Brasil llega al Mundial con dudas, pero sigue entre las favoritas

Brazil walked into the World Cup with the familiar weight of five titles and the less comfortable burden of 24 years without one. Dunga, the captain of the 1994 champions, has sharpened the contradiction: the Seleção remains one of the tournament’s main favorites, but its lineup and tactical system still carry more questions than certainties.

That split between reputation and reality has defined Brazil’s build-up. FIFA lists Brazil as the most successful team in World Cup history, with titles in 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994 and 2002, and notes that the country is appearing at the tournament for a record 23rd time. Yet the path back was unusually uneven, marked by defeats to Argentina, Colombia, Peru and Uruguay before Brazil finally secured qualification with a draw against Ecuador and a win over Paraguay.

The warning from Dunga is not nostalgia. It is process. He argued that the work done before a World Cup still decides the outcome, even in an era flooded with video, scouting reports and data. In his words, in a World Cup “hay que ganar el partido antes del entrenamiento.” The message fits a Brazil side that still has the raw talent to intimidate opponents, but whose structure has not settled enough to end the national debate over how it should play.

Danilo has reflected the same tension from inside the squad. He has described Brazil as a team in a period of change that must recover the fans’ confidence, while stressing that youth and experience will both matter. Carlo Ancelotti has already been identified as the coach tasked with guiding that project, a sign that Brazil is trying to turn instability into direction before the pressure of the knockout rounds arrives.

The draw has placed Brazil in Group C with Morocco, Haiti and Scotland. Its opening match against Morocco was set for June 13, 2026, at New York New Jersey Stadium, in a World Cup that expanded to 48 teams and 104 matches. The final is scheduled for Sunday, July 19, 2026, in New York New Jersey, giving Brazil little time to convert its reputation into something more durable than expectation.