Category Archives: Brazil

How Argentina won the 1978 World Cup: Home-based talent, free-flowing football and peak Mario Kempes

“… Forty eight years after they were defeated in the first final over the water in Montevideo, Argentina finally won the World Cup, on home soil in Buenos Aires. This was the 11th World Cup, and now five had been won by the host nation. Argentina had been awarded the tournament 12 years beforehand, but the situation in the country had changed dramatically since then, with the government ousted by a military junta headed by General Jorge Rafael Videla. This was a period of serious violence in Argentina, with the most notable death in footballing terms being the assassination of General Omar Actis, the head of the World Cup organising committee. …”
NY Times/The Athletic (Video)

How Brazil won the 1970 World Cup: Pele’s return, a fearsome front five – but ‘an incompetent goalkeeper’

“… Mexico was a controversial choice as World Cup host in 1970, primarily because it was widely expected that the heat and altitude would result in poor football. Instead, Brazil turned on the style to become, almost without question, the most celebrated World Cup-winning side in history. It helped that the World Cup was now televised around the world — and for the first time, in colour. … Brazil triumphed amid a period of political turbulence back home, with a military dictatorship in place since 1964. ‘We had a fantastic side and everyone expected us to win, which gave me the shakes,’ Pele later said. ‘I was very nervous and under a lot of pressure. Maybe people have forgotten, but the political situation in Brazil was not good and we felt that we simply had to win the title. Thank God we were able to do it.’ And they did it in style. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

How Brazil won the 1962 World Cup: With Garrincha coming to the fore after Pele injury

“World Cup 1962, hosted in Chile, is up there with World Cup 1938 as the least fabled editions of the tournament. There’s a common link between them: they’re the only two World Cups where the defending champion has triumphed. And this one came as little surprise — it was almost impossible to find a tournament preview that didn’t imply that Brazil were strong favourites. …”
NY Times/The Athletic – Michael Cox

What can the Club World Cup tell us about the strength of leagues around the world?

“For those unaware, FIFA has established its own Technical Study Group (TSG) to analyse the Club World Cup this summer. Led by their chief of global football development, Arsene Wenger, the panel contains former players and coaches — with Esteban Cambiasso, Aliou Cisse, Tobin Heath, Jurgen Klinsmann, Roberto Martinez, Gilberto Silva and Pascal Zuberbuhler unpicking the key insights from each game. A recent media release from the TSG saw the panel offer their views on the tournament at the midway stage, and the conclusions were rather… jarring in places. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Club World Cup quarterfinal power rankings: Will Europe’s powers prevail?

“With apologies to the fans of the clubs that have been eliminated from the FIFA Club World Cup, it’s a relief that this tournament’s penchant for upsets and excitement hasn’t ended after the group stage. Like the stormy summer weather, this Club World Cup remains tricky to predict even with evidence informing a confident projection. Each team’s big-game personnel is coming through from end to end, sustaining a high level of play in this previously untested summer jamboree. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Ranking the best and worst Club World Cup home kits: Divorcee vibes, pixel madness and flawless Tunisian flair

“The revamped Club World Cup is effectively a brand new tournament and with a fresh competition comes a selection of mostly new kits. For this summer’s 32-team extravaganza in the United States, teams are allowed to play in new looks, whether that be special-edition tournament-only strips or what they’ll be strutting their stuff in for the entirety of the 2025-26 season. Or, should they wish, they can carry on wearing the same shirts as they have done already this year. Whatever the approach of each of these Club World Cup competitors, nothing can spare them from the critical eye of The Athletic’s Nick Miller, who has ranked all 32 home strips from worst to best. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

WorldCup2026, one year to go: What still needs to be sorted?

“The men’s World Cup is one year away and 13 nations — including its host countries the United States, Canada and Mexico — have secured their places in the expanded 48-team competition. Some 75 per cent of the matches will be played in the U.S., across 11 cities. Mexico will host the opening matchday in Mexico City and Guadalajara, but the involvement of Canada and Mexico will cease after the round of 16, with all games from the quarter-finals onwards to be played in the States, including the final at MetLife Stadium, in New Jersey, a short distance from New York City. … As the clock ticks down, The Athletic details just some of the most pressing challenges, reputational risks and supporter concerns about the United States’ portion of the competition, which will encompass 78 of the 104 games that will be played between June 11 and July 19 next year. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
NY Times/The Athletic – World Cup 2026: Who’s qualified, who’s struggling and which underdogs have a shot at glory?

The National Guard was brought in after protests in Los Angeles

Your complete guide to the 2025 Club World Cup – the groups, the teams and the storylines to watch

“The Club World Cup begins on Saturday, June 14, when Inter Miami take on Al Ahly at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. How will Lionel Messi and friends get on? Are they likely to get out of Group A? And what about Real Madrid? The world’s biggest club have replaced Carlo Ancelotti with Xabi Alonso, their former midfielder, and signed Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dean Huijsen in the mini transfer window before the tournament. They’re also after Alvaro Carreras from Benfica and one of the hottest prospects in world football, River Plate’s 17-year-old forward Franco Mastantuono. Benfica and River are part of the fun in the United States, too. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
NY Times/The Athletic: One year from a home World Cup, USMNT with fanfare has fear of being a flop
W – 2025 FIFA Club World Cup

Ten players who could steal the show at the 2026 World Cup

“Brace yourselves, the World Cup countdown officially starts…now. … Having 16 more teams means even more of the globe’s best players can showcase their talents on the biggest stage, but who do we expect to be the protagonists next summer? Some names might be obvious, others might not have even earned their first international cap or play for countries whose qualification hangs in the balance. It’s a tricky assignment, but it is fun to try. So, almost one year out, this is The Athletic’s shortlist of those predicted — or expected — to light up World Cup 2026. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Is Neymar’s career in epilogue territory? He deserves to be remembered as a great

“Jorge Jesus winced as he read what sounded a lot like the last rites. … The situation belongs to Neymar. The cloudy future, too. In that small Riyadh press room, Jesus confirmed he would not be registering the forward for the second half of the Saudi Pro League season, effectively drawing a line under this latest chapter of his career. It is not clear what will happen next. Neymar is 33 in February. As Jesus was at pains to emphasise on Thursday, his ability is not up for debate. His recent injury record makes for grim reading, however: the Brazil forward has not started a match since suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury playing for his country in October 2023. Zoom out a little further and it is just 733 competitive minutes in 23 months. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Best of 2024 from The Athletic UK: Our staff pick their favourite pieces (by their colleagues)

“We didn’t expect to write about flowery wallpapers in 2024, that’s for sure. Or Taylor Swift. We did expect to write about Jurgen Klopp, Erik ten Hag, and Lamine Yamal, and Andy Murray retiring. It was a wild old year in the world of sport and we wanted to take a moment to look back at — and celebrate — the excellent work of our writers over the past 12 months, covering not just football (soccer), but tennis, the Olympics, the Paralympics, and athletics, too. We wanted to know what they liked, too, so we asked them to nominate articles, podcasts or videos produced by their colleagues and tell us why. So here are all the pieces of work selected by writers, editors and producers on The Athletic UK and North American soccer staff (the editors in the U.S. did their own version of this, too). Enjoy! …”
NY Times/The Athletic (Video)

Johan Cruyff and the incredible wallpaper drawings that explain modern football

Suicidal Tour

The 1943 Santa Cruz squad. Players marked with a red cross died during the tour.
“The Suicidal Tour (Brazilian Portuguese: Excursão Suicida), also known as the Death Tour (Excursão da Morte), took place when Brazilian professional football club Santa Cruz Futebol Clube toured the North Region of Brazil from 2 January 1943 to 29 April 1943. Over the course of almost four months, they played at least 26 friendly matches in six different cities to raise funds. The tour gained its name due to the misfortunes endured by the club, including a lack of funds, the threat of German attacks, and deaths. Looking to recover from a financial crisis, Recife-based Santa Cruz arranged five matches in Belém, Pará. After those, the team was then invited to extend their tour to Amazonas. …”
Wikipedia

Tactical Fouls in the Brasileirão

“Tactical fouls are a polemic subject within football. Many view them as a valid defensive resource but there are plenty more who see them as a cynical exploitation of the rules. … There are various ways to define a tactical foul, but for the purposes of this article the definition will be: fouls committed within five seconds of an open-play turnover. It’s an approximation, but I’ve checked it against video and it seems to cover the large majority of situations that could be classified as tactical fouls. …”
StatsBomb

Fear and lunging in Las Vegas: How Uruguay v Brazil became this Copa America’s dirtiest match

“Sometimes it happens. High stakes, growing tension, a sheer desperation not to lose — the biggest games can light a fire within compulsive competitors that catches too quickly, spreads across the pitch, and burns any sense of spectacle to the ground. Uruguay’s Copa America quarterfinal clash with Brazil fell foul to that intensity: an ugly collision of arms, legs and bodies constantly interrupted by the referee’s whistle. By the time Dario Herrera signalled for the end, it felt as if the contest had barely been given the chance to begin. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

2024 Copa América

July 6, 2024: Colombia 5–0 Panama
“The 2024 Copa América is the ongoing 48th edition of the Copa América, the quadrennial international men’s soccer championship organized by South America’s football ruling body CONMEBOL. The tournament is being held in the United Statesfrom June 20 to July 14, 2024, and is co-organized by CONCACAF. This is the second time that the United States is hosting the tournament, having hosted the Copa América Centenario in 2016. …”
W – 2024 Copa América
W – 2024 Copa América knockout stage
W – 2024 Copa América final

Ranking the best and worst Copa America home kits: A doctor bird, an Ecuador sash and ‘deep red wine’

“The Copa America has got off to an absolutely terrific start. Also, the football has been pretty good. But as you know the really important stuff, before a ball was even kicked, is that pretty much everyone looks absolutely terrific. The home kits for the big jamboree in the USA are out and, by and large, they’re all really quite good. Even the less good ones are pretty good, with only a couple of real clunkers. But which is the best of them…? …”
NY Times/Athletic

Copa America – 2024

“Grab your burgers, hot dogs and root beers because, for the second time in its history, Copa America is being held in the United States. But what is this Copa America, I hear you ask? It’s only the longest-running continental football competition, one that has played host to some of the greatest legends of the game including Lionel Messi, Pele, Diego Maradona and Neymar. This summer, across 12 American cities and 14 stadiums, South America’s finest — including Brazil, Uruguay and a Messi-led Argentina — will compete again to take the title of ‘Champions of South America (and Others)’. To round out the numbers, the United States, Mexico and a few other North and Central American countries have been invited to join the fun, too. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Morocco are favourites to win Afcon – can they repeat World Cup heroics?

Morocco’s Abdelhamid Sabiri celebrates scoring their second goal with Yahya Attiat-Allah in their friendly victory over Brazil, a rare success in their post-World Cup matches.
“Morocco are heading to the Africa Cup of Nations with unprecedented expectation resting on their shoulders. The tournament, initially due to take place last summer but postponed by the Confederation of African Football (Caf) because of the rainy season in the host country, Ivory Coast, will be marked by the Atlas Lions trying to follow up a historic World Cup and add to a legacy that has eclipsed any other African nation. …”
Guardian

When is the Copa America 2024 group stage draw? Date, teams, pots and format explained

“The Copa America returns to the U.S. for its 2024 edition and there is a little more than half a year until it gets underway. The USMNT were one of the teams to confirm their place at the tournament during the most recent international break, leaving just two more of the 16 participants to be decided. Before those remaining spots are filled, the draw for the tournament’s group stage will be made in Miami. Here is everything you need to know. …”
The Athletic
W – 2024 Copa América

No manager, no form, no confidence: what is going on with Brazil?

“In order to avoid potential fallings-out in Brazil, people are advised to refrain from discussing three subjects: religion, politics and football. One thing that everyone can surely agree on at the moment, though, is that the national team are struggling. The team usually give a nation of vira-latas with an inherent inferiority complex a rare chance to boast superiority over the rest of the world – perhaps only matched at the height of Ayrton Senna’s powers, or by the people who believe that Alberto Santos‑Dumont and not the Wright brothers invented the aeroplane – but watching the Seleção has been a dismal experience of late. …”
Guardian

2023 Copa Libertadores: location-map for the 47-team tournament, with Club Histories

“… This is the 64th iteration of the Copa Libertadores, the most prestigious football tournament in South America. The 2023 tournament is the 7th since it was expanded in 2017, from 38 to 47 teams. Since then, no team from a country other than Brazil or Argentina has won the title (Brazilian teams have won it 5 times since the tournament-expansion, and an Argentinian team has won it once since then). And Brazilian sides have won the last four titles. … This map includes the Preliminary-Stage teams: there are 19 preliminary-stage teams…and only four of those 19 teams will advance to the Group Stage. …”
billsportsmaps
W – 2023 Copa Libertadores

Celebrating Pele, the greatest player in World Cup history

“It is a matter of opinion whether Edson Arantes do Nascimento was the greatest footballer in the history of the world, but there’s little doubt he was the greatest footballer in the history of the World Cup. One simple fact concisely demonstrates that: Pele won it three times. No one else in history, man or woman, can match that. There was more to Pele than simply the World Cup. At club level, he won six Brazilian titles, two Copa Libertadores trophies and remains Santos’ all-time top goalscorer. He subsequently starred in the North American Soccer League for New York Cosmos. But no one has ever matched Pele’s World Cup record, achieved when international football, rather than club football, was unquestionably the most revered form of the game. …”
The Athletic
W – Pelé
*****Guardian – ‘A piece of footballing art’: six memorable moments from Pelé’s career
*****BBC – Pele: Goalscorer, World Cup winner, hero, icon and legend (Video)
*****NY Times: Pelé, a Name That Became Shorthand for Perfection (Video)
*****NY Times: Pelé, the Global Face of Soccer, Dies at 82 (Video)
*****NY Times: Pelé Will Live Forever
YouTube: Pele’s Top 5 Goals, Pele’s Best Skills

World champions but second: Why Argentina are below Brazil in FIFA’s world rankings

“Argentina will not go into 2023 as FIFA’s number one ranked team. Fresh off lifting the World Cup, you might expect Lionel Scaloni’s side to move top of the leaderboard but they have had to settle for second. It is Brazil — one of the sides knocked out in the quarter-final in Qatar – who have retained top spot, their only consolation from a rather forgettable fortnight. …”
The Athletic

The Legend of Pelé, the Brazilian Boy Who Remade Soccer in His Image

“The Ringer’s 22 Goals: The Story of the World Cup, a podcast by Brian Phillips, tells the story of some of the most iconic goals and players in the history of the men’s FIFA World Cup. Every Wednesday, until the end of Qatar 2022, we’ll publish an adapted version of each 22 Goals episode. Today’s story, the final installment in the series, involves Pelé, the player who started it all. …”
The Ringer (Audio)

Richarlison, Messi and Pulisic: Three Stunning Goals Frozen in Time

“We take a closer look at three memorable goals from the group phase of the 2022 World Cup. See the critical moment when each ball was struck into the net. …Richarlison’s Wonder-Strike. In Brazil’s opening game, Richarlison leaped into the air and scored his second goal of the match with an acrobatic scissor kick. Brazil went on to finish at the top of the group, advancing to the round of 16 to face South Korea. …”
NY Times
NY Times: Watch Christian Pulisic Send the U.S. Past Iran and Into the Knockout Rounds
NY Times: Belgium’s Long-Ball Goal Sinks a Determined Canada
NY Times: Germany’s Late Equalizer Revives Its World Cup Hopes

Another World Cup semi-final, but are shot-shy Croatia actually any good?

“It’s difficult to find anyone — aside perhaps from those in neighbouring countries — who have anything other than the utmost respect for Croatia as a football nation. Their debut World Cup as an independent country was only in 1998, and yet in those seven tournaments they’ve reached the semi-finals three times. It’s remarkable for a country with a population of under four million (half that of London), and all the more remarkable considering Croatia have always been intent on playing positive, possession-based football, with a midfield based around playmakers rather than destroyers. …”
The Athletic (Video)
W – Dominik Livaković
BBC – World Cup 2022: Croatia keeper Dominik Livakovic is unlikely hero – again
Dominik Livaković stands tall as Croatia stuns Neymar and Brazil (Video)

Croatia beat Brazil – Penalties, Neymar’s moment of genius and Gvardiol’s defence

“Croatia progressed to the World Cup semi-finals after beating Brazil on penalties. A tense 90 minutes where clear-cut chances were few and far between meant extra time was needed, which perhaps shouldn’t have been a surprise – eight of Croatia’s last nine tournament knockout games have gone to extra time. … Having had a quiet night, Neymar delivered a passage of magical football as he played through the resolute Croatia defence before rounding Dominik Livakovic and guiding the ball into the roof of the net. …”
The Athletic
The Analyst – Croatia 1-1 Brazil: Livaković the Penalty Hero Once Again for Croatia
NPR: Croatia stuns top-ranked Brazil to advance to the World Cup semifinals
Guardian: Croatia reach World Cup semi-final as Brazil miss twice in penalty shootout
The Athletic: Neymar weeps for the end of his world – and his place in Brazil history

Brazil, 1970, and the Captivating Mythology of the ‘Beautiful Game’

“The Ringer’s 22 Goals: The Story of the World Cup, a podcast by Brian Phillips, tells the story of some of the most iconic goals and players in the history of the men’s FIFA World Cup. Every Wednesday, until the end of Qatar 2022, we’ll publish an adapted version of each 22 Goals episode. Today’s story involves a mesmerizing team goal from Brazil that changed the World Cup forever. …”
The Ringer (Video)

World Cup 2022 power rankings: how the remaining eight teams shape up

“We cast our eye over the quarter-finalists’ key strengths and assess who is most likely to lift the trophy in Qatar. 1 – Brazil. The Seleção are in full flight and, as you may have heard, enjoying themselves in the process. Their first-half evisceration of South Korea felt like a throwback, moments such as Richarlison’s seal impression offering reminders of those days when nobody could rival Brazil for sheer fun. Even without Gabriel Jesus they retain a depth of attacking talent few can match, partly thanks to Neymar’s Lazarus-like recovery from injury. …”
Guardian

Brazil Turns the World Cup Stage Into Its Own Dance Floor

“After all the bold talk of the coming of a new world order, all the over-excited claims about the rise of Africa and Asia, the last three days have come as something of a reality check. The establishment has struck back. Brazil’s dominant 4–1 win over South Korea means that, unless Morocco shocks Spain on Tuesday, the quarterfinals will be made up of a familiar mix of two South American giants (Brazil, Argentina) plus half a dozen sides from Europe (France, England, Netherlands, Croatia, Spain, Portugal/Switzerland). It was, in truth, always a stretch to expect South Korea to challenge Brazil. …”
SI – Jonathan Wilson

Brazil 4-1 South Korea: Richarlison wondergoal, Tite’s dancing, Neymar one short of Pele’s record

“A rampant Brazil dominated South Korea at Stadium 974 to emphatically seal their spot in the World Cup quarter-finals. Tite’s side were full of confidence as they put four past the South Koreans in the first half, including another outrageous goal by Richarlison. There was so much to like about that third goal: Richarlison dribbling with the ball on his head, the two Brazil players involved in the build-up on the edge of the box being their centre-backs Marquinhos and Thiago Silva, and then there was their 61-year-old manager throwing shapes in the dancing celebrations. …”
The Athletic (Video)
BBC – World Cup 2022: Brazil put down the biggest marker at Qatar tournament

This World Cup Needs the Spirit of Sócrates

“Sócrates may never have gone beyond the quarterfinals of the World Cup, but he remains one of the most iconic players in the history of the tournament. Instantly recognizable by his curly black hair, Che Guevara-esque beard, and the way he loomed over his opponents with his slender 6’4” frame, he looked every inch the revolutionary. At Mexico ’86, where he missed a fateful penalty as Brazil went out to France in a shootout in the quarters, he wore the headband — improvised from a teammate’s sock — which has come to define him in the mind’s eye of millions. …”
Jacobin

How Brazil (It Lost) and Switzerland (It Won) Advanced to the World Cup Knockout Round

“The chaos that governed the first three days of World Cup group-stage finales did not bypass Group G on Friday so much as churn around the periphery of its two matches, swooping in to cause mayhem in torrents and spurts before leaving as quickly as it arrived. As Brazil’s reserves clashed with Cameroon, Serbia and Switzerland tussled for the group’s final qualification spot. That match included a paroxysm of goals — five in 30 minutes — and then a barren stretch that taunted both teams, one more than another. When it was over, Switzerland had won, 3-2, and advanced to the knockout stage, where it will face the Group H winner Portugal on Tuesday. …”
NY Times
The Athletic: Cho Gue-sung, the South Korea striker who went viral at the World Cup — for being handsome

Can Brazil’s Divisive Team Unite a Fractured Nation?

“RIO DE JANEIRO — Ahead of Brazil’s elections last month, Neymar, the star forward of Brazil’s national men’s soccer team, pledged to dedicate his first World Cup goal to Brazil’s far-right president, Jair Bolsonaro. On Election Day, Bolsonaro wore a protective vest in case of an attack. Over it, he pulled on the national team’s iconic yellow jersey. And in the days after Bolsonaro lost, hundreds of thousands of his supporters gathered outside military bases and called on the armed forces to take control of the government. From above, the protesters were a sea of yellow, with thousands wearing national team jerseys. …”
NY Times

Brazil 1-0 Switzerland: Coping without Neymar and indispensable Casemiro

“Brazil ran out 1-0 victors over Switzerland to ensure their progression through to the World Cup last 16. In a tense encounter with few clear-cut chances, it was Casemiro who broke the deadlock on 83 minutes, powering a strike past Yann Sommer after a rare foray into the opposition’s penalty area. … Some of the stories being dangled before us by this World Cup are slightly pre-ordained: Lionel Messi leading Argentina’s triumph, Cristiano Ronaldo doing the same for Portugal, Brazil giving Neymar his moment in the sun. …”
The Athletic (Video)
BBC – World Cup 2022: Casemiro – ‘Best midfielder in the world’ is Brazil’s unlikely hero (Video)
The Athletic: Casemiro can do everything

Neymar’s World Cup at risk after Serbia’s nine fouls

“It’s that image. Neymar with his head in his hands on the bench after he called for the substitution with 13 minutes left of normal time to play. Brazil’s first game of the World Cup and their star player is injured. Then on Friday, he was ruled out of their game against Switzerland due to the ankle injury. … But how was the ankle injured? After the first round of the group stages, Neymar was the most fouled player — nine times out of a total of 12 committed by Serbia. These are those nine fouls. …”
The Athletic

Brazil 2 Serbia 0: Richarlison’s scissor kick, Neymar the foul magnet and Mitrovic vs Vlahovic

“All eyes were on Neymar before Brazil’s opening game at the 2022 World Cup but it was Richarlison who was the hero in the 2-0 win against Serbia. The Tottenham striker struck twice after half-time, the second an acrobatic scissor kick after teeing himself up inside the penalty area, to give the world No 1 ranked side the perfect start to their campaign in Qatar. Serbia had defended superbly to keep Brazil out for the first hour at the Lusail Stadium but the quality of Tite’s side shone through eventually. …”
The Athletic
W – Richarlison

The Radar – The Athletic’s 2022 World Cup scouting guide

“Welcome to The Radar — the World Cup edition. Last year, for Euro 2020, we profiled 60 players that people were talking about — or would be by the end of the competition. Thirty-four of those players have since moved club. More teams means more players, so for the World Cup we’ve upped that to 100. The result is below, a carefully crafted guide to some of the best footballers on show in Qatar listed alphabetically by country — the heavyweight names, the rising stars and the under-the-radar players who could be coming to an elite club near you. …”
The Athletic

How Europe Decides Who Wins the World Cup

“SÃO PAULO, Brazil — Once a week, the boys from the Palmeiras youth academy climb aboard a bus and prepare for their regular visit to the past. These are the fledgling stars of Brazilian soccer: the best and brightest prospects from the most prolific youth system in the world’s greatest hothouse of talent. From their pristine campus in Guarulhos, on the outer edges of São Paulo’s suburban sprawl, the boys slowly make their way through the grinding traffic and head into the tight, winding streets of Heliópolis, the biggest favela in Brazil, or one of the dozens of other informal communities that house millions of the city’s poorest inhabitants. …”
NY Times

Mapping out Brazil’s Potential Route to the World Cup Final

“What if Brazil’s preparation for the 2006 World Cup in Germany had been more intense? What if Felipe Melo hadn’t received a red card in 2010? What if Neymar hadn’t been injured ahead of the semi-final in 2014? What if Thibaut Courtois hadn’t saved that shot from Renato Augusto in 2018? Brazil supporters are always looking back at the past, imagining a scenario where the Seleção have already won their sixth World Cup title. But now, with the help of our tournament simulator model, we can estimate the probabilities of the ‘Hexa‘ happening in Qatar 2022. …’
The Analyst

When Pelé met Banks: ‘Incredible – a move that required two geniuses’

“At last, on 7 June 1970, the champions, both old and new, met. After all the hype, hysteria and hyperbole in the heat of Mexico’s high-altitude Guadalajara, Brazil, the 1958 and 1962 World Cup winners, and England, the defending champions, were out to play a match that promised to stir the soul and marvel the mind. The world, once again, fawned over the Brazilians. …”
Guardian

World Cup 2022 Groups: The Predictions

“The 2022 World Cup is finally here, with the tournament in Qatar being the first held in the months of November and December since the first World Cup finals in 1930. The 22nd men’s FIFA World Cup tournament will see 32 teams battle it out in the group stage after qualifying via five different regions – Asia, Africa, South America, North America/Central America and Europe (no nation from Oceania qualified). From there, 16 will make it through to the knockout stages. …”
The Analyst

Copa Libertadores: Another all-Brazilian affair

“For the third successive season, two teams from Brazil will contest the Copa Libertadores final. This time, it is Flamengo against surprise package Athletico Paranaense, who happen to be managed by Luiz Felipe Scolari, a man who knows how to win the competition. Scolari won in 1995 and 1999 with Grêmio and Palmeiras respectively, and of course, he also won the World Cup with Brazil in 2002. At 73, he’s approaching the end of his marvellous career – he has hinted this may be his last year – and his side go into the final in Ecuador as underdogs although nobody is writing them off. …”
Game of the People

World Cup provisional squads explained: What are the rules and will they be made public?

“A month from today, it all begins. The World Cup in Qatar looms ever larger on the horizon and the countdown is on to the first of 64 games that will crown a winner at the Lusail Stadium on Sunday, December 18. Doubts persist over the suitability of Qatar to host this World Cup, as well as its readiness to welcome more than one million visitors, but the biggest names in football are about to descend on a tiny Gulf nation that’s half the size of Wales and roughly as big as the US state of Connecticut. …”
The Athletic
The Analyst: World Cup 2022 Guide to Each Group

Football and Politics in South America

“Published in 1995 as part of Verso’s series of Critical Studies in Latin American and Iberian Culture, Tony Mason’s Passion of the People? Football in South America examines the centrality of the game to cultural life in Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay over the course of the twentieth century. In the excerpt below, Mason reviews the points of contact between professional football and the state, with a particular emphasis on Argentina and Brazil. …”
Verso

World Cup 2022 news round-up: Nkunku and Lewandowski shine as Argentina put faith in Scaloni

“Club football is back and with fewer than 50 days for players to find form and fitness before the World Cup kicks off on November 20, Poland’s Robert Lewandowski, Leandro Trossard of Belgium and USA forward Ricardo Pepi laid down a marker at the weekend. Off the pitch, coaches are already being rewarded before the tournament kicks off with Wales extending Rob Page’s contract and Argentina set to keep Lionel Scaloni as head coach until the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico. …”
The Athletic

World Cup 2022 power rankings: how the 32 look with two months to go

“With most teams having played their final matches before the tournament in Qatar, who appear most likely to lift the trophy? …”
Guardian

Neymar Is Still a Singular Star, but He Has More Help on Brazil

“LE HAVRE, France — As the announcer at the Stade Océane cycled through Brazil’s team on Friday, before the squad dismantled Ghana, 3-0, a murmur of appreciation greeted each familiar, stellar name. Alisson was granted gentle applause. Thiago Silva earned a respectful, admiring cheer. Raphinha drew a sizzle of anticipation. And then, leaving just a hint of a dramatic pause, the announcer came to Neymar. There were, perhaps, mitigating circumstances. …”
NY Times

World Cup health check: The issue each country must address before Qatar

“The September international break is normally relatively relaxed — a chance to tweak tactics and focus on formations. Not this time. For almost all 32 competing nations, this is the final set of international fixtures before the World Cup begins in Qatar on November 20. So that you can go into the break feeling prepared, The Athletic has identified one issue every team need to try to fix this break…”
The Athletic (Video)

Most Goals Scored in a FIFA World Cup by One Player

“The only players to score nine or more goals in a single FIFA World Cup did so between 1950 and 1970 – a competition with nearly a century of history cramming its one-tournament stars into two decades. It seems the game’s defensive focus and organisation had yet to catch up to its emerging individual attacking skill. It was a time of free goals, and in some places free love, and if you weren’t around to experience it in person, you’re left with grainy video – and of course the numbers. None of the five players to score that many did it in more than six games while the modern-day format for World Cup tournaments has made it possible for top goalscorers to get seven in should they reach the last four. …”
The Analyst

World Cup 2022 news round-up: Jesus’ Brazil snub, Pepi’s debut and Queiroz’s return

“England and the USA have goalkeeper injury concerns, Ricardo Pepi has made his debut in Holland but Arsenal’s in-form Gabriel Jesus is suddenly out of favour with Brazil. With the transfer window shut and September international fixtures looming, a relentless domestic and European calendar is providing opportunities for players to shine and prepare for Qatar. …”
The Athletic (Video)

The Myth of South America

“South America has produced some of the greatest ever players in football history. Many South American players have played for the best teams in the game. But rarely do players make a move directly from South America to elite-level clubs. But why? As Jon Mackenzie explains most players need a stepping stone club to take them to the next level. Illustrated by Henry Cooke.”
YouTube

‘22 Goals’: Ronaldo, 2002 World Cup Final in Japan

“As the 22nd men’s FIFA World Cup approaches in November 2022, The Ringer introduces 22 Goals, a podcast by Brian Phillips about the most iconic goals scored in the history of the World Cup. Every Wednesday, until the end of Qatar 2022, we’ll publish an adapted version of each 22 Goals episode. Today’s story involves the ‘original’ Ronaldo from the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan. …”
The Ringer (Audio)
The Ringer – ‘22 Goals’: Diego Maradona, 1986 World Cup in Mexico (Audio)

A Premier League model beckons for Brazilian football

“For all the talk of samba football and Copacabana beach dudes juggling balls on the sand, Brazilian football is still largely anonymous to the rest of the world. Every four years, the media focuses on the Brazilian national team and expectation invariably exceeds reality – it is now 20 years since they won the World Cup, eight since they were humbled on their own turf by a rampant Germany. That’s international football, but what about Brazil’s domestic game, which despite exporting hundreds of players, is still something of a mystery? …”
Game of People
The Athletic: ‘Brazilian football has been in chains’ – Is this its Premier League moment?

Amateurs & A Yorkshireman: Sweden’s World Cup Finalists

“Following the 1958 World Cup final, the Swedish FA informed their English head coach, George Raynor, that he would be relieved of his duties. Far from being an acrimonious disagreement between two parties, this was the Swedes being self-aware. There was no way Raynor wouldn’t have offers flooding in from back home. They were wrong. …”
The Longball Football
W – 1958 FIFA World Cup Final
YouTube: Brasil 5 x 2 Sweden – 1958 World Cup Final Extended Goals & Highlights (Live)

The Rise & Fall of Ronaldinho

“In 2005 Ronaldinho was on top of the footballing world with a Ballon d’Or in his hand. But that was his peak. It wasn’t a smooth ascent, he didn’t make many friends along the way, and his descent was even bumpier. From a teenage star playing for his boyhood club, via the glittery lights of Europe’s most cosmopolitan cities, to imprisonment and near bankruptcy. This is the story of one of the most entertaining footballers of all time. Written by Seb Stafford-Bloor, illustrated by Henry Cooke.”
YouTube
W – Ronaldinho

Is this the next Brazilian Wonderkid?

“You may have heard of Endrick – the next Brazilian wonderkid. Whilst the YouTube clips and the accolades may show the potential to become one of the best talents in the game, it’s worth noting he is only 15 years old (at the time of writing). But what is he like? How does he play? How does he compare to his contemporaries? What does he say about himself? Nick Miller found out, Henry Cooke illustrates.”
YouTube
W – Endrick Felipe

2022 Copa Libertadores: location-map for the 32-team Group Stage.

“… The group stage, consisting of 6 match-weeks, will last 8 weeks. … Teams are shown in the two flanking sections on either side of the map, organized by country. Shown there in the country-groupings are each team’s all-time total Libertadores appearances (in the tan-colored column), and Libertadores titles (in the pale-blue-colored column). At the far left of the map-page is the Libertadores titles list by club (25 clubs have won a Libertadores title). At the far right is the Libertadores titles list by country (of the 62 Libertadores titles, 25 have been won by Argentine teams, and 21 have been won by Brazilian teams). …”
billsportsmaps
W – 2022 Copa Libertadores group stage
Copa Libertadores

The 2022 World Cup draw analysed: ‘The Group of Dark Arts’, favourites France and that song

“Cringe-inducing cartoon meant to engage with no youngster we have ever met? Check. Song-and-dance routine combing local colour with avant-garde twist? Check. A massive advert for the official ball (the fastest ever, no less)? Yep, we had that, too, and several speeches, a first performance of the first song from the official Qatar 2022 album and a very contrived moment with France manager Didier Deschamps and a young lad who was in the crowd in Moscow four years ago. The 47 minutes of preamble before the draw for the 2022 World Cup at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre flew by! …”
The Athletic (Video)
NY Times – World Cup Draw Highlights: Matchups Let Teams Look Ahead to November
Guardian – World Cup draw: group-by-group analysis for Qatar 2022 – Jonathan Wilson
NY Times: World Cup Draw Brings Certainty. Now Comes the Hard Part.
The Athletic: With a marquee World Cup meeting vs. England, USMNT has a chance to change its perception writ large
BBC – Fifa World Cup Qatar 2022: What are the draw highlights? (Video)

The World Cup Draw Is Friday. Here’s How It Works.

“The World Cup field is almost complete. On Friday, soccer teams will learn the answer to the critical question they and their fans want to know: Who will they play when the tournament opens in November in Qatar? The World Cup draw — part gala, part pep rally, part math seminar — will deliver intriguing clashes of styles, testy political collisions and, if past events are any guide, a few uncomfortable moments. But given the stakes of the draw, it is also one of the biggest events on the global sports calendar. Here is a look at how it works. …”
NY Times
NY Times: Who Has Qualified for the 2022 World Cup? (Video)
NY Times: Your World Cup Questions, Answered
The Athletic – 2022 World Cup odds: France, Brazil are co-favorites ahead of the draw; England, Spain right behind