Brazil Often Disappoints as Favorite at World Cup

Brazil traditionally enters the World Cup as one of the top contenders, a status often accompanied by immense pressure and expectation. However, recent history shows a pattern of underperformance despite this favoritism.

The Seleção, as the national team is known, has frequently been tipped as the favorite or co-favorite in the lead-up to the tournament. For instance, in 2022, Brazil was the favorite but was eliminated by Croatia in the quarterfinals. Similarly, in 2018, they were joint favorites with Germany but lost to Belgium in the quarterfinals. The 2014 World Cup saw Brazil as the favorite, only to be defeated by Germany in the semifinals.

Even in years where they were not the outright favorite, such as 2010 when they were second favorite behind Spain, they were still expected to go deep into the tournament, ultimately losing to the Netherlands in the quarterfinals. This trend of high expectations followed by early exits has been a recurring theme since their last victory in 2002.

Prior to 2006, Brazil's status as a favorite was often validated by strong performances, including winning the tournament in 1994 and reaching the final in 1998. However, since the early 2000s, the team has struggled to consistently meet the high bar set by its storied past, leading to a re-evaluation of their standing among global football powerhouses.