{"id":43868,"date":"2026-05-14T07:40:25","date_gmt":"2026-05-14T06:40:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mansionbet.com\/blog\/?p=43868"},"modified":"2026-05-14T07:40:29","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T06:40:29","slug":"brazil-at-the-2026-world-cup-is-this-finally-their-year-to-reclaim-glory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mansionbet.com\/blog\/sports\/football\/brazil-at-the-2026-world-cup-is-this-finally-their-year-to-reclaim-glory\/","title":{"rendered":"Brazil at the 2026 World Cup: Is This Finally Their Year to Reclaim Glory?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Outsiders, non-runners or dark horses? It\u2019s difficult to put Brazil into any of those aforementioned categories ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup and even trickier work to assess how their stateside adventure is likely to play out over the summer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Brazil\u2019s success on the World Cup stage is unmatched, though the record five-time winners haven\u2019t lifted the trophy since 2002 and they were eliminated at the quarter-final stage in each of the last two editions of the competition in 2018 and 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As fifth-favourites (evens) to win World Cup 2026 outright, the Sele\u00e7\u00e3o are less burdened by expectation than they\u2019ve ever been pre-tournament, though plenty of optimism still remains, especially with Carlo Ancelotti at the helm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Brazil\u2019s 2026 World Cup awkward qualification route<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"BRAZIL || Road to FIFA World Cup 2026 || All goals in Qualifiers\u26bd\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/IrRenET-u9s?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>For once, Brazil\u2019s qualification journey to a World Cup wasn\u2019t routine and though their passage rarely felt under threat, the Canarinho posted an underwhelming fifth-placed finish in the CONMEBOL region, behind Argentina, Ecuador, Colombia and Uruguay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Brazil averaged just 1.33 goals per game during their campaign and changed managers half way through, with Carlo Ancelotti appointed in May 2025 to replace Dorival J\u00fanior, who oversaw a disappointing quarter-final exit at the 2024 Copa America and an underwhelming start to the World Cup qualification gauntlet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A heavy <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.co.uk\/football\/match\/_\/gameId\/684643\/brazil-argentina\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">4-1 loss to arch rivals Argentina<\/a> (March 2025) triggered that managerial switcharoo and defensive improvements were notable straight away under Ancelotti, with Brazil conceding just one goal in their final four qualifiers under the Italian\u2019s instruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Barcelona winger Raphinha was Brazil\u2019s leading scorer in qualifiers with five goals, followed by Real Madrid\u2019s Rodrygo (3), while 15 different players chipped in at least once. Goals from traditional centre forwards were notably absent however, but more on that later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some decent friendly results since, particularly in wins over South Korea (5-0) African champions Senegal (2-0) and Croatia (3-1), have emboldened Brazilian optimists, though solid performances across 90 minutes have been rare, with Brazil often blowing hot and cold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Defeats to Japan (2-3) and France (1-2), as well as their friendly draw with Tunisia (1-1) highlight the team\u2019s inability to maintain high standards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">World Cup 2026: Brazil\u2019s Group C opponents<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Brazil have been drawn alongside Morocco, Scotland and Haiti in Group C, a section the South American giants are fancied to top. That is, at least, according to the latest <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mansionbet.com\/world-cup-2026\/odds-predictions\/\">World Cup 2026 odds<\/a>, which have the Brazilians priced as short as 1\/6 to finish first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Morocco:<\/strong> Brazil\u2019s first Group C fixture is against Morocco at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford on June 13<sup>th<\/sup>. The Moroccans finished an historic 4<sup>th<\/sup> at the last World Cup in Qatar and enjoyed wins over Belgium, Spain and Portugal. In 2025, they set a record for successive wins in international football (19), and they have more than enough quality to ruffle more feathers in 2026. The outcome of this opening Group C fixture could well decide who tops the section.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Haiti:<\/strong> Brazil trounced Haiti 6-0 (2004) and 7-1 (2016) in the nations\u2019 previous two meetings, however, this Les Grenadiers collective is stronger. With a squad packed with pace and power, Haiti won\u2019t be pushovers in 2026 on their first appearance at a World Cup finals since 1974. Brazil meet Haiti at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on June 19<sup>th<\/sup>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Scotland:<\/strong> The Scots\u2019 physical approach and all-action style has the potential to unsettle Brazil\u2019s more technical game. Scotland emerged from a top qualification group ahead of Denmark and Greece, and they have great options in midfield with John McGinn (Aston Villa), Lewis Ferguson (Bologna), Ryan Christie (Bournemouth) and Scott McTominay (Napoli). Brazil face Scotland at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens on June 24<sup>th<\/sup>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">World Cup 2026: Brazil\u2019s Key Players<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-9-16 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Top 5 Raphinha Goals \ud83d\ude80\" width=\"422\" height=\"750\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/4D6P0QA7jQs?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Raphinha<\/strong> \u2013 The flanksman was Brazil\u2019s leading scorer with five goals in qualifying and already looks like a first pick for Ancelotti. The 29-year-old should be buoyant having just won La Liga with Barcelona, though Brazil will be crossing their fingers that Raphinha\u2019s injury and fitness issues are behind him. The winger has had numerous hamstring problems this season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Vinicius Junior<\/strong> \u2013 Vini Jr has had an inconsistent and often controversial campaign for Real Madrid at club level, however, when his mind is set, the wide attacker can be one of world football\u2019s most devastating performers. The 25-year-old has been scratching at better form of late and Brazil will hope that he\u2019s at the peak of his powers this summer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Casemiro<\/strong> \u2013 The veteran midfielder has been enjoying the sweetest of swansong seasons at Manchester United, adding a consistent goal threat to his always solid defensive output. As captain, Casemiro\u2019s experience will be vital at the World Cup, as will his ability to get first contact on the ball in both boxes during set pieces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Marquinhos<\/strong> \u2013 The centre half will compete at his third World Cup this summer. Still just 31, Marquinhos has already amassed a century of caps for Brazil and his quality was evident during PSG\u2019s run to a second successive Champions League final this season. Brazil look vulnerable at fullback, so Marquinho\u2019s steadiness more central could be vital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Brazil\u2019s Strengths<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\ud83d\udea8\ud83c\udde7\ud83c\uddf7 | GLOBO have confirmed Brazil\u2019s 55 man preliminary World Cup Squad! <br><br>The official squad will be announced next Monday and cut to just 26 players. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/OB055V05GY\">pic.twitter.com\/OB055V05GY<\/a><\/p>&mdash; AllThingsBrazil\u2122 (@SelecaoTalk) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SelecaoTalk\/status\/2054675341168218539?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 13, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Brazil\u2019s attacking strategy is still built around individual brilliance, which can be effective with the right personnel. Players like Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo and Raphinha are capable of winning matches on their own, but if either are in a wasteful or selfish mood, it can create major issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Carlo Ancelotti has enviable depth across his frontline in general and his ability to deploy quality reinforcements off the bench could be a real plus point this summer, especially if temperatures soar and freshness becomes more important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are whispers that Neymar could even be brought along if he proves his fitness. The 34-year-old was named in Ancelotti\u2019s preliminary squad for the World Cup in mid-May and Brazil\u2019s all-time record goalscorer (79 goals), has shown flashes of brilliance for Santos in his homeland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Though it rubs against their more technical, free-wheeling traditions, Brazil have a midfield packed with aggression, endeavour and industry. Casemiro, Bruno Guimaraes, Andre, Gerson and the emerging Andrey Santos (if chosen to travel) can combine to create a combative unit capable of skirmishing with the best of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Brazil\u2019s strength at centre back is also obvious. Marquinhos and Arsenal\u2019s Gabriel Marquinhos are likely to start, though Bremer (Juventus) and Thiago Silva (FC Porto) are more than able deputies if and when they\u2019re required to slot in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Brazil\u2019s Weaknesses<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Ask any Brazilian fan or devotee about their team\u2019s biggest issues and most will highlight the inconsistency of their performances. Brazil tend to play well in halves rather than full games, which is something Ancelotti will need to iron out quickly if they are to make decent progress at the World Cup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Brazil are also light on quality in both fullback positions with Danilo and Alex Sandro, aged 33 and 34 respectively, still heavily involved, and newer faces like Vanderson (Monaco) and Wesley (Roma) failing to convince.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The lack of progressive passing and creativity through midfield has also been highlighted, which can sometimes leave Brazil\u2019s frontline underserviced. Players like Lucas Paquet\u00e1 (Flamengo) and Matheus Cunha (Man Utd) could make a difference there, though finding room for either in the starting XI could prove tough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At centre forward, Ancelotti has more decisions to make in the absence of a sure-fire starter. Richarlison (Tottenham), Joao Pedro (Chelsea) and international newcomer Igor Thiago (Brentford) will all stake claims.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Richarlison\u2019s fine strike rate at international level (20 goals in 54 games) could give him the edge over Joao Pedro, who has never scored for Brazil, and Thiago, who only has two caps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Brentford frontman is the Premier League\u2019s second-leading scorer this term behind Erling Haaland, though 36% of his 22 goals have come from the penalty spot and Thiago (14) has actually scored fewer times from open play than Joao Pedro (15)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Can Brazil win the 2026 FIFA World Cup?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Most <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mansionbet.com\/world-cup-2026\/odds-predictions\/\">FIFA World Cup betting predictions<\/a> that have been published have positioned Brazil just outside the leading pack of contenders in the outright stakes, with an exit at the quarter stage (or semi-final at a push) a likelier outcome for his talented but flawed Sele\u00e7\u00e3o side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Brazil\u2019s arduous efforts during their qualification campaign are difficult to ignore and though the appointment of serial winner Carlo Ancelotti has been cause for optimism, the issues in terms of personnel and personalities in the squad are still there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The squad is creaking in defence and midfield in terms of average age too, raising question marks over Brazil\u2019s ability to keep pace with their opponents\u2019 younger legs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Brazil\u2019s quarter-final exit at Qatar 2022 and their subsequent elimination at the same stage at the 2024 Copa America feel informative and could well be the Brazilians\u2019 \u201clevel\u201d at present. I expect them to fall short once they encounter one of the tournament\u2019s stronger teams in the knockouts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Outsiders, non-runners or dark horses? It\u2019s difficult to put Brazil into any of those aforementioned categories ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup and even trickier work to assess how their stateside adventure is likely to play out over the summer. Brazil\u2019s success on the World Cup stage is unmatched, though the record five-time winners [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":131,"featured_media":43869,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[737,172],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-43868","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fifa-world-cup","category-football"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Brazil 2026 World Cup Preview: Ancelotti\u2019s Dark Horses<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Fifth-favourites under Carlo Ancelotti, Brazil have lingering issues in fullback and with consistency. We assess their World Cup 2026 chances.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mansionbet.com\/blog\/sports\/football\/brazil-at-the-2026-world-cup-is-this-finally-their-year-to-reclaim-glory\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Brazil 2026 World Cup Preview: Ancelotti\u2019s Dark Horses\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Fifth-favourites under Carlo Ancelotti, Brazil have lingering issues in fullback and with consistency. We assess their World Cup 2026 chances.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.mansionbet.com\/blog\/sports\/football\/brazil-at-the-2026-world-cup-is-this-finally-their-year-to-reclaim-glory\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"MansionBet Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-14T06:40:25+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-05-14T06:40:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.mansionbet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/Brazil-at-the-2026-World-Cup-Is-This-Finally-Their-Year-to-Reclaim-Glory.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"948\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"620\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Simon Winter\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@SWinterMedia\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Simon Winter\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mansionbet.com\/blog\/sports\/football\/brazil-at-the-2026-world-cup-is-this-finally-their-year-to-reclaim-glory\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mansionbet.com\/blog\/sports\/football\/brazil-at-the-2026-world-cup-is-this-finally-their-year-to-reclaim-glory\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Simon Winter\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mansionbet.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2a38db8a775039f30b88d0d4b1463e6d\"},\"headline\":\"Brazil at the 2026 World Cup: Is This Finally Their Year to Reclaim Glory?\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-14T06:40:25+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-05-14T06:40:29+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mansionbet.com\/blog\/sports\/football\/brazil-at-the-2026-world-cup-is-this-finally-their-year-to-reclaim-glory\/\"},\"wordCount\":1510,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mansionbet.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mansionbet.com\/blog\/sports\/football\/brazil-at-the-2026-world-cup-is-this-finally-their-year-to-reclaim-glory\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.mansionbet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/Brazil-at-the-2026-World-Cup-Is-This-Finally-Their-Year-to-Reclaim-Glory.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"FIFA World Cup\",\"Football\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.mansionbet.com\/blog\/sports\/football\/brazil-at-the-2026-world-cup-is-this-finally-their-year-to-reclaim-glory\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mansionbet.com\/blog\/sports\/football\/brazil-at-the-2026-world-cup-is-this-finally-their-year-to-reclaim-glory\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.mansionbet.com\/blog\/sports\/football\/brazil-at-the-2026-world-cup-is-this-finally-their-year-to-reclaim-glory\/\",\"name\":\"Brazil 2026 World Cup Preview: Ancelotti\u2019s Dark Horses\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mansionbet.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mansionbet.com\/blog\/sports\/football\/brazil-at-the-2026-world-cup-is-this-finally-their-year-to-reclaim-glory\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mansionbet.com\/blog\/sports\/football\/brazil-at-the-2026-world-cup-is-this-finally-their-year-to-reclaim-glory\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.mansionbet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/Brazil-at-the-2026-World-Cup-Is-This-Finally-Their-Year-to-Reclaim-Glory.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-14T06:40:25+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-05-14T06:40:29+00:00\",\"description\":\"Fifth-favourites under Carlo Ancelotti, Brazil have lingering issues in fullback and with consistency. 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