The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The championship has been awarded every four years since the inaugural tournament in 1930, except in 1942 and 1946 when it was not held because of the Second World War. The current champion is France, which won its second title at the 2018 tournament in Russia.
Edson Arantes do Nascimento, known as Pelé, is a Brazilian retired professional footballer who played as a forward. He is regarded by many in the sport, including football writers, players, and fans, as the greatest player of all time. In 1999, he was voted World Player of the Century by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS), and was one of the two joint winners of the FIFA Player of the Century award. That same year, Pelé was elected Athlete of the Century by the International Olympic Committee. According to the IFFHS, Pelé is the most successful domestic league goal-scorer in football history scoring 650 goals in 694 League matches, and in total 1281 goals in 1363 games, which included unofficial friendlies and is a Guinness World Record. During his playing days, Pelé was for a period the best-paid athlete in the world.
The 1950 FIFA World Cup, held in Brazil from 24 June to 16 July 1950, was the fourth FIFA World Cup. It was the first World Cup since 1938, the planned 1942 and 1946 competitions having been cancelled due to World War II. It was won by Uruguay, who had won the inaugural competition in 1930. They clinched the cup by beating the hosts Brazil 2–1 in the deciding match of the four-team final group. This was the only tournament not decided by a one-match final. It was also the first tournament where the trophy was referred to as the Jules Rimet Cup, to mark the 25th anniversary of Jules Rimet's presidency of FIFA.
The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's association football. Brazil is administered by the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF), the governing body for football in Brazil. They have been a member of FIFA since 1923 and member of CONMEBOL since 1916.
Clube de Regatas do Flamengo, commonly referred to as Flamengo, is a Brazilian sports club based in Rio de Janeiro most popularly known for their football team.
Sport Club Internacional is a Brazilian multisport club based in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul. Although they compete in a number of different sports, Internacional is mostly known for its association football team. Internacional plays in the Campeonato Gaúcho, the state of Rio Grande do Sul's premier state league, as well as in the Brasileirão Série B, the second tier of the Brazilian football league system. They play in red shirts and white shorts and socks, the first of which give the team its nickname of Colorado. The team's home stadium, known as Beira-Rio ("Riverside"), was one of the twelve 2014 FIFA World Cup venues and has a capacity of 51,300.
Roberto Carlos da Silva Rocha, more commonly known simply as Roberto Carlos, is a Brazilian retired professional footballer. He started his career in Brazil as a forward but spent most of his career as a left back and has been described as the "most offensive-minded left-back in the history of the game". Carlos is also widely considered one of the best left backs in history.
Ronaldo de Assis Moreira, commonly known as Ronaldinho Gaúcho or simply Ronaldinho, is a Brazilian former professional footballer and ambassador for Barcelona. He played mostly as an attacking midfielder, but was also deployed as a forward or a winger. He played the bulk of his career at European clubs Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona and A.C. Milan as well as playing for the Brazilian national team. Often considered one of the best players of his generation and regarded by many as one of the greatest of all time, Ronaldinho won two FIFA World Player of the Year awards and a Ballon d'Or. He was renowned for his technical skills and creativity; due to his agility, pace and dribbling ability, as well as his use of tricks, feints, overhead kicks, no-look passes and accuracy from free-kicks.
Romário de Souza Faria, known simply as Romário, is a Brazilian politician who previously achieved worldwide fame as a professional footballer. A prolific striker renowned for his clinical finishing, he is regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. Romário starred for Brazil in their 1994 FIFA World Cup success, receiving the FIFA Golden Ball as player of the tournament. He was named FIFA World Player of the Year the same year. He came fifth in the FIFA Player of the Century internet poll in 1999, was elected to the FIFA World Cup Dream Team in 2002, and was named in the FIFA 100 list of the world's greatest living players in 2004.
The 2014 FIFA World Cup was the 20th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national football teams organised by FIFA. It took place in Brazil from 12 June to 13 July 2014, after the country was awarded the hosting rights in 2007. It was the second time that Brazil staged the competition, the first being in 1950, and the fifth time that it was held in South America.
The Copa do Brasil is a knockout football competition played by 91 teams, representing all 26 Brazilian states plus the Federal District. It is the Brazilian domestic cup and the Brazilian equivalent of the FA Cup, Taça de Portugal, Copa del Rey, Coupe de France, Coppa Italia, DFB-Pokal, KNVB Cup, U.S. Open Cup, and Copa Argentina, among others. The Copa do Brasil is an opportunity for teams from smaller states to play against the big teams. "Giant-killing" by these smaller clubs has regularly occurred throughout the competition's history. The winner of the cup automatically qualifies for the following edition of the Copa Libertadores de América, the prestigious continental football tournament contested by top clubs in South America organized by COMNEBOL.
Sports in Brazil are those that are widely practiced and popular in the country, as well as others which originated there or have some cultural significance. Brazilians are heavily involved in sports. Association football is the most popular sport in Brazil. Other than football, sports like volleyball, mixed martial arts, basketball, and motor sports, especially Formula One, enjoy high levels of popularity.
The Brazil women's national football team played their first game on 22 July 1986 against the United States, losing 2–1.
The Campeonato Brasileiro Série B, commonly referred to as the Brasileirão Série B or simply Série B, officially known as Brasileirão Chevrolet like the Série A by sponsor reasons, is the second tier of the Brazilian football league system. The competition format has changed almost every year since it first occurred in 1971. In some years, it was not played at all. Since 2006 it has been contested by 20 teams in a double round-robin format with the top four teams being promoted to the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A and the bottom four teams being relegated to the Campeonato Brasileiro Série C.
Marcelo Vieira da Silva Júnior, known as Marcelo, is a Brazilian professional footballer for Spanish club Real Madrid and the Brazil national team. He plays mainly as a left back, but can also operate as a left winger.
The Brazil men's national volleyball team is governed by the Confederação Brasileira de Voleibol(Brazilian Volleyball Confederation) and takes part in international volleyball competitions. Brazil has three gold medals at the Olympic Games, won three times the World Championship and nine times the World League. Brazil is the #1 team on the FIVB World Rankings. The team is often referred to as volleyball's "Dream Team" due to its success under coach Bernardo Rezende.
The Brazil national under-20 football team, also known as Brazil Sub-20 or Seleção Sub-20, represents Brazil in association football at this age level and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF).
Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior, commonly known as Neymar Jr. or simply Neymar, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a forward for French club Paris Saint-Germain and the Brazil national team. Considered one of the best players in the world, he is known for his dribbling, finishing, skill, pace, and ability to play with both feet.
Brazil Olympic football team represents Brazil in international football competitions in Olympic Games. The selection is limited to players under the age of 23, except three overage players. The team is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF). In 13 participations, Brazil won one gold medal (2016), three silver medals and two bronze medals.
The Brazil national under-17 football team, also known as Brazil Under-17s or Seleção Sub-17, represents Brazil in association football, at an under-17 age level and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation, the governing body for football in Brazil. Their head coach is Carlos Amadeu.
