What went wrong for Brazil in the World Cup qualifiers?

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Needless to say, Brazil’s national team has not been the same, extravagant team it always has been in 2023.

The national team has been in crisis since being eliminated from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar by Croatia in the quarter-finals.

However, no one could have predicted that things would get so bad for Brazil.

CONMEBOL qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico are already underway, but the CBF must be wishing they could hit the reset button.

Brazil are usually favorites to top the knockout group among bets, but they currently sit sixth in the standings, having won just two of their six games so far.

The Seleção started very well, with a 5-1 victory over Bolivia and a 1-0 victory over Peru, but the cracks began to appear when the team drew 1-1 at home to Venezuela in October.

Five days later, Brazil’s 18-game unbeaten run in World Cup qualifying away from home was ended with a 2–0 defeat to Uruguay.

Things only got worse in November, when Brazil were beaten 2-1 by Colombia, before Seleção’s arch-rivals Argentina handed Brazil their first home defeat in a World Cup qualifier.

The match was ugly on and off the pitch, with the ball in play for just 48 minutes, while violence in the stands marred Albiceleste’s historic victory.

This is a state of despair for Brazil, and it is not a state the country finds itself in often. So, let’s take a look at some of the factors that led the Seleção to this mess.

Managerial situation

There is no doubt that the CBF’s search for a permanent replacement for Tite after he stepped down following the World Cup did not go as planned.

Ednaldo Rodrigues made it very clear that he wanted to hire a European coach, with names like Zinedine Zidane and Pep Guardiola rumored.

Carlo Ancelotti soon became the main target. However, he will not join the team until his Real Madrid contract expires at the end of the current season – if reports are to be believed.

As a result, Brazil had two interim coaches in 2023.

The first was Ramon Menezes, who oversaw just one victory in three games as Brazil beat Guinea 4-1 but lost to Morocco and Senegal.

Now, Fernando Diniz is in charge. But things still haven’t improved, and the Fluminense coach’s record is terrible.

If Ancelotti is signed next May, he will not have much time to prepare or implement his philosophies before the Copa América.

Injuries and rotation

The other important factor – and one that had an undeniable impact on the team – is Brazil’s large number of injuries.

Éder Militão missed all seven of the Seleção’s qualifying games this year due to an anterior cruciate ligament injury at the start of the season with Real Madrid, while Neymar suffered the same injury while playing for Brazil against Uruguay.

Vinicius Junior tore his thigh muscle against Colombia, which is another injury nightmare for Real Madrid, while Casemiro also missed the game against Argentina.

These injuries haven’t helped Brazil at all so far this campaign, but neither has constant player rotation and experience since the start of the year.

The Seleção called up 46 players in 2023, 20 of which were called up for the first time to the main team.

Despite these factors, Brazil simply haven’t been good enough on the field in 2023. The team should be able to beat all opponents, with the exception of Argentina, with relative ease, and this is reflected on sites like Betfair.

It was a year to forget, but things can certainly only get better for the Seleção in 2024.