Read 6 minutesMexico CityUpdated: June 13, 2026 06:30 AM IST
A band of Brazil fans in their canary yellow shirts, their names printed on the back, waded through the stream of Mexicans ahead of the World Cup opener in Azteca. Their transit from Sao Paulo to Mexico City on the way to Brazil’s opening match in New Jersey against Morocco has a superstitious purpose. “Back home, we visit the church, we attend in large numbers before we leave for something important. The Aztec is a shrine for us Brazilians, where we won our biggest World Cup (1970),” says Rafael, in his late 20s and attending his first World Cup.
A 24-year World Cup drought has left Brazil’s fans mortally wounded, with streaks of luck and an increase in ill-fated accidents. Their previous longest wait for a World Cup title was 24 years and that too ended on American soil. The tournament was last co-hosted (by Japan and South Korea in 2002). In 1970, they played with the leading four; Also under Carlo Ancelotti’s reign, the Italians sought to bring glory back to football’s spiritual home, after their worst qualifying campaign. He has rekindled belief and inspired belief, bringing calm to a dressing room prone to instability, but Brazil did not arrive in New Jersey as tournament favorites. Rafael disagrees: “Whenever there is a World Cup we are the first favourites. We are a great footballing nation.”
History is undeniable, but reality is revolting. They have reached the semi-finals just once since the last time they held the World Cup aloft, and all of Brazil thought the match never existed (a 7-1 loss to Germany). They have fallen behind European teams in organization and composition; They are frozen in clutch moments and weighed down by the burden of being the most successful team; They have faced acute shortages in sectors that were once redundant with wealth. “Where have all the full backs gone?” Roberto Carlos struck thunderous free-kicks and a superb left-back in Rai Television. It is customary to blame the lure of European club football, for which Brazil is one of the top talent exporters, but the malaise runs deeper and Brazil 2026 is a side full of imperfections.
Along with mining the local league from far corners like Moscow and Riyadh, Ancelotti has had to garner his full backs. Most accomplished, AS Roma’s Wesley pulled a muscle during the 2-1 scrap in a friendly against Egypt and was ruled out. Ederson was the midfielder who replaced Ancelotti. He may be forced to convert the centre-backs back to full-backs—Ancelotti is a master at persuading his men to play out of position and create breakthroughs—but the move could upset the team’s balance. But Carlos’ criticism didn’t stop there: “Has there been a better number 9 since Ronaldo? We are losing our tradition, our essence and our beauty.”
But Carlos Alberto Pereira’s 1994 band didn’t appeal to purists and was on the practical side; The 2002 batch was not a radical attack either. Pereira had a strong backline and an exemplary front-two in Bebeto and Romario; In 2002, the trio of Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Rivaldo struggled, but they did not oust opponents, but relied on individual magic and madness and strong defensive midfielders. Ancelotti’s brigade has individuals who can define games.
Fear of four
Brazil’s aggressive riches prompted Ancelotti to adopt a front-four system, a move he rarely made during his club odyssey. (AP Photo)
The front-four of Vinicius Junior, Rafinha, Matheus Cunha and Gabriel Martinelli, when in sync, is a throwback firm that can defend the skin in different ways. They can switch roles and positions, create scores, press aggressively and dig in. Neymar, when fully fit, can sprinkle magic dust from the bench. The richness of Brazil’s attack is so deep that they can hurt Rodrigo, Endric and Estevo and still pose a threat. This prompted Ancelotti to adopt a front-four system, a move he rarely made during his club odyssey. “Considering the players we have, we believe the best model of play for us is to go with a four-up front,” Ancelotti would say.
Neymar gives the thumbs up as he arrives in Brazil ahead of the World Cup as he lands at Newark Liberty International Airport on Tuesday, June 2, 2026 in Newark, NJ. (AP Photo)
The formation is buoyed by legends like Ronaldo and the legions of supporters who have descended on the United States have given goalkeeper Alisson Becker a shine. “We have the best fans in the world,” he said, as thousands flocked to the team’s training camp in Morris Township, New Jersey, where they trained at the Columbia Park training facility. New York has a population of approximately 70,000 Brazilians, most living on two streets in midtown Manhattan; It houses the Pele Store and a house that he sold before his death. Neighboring Boston, home to the nation’s oldest Brazilian population, has an estimated 65,000 people of Brazilian descent; Miami has about 65,000. Their group-stage games are conveniently located – the opener in New Jersey, the second in Philadelphia, 90 minutes from New York, and in Miami. Flights to Rio and Sao Paulo, close to the US, are packed (and fares are triple normal). “We will turn every city yellow,” says Rafael.
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But the narrative of Brazil as the ultimate proponent of passionate fans, unparalleled pedigree and beautiful football, an elusive concept in itself, hung like an inexorable millstone around their necks, instilling a desperate fear of failure. Ancelotti’s arrival, from a different culture, is timely, as he offers an outsider’s perspective. But still he would have realized the burden of the Brazilian footballer going to the World Cup. Another disaster – something like not winning the World Cup – would plunge a magnificent footballing culture into full-blown crisis. Their fans have already become deadly.