| Taça Independência | |
|---|---|
|   | |
| Tournament details | |
| Host country | Brazil | 
| Dates | 11 June – 9 July | 
| Teams | 20 (from 5 confederations) | 
| Venue | 15 (in 12 host cities) | 
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Brazil | 
| Runners-up |  Portugal | 
| Third place |  Yugoslavia | 
| Fourth place |  Argentina | 
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 44 | 
| Goals scored | 136 (3.09 per match) | 
| Top scorer |  Dušan Bajević (13 goals) | 
The Brazil Independence Cup was an international football tournament held in Brazil, from 11 June to 9 July 1972, to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Brazilian Declaration of Independence. It was called the Minicopa by the Brazilians and the final was between Brazil and Portugal, in the Maracanã Stadium. Brazil won 1–0, with Jairzinho scoring in the 89th minute.
Brazil no longer had Pelé but still had Tostão, Jairzinho and Rivellino, the later two also played in the 1974 FIFA World Cup, in West Germany.
Despite Portugal's quality results and team, including Benfica players such as Eusébio, Jaime Graça, José Henrique, Humberto Coelho, Rui Jordão, and Toni, the team missed the World Cup 1974 and 1978 qualifying matches, so this tournament was their best result until the 1984 European Football Championship.
Twenty teams competed; 18 national teams as well as two representative sides from Africa and CONCACAF (North and Central America and the Caribbean).
15 teams competed in the first round, while 5 teams (Brazil, Czechoslovakia, Scotland, Soviet Union, Uruguay) received byes to the final stage.
The teams are drawn into three groups of 5 teams. Each team plays each other team in its group once, earning 2 points for a win and 1 for a draw. The three first-placed teams advance to the final stage.
The 8 teams are drawn into two groups of 4 teams. Each team plays each other team in its group once, earning 2 points for a win and 1 for a draw.
The two group runners-up play each other in the third-place playoff.
The two group winners play each other in the final.
 
 The tournament was played in 12 cities: Aracaju, Belo Horizonte, Campo Grande, Curitiba, Maceió, Manaus, Natal, Porto Alegre, Recife, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador and São Paulo.
| Aracaju | Belo Horizonte | Campo Grande | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Batistão | Mineirão | Estádio Independência | Morenão | 
| Capacity: 45,000 | Capacity: 110,000 | Capacity: 23,000 | Capacity: 45,000 | 
|   |   |   |   | 
| Curitiba | Maceió | Manaus | Natal | 
| Estádio Couto Pereira | Estádio Rei Pelé | Vivaldão | Machadão | 
| Capacity: 37,182 | Capacity: 20,551 | Capacity: 31,000 | Capacity: 42,000 | 
|   |   |   |  | 
| Porto Alegre | Recife | Rio de Janeiro | Salvador | 
| Estádio Beira-Rio | Estádio do Arruda | Maracanã | Estádio Fonte Nova | 
| Capacity: 106,000 | Capacity: 60,000 | Capacity: 200,000 | Capacity: 80,000 | 
|   |   |   |   | 
| São Paulo | |||
| Estádio do Pacaembu | Estádio do Morumbi | ||
| Capacity: 40,000 | Capacity: 120,000 | ||
|   |   | ||
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|  Argentina (A) | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 1 | +12 | 7 | 
|  France | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 2 | +8 | 7 | 
| Africa | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 3 | 
|  Colombia | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 13 | −6 | 2 | 
| CONCACAF | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 16 | −13 | 1 | 
| Argentina  | 2–0 | Africa | 
|---|---|---|
| Fischer  40' Mastrángelo  42' | Report | 
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|  Portugal (A) | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 2 | +10 | 8 | 
|  Chile | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 
|  Republic of Ireland | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 
|  Ecuador | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 9 | −5 | 1 | 
|  Iran | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 8 | −5 | 1 | 
| Republic of Ireland  | 2–1 |  Iran | 
|---|---|---|
| Leech  57' Givens  74' | Report | Ghelichkhani  10' | 
| Portugal  | 4–1 |  Chile | 
|---|---|---|
| Coelho  14' Dinis  54', 66' Eusébio  71' | Report | Caszely  56' | 
| Republic of Ireland  | 3–2 |  Ecuador | 
|---|---|---|
| Rogers  2' Martin  61' O'Connor  86' | Report | Coronel  36' Lasso  78' | 
| Ecuador  | 1–1 |  Iran | 
|---|---|---|
| Lasso  15' | Report | Ghelichkhani  36' | 
| Chile  | 2–1 |  Republic of Ireland | 
|---|---|---|
| Caszely  16' Fouilloux  25' | Report | Rogers  79' | 
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|  Yugoslavia (A) | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 3 | +12 | 7 | 
|  Paraguay | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 4 | +8 | 6 | 
|  Peru | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 3 | +2 | 4 | 
|  Bolivia | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 12 | −8 | 2 | 
|  Venezuela | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 17 | −14 | 1 | 
| Peru  | 3–0 |  Bolivia | 
|---|---|---|
| Gallardo  7' (pen.) Castañeda  16' Sotil  31' | Report | 
| Paraguay  | 4–1 |  Venezuela | 
|---|---|---|
| L. Jiménez  2' Escobar  11' Maldonado  13', 37' | Report | Olivares  26' | 
| Yugoslavia  | 10–0 |  Venezuela | 
|---|---|---|
| Bajević  5', 7', 48', 68', 74' Džajić  20' Aćimović  37' Popivoda  44' Stepanović  51' Katalinski  54' | Report | 
| Yugoslavia  | 1–1 |  Bolivia | 
|---|---|---|
| Katalinski  32' | Report | Pariente  78' | 
| Peru  | 1–0 |  Venezuela | 
|---|---|---|
| O. Ramírez  65' | Report | 
| Yugoslavia  | 2–1 |  Paraguay | 
|---|---|---|
| Bajević  50', 86' | Report | Escobar  17' | 
| Paraguay  | 6–1 |  Bolivia | 
|---|---|---|
| Maldonado  7', 67' Arrúa  57', 59', 67' dos Santos  86' | Report | Molinas  63' (o.g.) | 
| Yugoslavia  | 2–1 |  Peru | 
|---|---|---|
| Bajević  4', 37' | Report | O. Ramírez  11' | 
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Brazil (A) | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | +4 | 5 | 
| 2 |  Yugoslavia (A) | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 | −2 | 3 | 
| 3 |  Scotland | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 2 | 
| 4 |  Czechoslovakia | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −1 | 2 | 
| Brazil  | 3–0 |  Yugoslavia | 
|---|---|---|
| Leivinha  22', 25' Jairzinho  65' | Report | 
| Yugoslavia  | 2–1 |  Czechoslovakia | 
|---|---|---|
| Bajević  19' Džajić  77' | Report | Hrušecký  37' | 
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Portugal (A) | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 5 | 
| 2 |  Argentina (A) | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 
| 3 |  Soviet Union | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | −1 | 2 | 
| 4 |  Uruguay | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | −2 | 1 | 
| Soviet Union  | 1–0 |  Uruguay | 
|---|---|---|
| Onishchenko  59' | Report | 
| Portugal  | 3–1 |  Argentina | 
|---|---|---|
| Calisto  36' Eusébio  45' Dinis  47' | Report | Brindisi  29' | 
| Argentina  | 1–0 |  Soviet Union | 
|---|---|---|
| Pastoriza  75' | Report | 
| Portugal  | 1–0 |  Soviet Union | 
|---|---|---|
| Jordão  46' | Report | 
| Yugoslavia  | 4–2 |  Argentina | 
|---|---|---|
| Bajević  26', 83' Katalinski  37' Džajić  64' | Report | Brindisi  58' (pen.), 87' (pen.) | 
 
 There were 57 goals scored in 16 matches, for an average of 3.56 goals per match.
13 goals
5 goals
4 goals
3 goals
2 goals
1 goal
 Ernesto Mastrángelo
  Ernesto Mastrángelo  José Omar Pastoriza
  José Omar Pastoriza  Ángel Vargas
  Ángel Vargas  Ramiro Blacutt
  Ramiro Blacutt  Mario Pariente
  Mario Pariente  Jaime Rimazza
  Jaime Rimazza  Laurent Pokou
  Laurent Pokou  Julio Crisosto
  Julio Crisosto  Alberto Fouilloux
  Alberto Fouilloux  Orlando Mesa
  Orlando Mesa  Anton Hrušecký
  Anton Hrušecký  Miguel Coronel
  Miguel Coronel  Georges Bereta
  Georges Bereta  Bernard Blanchet
  Bernard Blanchet  Louis Floch
  Louis Floch  Marc Molitor
  Marc Molitor  Jean-Claude Désir
  Jean-Claude Désir  Don Givens
  Don Givens  Mick Martin
  Mick Martin  Turlough O'Connor
  Turlough O'Connor  Majid Halvaei
  Majid Halvaei  Hernán Castañeda
  Hernán Castañeda  Alberto Gallardo
  Alberto Gallardo  Hugo Sotil
  Hugo Sotil  Adolfo Calisto
  Adolfo Calisto  Jaime Graça
  Jaime Graça  Rui Jordão
  Rui Jordão  Fernando Peres
  Fernando Peres  Emigdio dos Santos
  Emigdio dos Santos  Tiberio Godoy
  Tiberio Godoy  Lorenzo Jiménez
  Lorenzo Jiménez  Vladimir Onishchenko
  Vladimir Onishchenko  Ricardo Pavoni
  Ricardo Pavoni  Ramón Iriarte
  Ramón Iriarte  Luis Mendoza
  Luis Mendoza  Asdrúbal Olivares
  Asdrúbal Olivares  Jovan Acimovic
  Jovan Acimovic  Danilo Popivoda
  Danilo Popivoda  Dragoslav Stepanovic
  Dragoslav Stepanovic 3 own goals
 Fernando Bulnes (against France)
  Fernando Bulnes (against France) Pedro Molinas (against Bolivia)
  Pedro Molinas (against Bolivia) Martin Buchan (against Yugoslavia)
  Martin Buchan (against Yugoslavia)| # | Player | G | Time of goals | For | Result | Against | Phase | Date | FIFA report | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Hervé Revelli | 3 | 15', 21', 69' |  France | 5-0 | CONCACAF | Group stage | 11 June 1972 | Report | 
| 2. | Dušan Bajević | 5 | 5', 7', 48', 68', 74' |  Yugoslavia | 10-0 |  Venezuela | 14 June 1972 | Report | |
| 3. | Rodolfo Fischer | 4 | 26', 68', 81', 86' |  Argentina | 7-0 | CONCACAF | 18 June 1972 | Report | |
| 4. | Carlos Bianchi | 3 | 17', 49', 62' |  Argentina | 4-1 |  Colombia | 22 June 1972 | Report | |
| 5. | Saturnino Arrúa | 3 | 57', 59', 67' |  Paraguay | 6-1 |  Bolivia | 25 June 1972 | Report | |