After rotating through three different managers amid some awful results, Brazil eventually secured their spot at the World Cup with a fifth-placed finish in CONMEBOL qualifying.
The increased number of teams at the tournament meant they were never at risk of missing out, but they still lost six of their 18 matches, while only Colombia conceded more than the 17 goals that the Selecao shipped among the six automatic qualifiers from South America.
One source of optimism comes from a curious historical parallel: Brazil’s road to the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea, the tournament that delivered their fifth world title and remains their most recent triumph, was remarkably similar.
Back then, Brazil finished third behind Argentina and Ecuador after spending long stretches of qualifying looking ordinary, yet ultimately ended up lifting the trophy.
Will history repeat itself 24 years on?
After rotating through three different managers amid some awful results, Brazil eventually secured their spot at the World Cup with a fifth-placed finish in CONMEBOL qualifying.
The increased number of teams at the tournament meant they were never at risk of missing out, but they still lost six of their 18 matches, while only Colombia conceded more than the 17 goals that the Selecao shipped among the six automatic qualifiers from South America.
One source of optimism comes from a curious historical parallel: Brazil’s road to the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea, the tournament that delivered their fifth world title and remains their most recent triumph, was remarkably similar. Back then, Brazil finished third behind Argentina and Ecuador after spending long stretches of qualifying looking ordinary, yet ultimately ended up lifting the trophy. Will history repeat itself 24 years on?
