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Twenty years after last holding the trophy, the most successful nation in World Cup history is back in the hunt for a sixth title.
Everyone enjoys watching Brazil compete in the World Cup. They are also the only country to have qualified for every edition of the tournament, so it's safe to say they are a good buy for having the most wins.
However, in recent history, they have failed to meet the lofty goals that they have set for themselves. They were tournament favorites in Russia 2018, but were defeated in the quarter-finals by a strong Belgium side with their own hopes of winning the tournament. In 2014, when they hosted the tournament, they were humiliated by Germany in the semi-finals, losing 7-1 to the eventual champions.
Can they improve on that performance this time? Can they go all the way in Qatar and win their sixth championship?
Brazil's delegation/route to Lusail
Brazil has been drawn in Group G with competition that they will see as quite favorable in terms of progressing to the knockout rounds. They will compete for a place in the round of 16 against Serbia, Switzerland, and Cameroon. They will begin their campaign against Serbia at Lusail, where they will face Fulham's Aleksander Mitrovi and Ajax's Duan Tadi, both of whom have recently shone for their respective clubs.
The Brazilians' next stop will be Switzerland, just like in 2018, when they also competed against one another in Russia during the group stage. Granit Xhaka, the club's captain, has had an outstanding season thus far for Arsenal. Additionally, there is Xherdan Shaqiri, who is currently playing club football in America. Over the years, he has produced countless significant moments for his nation, and this is probably going to be his final competition for the Swiss. They should not be taken lightly because they eliminated world champions France on penalties at the European Championships the previous year.
Cameroon's goalkeeper when they play Brazil in the final round of group matches, once more at Lusail, will be Andre Onana of Inter Milan. Brazil will be hoping that by the time of that final game, they will have accumulated enough points to have already advanced from the group. If possible, they'll try to stay away from the pressure of needing to win that game by any amount of points.
Many people believe that Brazil will win this competition. Although they will benefit from winning their group, they are favored to be one of the two teams competing in the final at Lusail at the end of December. Brazil will play one of Portugal, Ghana, Uruguay, or Korea Republic in the round of 16 if they advance from Group G. They will be hoping that Portugal doesn't fumble and finish second in the group because then they might have to play each other and moving on to the quarterfinals will be more challenging.
If they do advance to the quarterfinals, they will face a team from Groups E or F, which includes Spain, Germany, Belgium, and Croatia, who finished second in 2018. They might then proceed to the semifinal and championship game at Lusail, where they'll be vying for the chance to win their sixth championship.
Key figures
The player pool for Brazil in this competition appears to be extremely intimidating for everyone else, especially in forward positions. They have players like Vinicius Junior, Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli, Richarlison, Raphina, and Roberto Firmino, all well-known names in world football, in addition to their star player, Neymar. With such depth available to the manager, If some games don't go as planned, Brazil will have a lot of options at their disposal, which could give them the advantage in close games.
For more than ten years, Neymar has served as the face of Brazil. He had a remarkable club career, winning the European Cup with Barcelona and multiple league titles with Paris Saint-Germain. Before he retires from the national team, he would love to add more international medals to his collection. He has already won a Copa America, defeating Peru in the championship match in 2019. Given that many believe this will be his final appearance at the biggest tournament in the world, winning the World Cup would be the perfect way to cap off a gloriously successful career.
"The competition will be very important to him. In 2014, he sustained that serious injury during the competition, and in 2018, he was making a comeback after a protracted injury layoff, according to BBC Sport's Tim Vickery, who covers South American football.
"Neymar will be nearly exactly the same age as Pelé was when he announced his retirement from international football at the time of this World Cup. The distinction is that Pelé finished it all and retired. Neymar has a lot on his plate for this World Cup. He will be frantic to get that medal.
Brazil is eager to add a record sixth championship, 20 years after their last victory in Japan. Can they repeat it for the citizens of their nation? Can they pull it off for Neymar, who wants to end his career on a high? There isn't much longer to wait until the Qatar tournament offers all the solutions.
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