What's going on with the Brazilian national team?

As Brazil exited the 2022 World Cup, they were the number one ranked side in the world. But since Qatar, they've won just seven of their 18 competitive matches, and the team that has more World Cups than any other are labouring to even qualify for the North American World Cup in 2026. After their most recent disappointment, a 4-1 loss to Argentina that some regard as being even more humiliating than the infamous 7-1 defeat to Germany, forward Vinicius Junior said that the Celecao would have to rethink everything. So, what's gone wrong for Brazil, and can they fix it in time for the World Cup? Brazil's prestige is linked to their history. Between 1950 and 2002, they won five of the 13 World Cups played, and reached the final in two others. But it was the way they did it that made them so unique. Where European teams were rigid, Brazil were free-flowing. Where Europeans were choreographed, Brazil were more off the cuff. And where European teams passed, Brazil dribbled. So-called Samba football was irresistible. And, most importantly, it won. But towards the end of this period, things began to change a little. With the influx of money in the European game, the best Brazilian players began moving to Europe. The whole of the 1970 World Cup squad had played their football in Brazil, but by the time they reached the final in 1994, just three of the players who started the game played in Brazil. In 2002, it was the same, and although these squads featured shining individual talents like Romario, Ronaldo, and Ronaldinho, many felt that they lacked the identity of the old sides. Fans could accept this while they were winning, but as they have failed to get beyond even the quarter-final stage in all but one of the World Cups since 2002, many have started to feel that Brazil should go back to the old iconic way of playing. But the problem with this is that the players are different today. Stars like Vinícius Junior, Eder Militao, and Moquinhos are among the best talents in the world, but they have barely spent any time in their career playing in Brazil. Their games are suited to European tactics that are, at times, at odds with the freedom of Samba football. And the coaching has not adapted to this. Where fellow South American countries have embraced European ideas to produce more tactically sophisticated managers, Brazilian coaching has remained sceptical of foreign influence. And this has not just been at the international level, but at the domestic level, too. Veteran Portuguese coach Jorge Jesus arrived at Flamengo in 2019 to a chorus of doubters, who felt that he would struggle to adapt to their game. As he won the Copa Libertadores and the Brasileiro in his first season, attitudes quickly changed. Since then, there's been an influx of foreign coaches into Brazilian football, and of the last six Brazilian league titles, four have been won by foreign coaches. But the change has yet to translate to the national team. In the history of the Celeção, there have been just three foreign managers who have managed just seven games between them. And despite having world-class players that thrive in Europe, Brazil have continued to appoint Brazilian coaches. Pep Guardiola had shown interest after his spell with Barcelona in 2014, but the CBF still felt that a Brazilian coach was best. Many who argue in favour of this will point to Chiché as an example of the success a Brazilian coach is still capable of having at international level. But Chiché was far from the norm. At club level, he built a reputation as a retranqueiro, a coach who prioritised defensive solidity over the more expressive side of the game. In 2014, he'd taken a year's sabbatical to study coaching in Europe, in which he visited Arsene Wenger's Arsenal and Carlo Ancelotti's Real Madrid. These tactics, combined with his excellent man-management skills, did help Brazil to their most successful period in recent history. In 2019, they ended a 12-year trophy drought by winning the Cup at America on home soil, and in the six years he was in charge, they lost just seven matches. In the two years since he left, they've lost eight. And it's not as though the players have got dramatically worse. Alisson and Ederson are two of the best goalkeepers in the world. Their talent pool is arguably the deepest in international football, and while they are slightly lacking at full-back and in midfield, their forward line should be enough to terrorise any defence. They have admittedly missed Neymar, who despite his age and recent injury struggles, is still a talismanic figure for the team. In his absence, Vinicius Junior has struggled to fill the void and has just six goals in 36 games for his country, a tally that Neymar managed in just 10 games. Vinicius Junior does have to take some blame for this, but he hasn't been helped by the coaching. Since the World Cup, the Celecao have appointed Brazilian managers Fernando Diniz and Dorival Junior, both of whom were probably the best Brazil had to offer in terms of domestic coaches at the time of their appointment, but neither were really up to the job. After a superb qualification campaign for the 2022 World Cup, in which they went unbeaten, things have been pretty catastrophic this time around, and with this underperformance, public opinion is starting to change. Several pundits have started to argue that the team needs a foreign manager, and it seems that the Brazilian FA are listening. They approached Carlo Ancelotti to take the role in 2022 and 2023 and are looking to lure him again after dismissing Dorival Junior in March 2025. Jesus, who is now managing in Saudi Arabia, is also a candidate. It's easy to be pessimistic at the moment, but those who remember 2002 will have cause for optimism. Brazil also struggled to qualify for that tournament, before appointing a new coach late in the day and turning things around to win. The hope will be that history can repeat itself in 2026.