World Cup 2026

Brazil

Brazil's Flawed Samba Giants: Six Stars or Another Heartbreak?

Alive in the Round of 16FIFA #6Group C — Morocco · Haiti · ScotlandNext match — Sun, Jul 5 vs Norway

FutAve take

The Story

Brazil arrive at the 2026 World Cup carrying the weight of 24 years without a title and the embarrassment of their worst-ever qualifying campaign. Ancelotti's squad is drenched in individual brilliance, but the question haunting Group C and beyond is whether star power alone can paper over structural cracks.

How they qualified

Brazil scraped through CONMEBOL qualifying in fifth place — their worst-ever finish — suffering six defeats and finishing behind Argentina, Ecuador, Colombia, and Uruguay. They officially clinched their spot as late as June 2025, a humbling process for a nation that has never missed a World Cup since 1930. The mood is cautious optimism wrapped in genuine anxiety.

Why watch

No team at this tournament offers a more compelling tension between glamour and fragility. Vinicius Jr., Raphinha, and Neymar in the same squad sounds like must-watch TV — but Brazil leaked goals in qualifying and Ancelotti is still solving his defensive puzzle. Every match in Group C against Morocco, Haiti, and Scotland is appointment viewing precisely because nothing is guaranteed.

Squad spotlight

Players to Know

The Star

Vinicius Junior

Real Madrid

Vinicius Junior is Brazil's most electrifying attacking weapon, a Real Madrid left winger who bends games with pace and invention.

Why they matter

When Brazil need to break a defence down, Vinicius is the accelerant. His ability to turn a half-chance into a moment of pure chaos makes him the one opponent coaches lose sleep over in Group C and beyond.

Watch for

Watch how he exploits the space behind a high Morocco defensive line in the opener — that fixture's 89 wave score is no coincidence. His diagonal runs and one-on-one sequences are where Brazil's tournament lives or dies.

The Veteran

Neymar

Santos

Neymar returns to the World Cup stage with Santos, carrying the mythology of a decade as Brazil's talisman and the scars to match.

Why they matter

Whether he starts, supersubs, or simply commands the dressing-room narrative, Neymar's presence reshapes how opponents set up against Brazil. Ancelotti must decide how much of this tournament's identity belongs to the past.

Watch for

Watch for moments where Brazil's attack stalls — Neymar's set-piece delivery, his willingness to take responsibility in tight spaces, and how the team's body language shifts when he is involved.

The X-Factor

Raphinha

FC Barcelona

Raphinha has transformed himself into one of Barcelona's most decisive players, a left winger equally dangerous cutting inside or driving wide.

Why they matter

Raphinha gives Ancelotti a technically refined alternative threat alongside Vinicius, capable of unlocking low defensive blocks — exactly what Haiti and Scotland may try to deploy in Group C.

Watch for

His willingness to drift into central pockets and shoot from range is genuinely underrated. Watch the 30-yard efforts and the quick-combination play — he is the tactical wrinkle opponents prepare for least.

The Glue Guy

Bruno Guimarães

Newcastle United

Bruno Guimarães is the engine in Brazil's midfield, a Newcastle United box-to-box midfielder who does the unglamorous work that makes the glamour possible.

Why they matter

After a qualifying campaign where Brazil's defensive shape crumbled under pressure, Guimarães is the connective tissue between a leaky backline and a brilliant attack. Without him ticking, the whole machine rattles.

Watch for

Track his off-ball movement — his ability to press, recover, and immediately transition Brazil into attack is the mechanical heartbeat beneath all the samba flourishes. Japan's press in a potential Round of 32 will test him most severely.

The Breakout Candidate

Endrick

Real Madrid

Endrick is the teenage centre forward at Olympique Lyonnais who Ancelotti has favoured ahead of more established options, signalling a generational shift.

Why they matter

Ancelotti's preference for Endrick over senior alternatives is one of the tournament's boldest selection calls. If he delivers on the World Cup stage, it reframes Brazil's entire future — and possibly saves their present.

Watch for

Watch his movement in the penalty area and his composure under pressure — a teenager carrying that expectation in a squad of galácticos is the human storyline that makes Brazil impossible to ignore.

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