“… Brazil, the only side to participate in every World Cup, came relatively close to missing out in 2002. In qualification, they lost six of their 18 games, to Paraguay, Chile, Ecuador, Uruguay, Argentina and Bolivia. There briefly seemed a very real possibility that Brazil could be forced into a two-legged play-off against Australia, or even miss out altogether, and went into their final match against Venezuela needing a victory to qualify. They managed it, with a comfortable 3-0 win. But after a dreadful qualification campaign that featured 65 players, five different managers in the dugout, and not a single appearance from Ronaldo, Brazil just about made it to the World Cup. Their only qualification campaign as bad as this one? The most recent one. …”
NY Times/The Athletic (Video)