, from Palmeiras, as well as Arrascaeta, injured, did not enter the field.
Uruguay ended its participation in the World Cup on Friday (26), after a 1-0 defeat to the Spanish, and was the first South American team to say goodbye to the World Cup.
The biggest highlight of the Brasileirão among Colombian players is Jhon Arias, from Palmeiras, who played in all three games and was on the field for 242 minutes. He had 95% pass accuracy in wins against Uzbekistan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to Sofascore.
Vasco midfielder Andrés Gómez played just eight minutes, in stoppage time of the match against Uzbekistan.
Midfielders Juan Portilla, from Athletico-PR, and Carrascal, from Flamengo, did not play any World Cup games in the group stage.
Corinthians number 10, Memphis Depay, came on midway through the second half in the games against Japan, Sweden and Tunisia. Twice, in place of Brian Brobbey. Memphis provided the assist for Summerville to score the fifth goal against Sweden, but his three performances were understated.
ARGENTINA
Called up by the Albiceleste team, striker Flaco López, from Palmeiras, entered the field in the group stage of the World Cup in the third and final round. He replaced Julián Alvarez in the 37th minute of the second half and did little.
