Will they qualify for the World Cup? The tragic downfall of the Brazilian national football team

The Brazilian football team returns to action for some of the most important World Cup qualifying games in the country's history against Ecuador and Paraguay.

Brazil sits in sixth place in their qualifying group, the final spot that will qualify them for the World Cup in 2026. Beating both will consolidate their position in the qualifying spots.

Struggling to qualify for the World Cup? What has happened to Neymar and his compatriots?

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Last time out, a Vinicius Jr and Neymar absent Brazil team lost to Uruguay in a bloody encounter in the Copa America quarterfinals, losing 4-2 on penalties after a terrible 0-0 game in Las Vegas.

Brazil looked like a team with no creativity, no ideas, and a lack of showmanship. It's a long way from the times of Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Pelé, Zico, and Kaka.

The Brazilian fans were forced to watch a lifeless performance in which Brazil dominated the possession (60%) but only managed three shots on target, according to LiveScore. Uruguay played the final 15 minutes with ten men, but they had no answers.

Douglas Luiz and Eder Militao missed their penalties for Brazil, while Uruguay scored four out of five, setting up a semifinal encounter against Colombia. For Brazil, it's the second major tournament in a row they have gone out on penalties.

At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the South American nation was beaten 4-2 on penalties by Croatia in the quarterfinals after being heavy favourites to win the competition before it started.

Since then, Brazil has had a tragic downfall in 2023, losing three games in a row to Uruguay, Colombia, and Argentina in CONMEBOL 2026 World Cup qualifying, putting them in the position they are currently in.

According to the Maeil Business Newspaper, Brazil has picked up seven points from six games in World Cup qualifying and has dropped from second to fifth in the world rankings.

In a team that used to be full of stars, the only real global icon Brazil has left is Neymar, and his absence from the team is one of the key reasons they are performing so poorly.

The Brazilian icon ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and his meniscus in his left knee while playing for Brazil in World Cup qualifiers in October 2023. beIN SPORTS reported that he was set to return at the end of July/start of August, but he has opted to sit out of these next two fixtures.

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Since recording seven wins in as many games at the 2002 World Cup to win their record fifth title, Brazil has lost in the quarterfinals at four of the last five tournaments.

The only time they have gone past the quarterfinal stages in the last five World Cups was in their home tournament in 2014, where they reached the semifinal. However, Brazil was met by their worst-ever defeat at a World Cup, losing 7-1 to Germany.

They have had recent success in the Copa America, beating Peru in the final in 2019 before a heartbreaking loss to Argentina in the final in 2021.

The simple explanation is that Brazil is missing inspiration from a world-beater or a group of superstars. In the late 50s-70s it was Pelé and Zico, in the 1990s it was Romario, and in the 2000s it was Rivaldo, Cafu, Roberto Carlos, Ronaldo, and Ronaldinho. Neymar hasn't been that.

Brazil decided to change their head coach at the beginning of the year, hiring Dorival Junior into the role, according to The Guardian. He is yet to coach Neymar in a Brazil shirt, and it's unfair to judge until he has got his talisman back.

A nation that has yet to threaten to win a sixth World Cup in over 20 years, can Brazil find some inspiration and turn their torrid fortune around in the coming years?

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