Brazil stands as football royalty and the most successful country in this sport as it is painted out to be. The Seleção has five FIFA World Cup trophies which are one more than the Germans and Italians, and two more than the current champions, Argentina.
From the time of the legendary footballer Pelé right up to the Ronaldo and Neymar periods and all the other talented footballers in between, football in Brazil particularly in South America cannot be compared to any other country. But for once they might not have been lifting trophies but at least, they have made fans drool over their style and skills.
This is why their current position, occupying the fifth position in the CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying for the 2026 tournament after the September national team's matches, came as a surprise. While six South American nations are now guaranteed qualification, depending on their place in the FIFA rankings, with an extra spot for the winner of an intercontinental play-off against a nation from a different confederation, it is peculiar, not to say provocative, that the qualification prospects of Brazil should be given even slight consideration.
Just thinking about the idea of Brazil not qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, let alone failing, we look at the team’s qualification record over the years and what it would mean if the unthinkable were to happen.
Has Brazil ever failed to qualify for the FIFA World Cup?
Moreover, Brazil has never watched the FIFA World Cup from home since it started its journey in 1994. Only they have taken part in all the 22 championships from the beginning of the competition in 1930 till now.
Germany has reached the FIFA World Cup 20 times, and Argentina, Italy, and Mexico have taken part in 18 World Cups.
Brazil has played in the World Cup twice as hosts in 1950 and 2014, they qualified automatically. The Seleção also competed in the first three World Cups as there was no qualification system at that time. Also, it was peculiar that Brazil as the champions had automatically qualified for the 1962, 1966, and 1998 World Cups according to FIFA requirements of those years.
Besides those FIFA automatic entrants, Brazil qualified for every World Cup through the qualification round contender competition. Unbelievably, they have recorded their best-ever CONMEBOL qualifying group stage tally in all but one of those qualifying campaigns.
Brazil's CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying record
CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying analysis further demonstrates Brazil’s dominance of football in South America over the years. Before the current format started in March 2000 when the competition was grouped, Brazil rarely dropped points and lost only one qualifying match in its history: 2-0 to Bolivia in 1993 in La Paz, at this altitude.
After the format adopted the round-robin system in which a nation plays all the other teams twice in a cycle (18 matches), Brazil has remained unbeaten but the number of draws and losses have been witnessed as the years progressed. Nevertheless, Brazil continues her ascendancy in qualifying, the nation most of the time ends in the champions’ group or at least among the first four Teams.
Brazil's CONMEBOL World Cup Qualifying Record
World Cup Cycle | Qualifying Matches | W-D-L | GF-GA | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1954 | 4 | 4-0-0 | 8-1 | 1st, Group 11 |
| 1958 | 2 | 1-1-0 | 2-1 | 1st, Group 1 |
| 1970 | 6 | 6-0-0 | 23-2 | 1st, Group 2 |
| 1978 | 6 | 4-2-0 | 17-1 | 1st, Group 3 |
| 1982 | 4 | 4-0-0 | 11-2 | 1st, Group 1 |
| 1986 | 4 | 2-2-0 | 6-2 | 1st, Group 3 |
| 1990 | 4 | 3-1-0 | 13-1 | 1st, Group 3 |
| 1994 | 8 | 5-2-1 | 20-4 | 1st, Group B |
| 2002 | 18 | 9-3-6 | 31-17 | 3rd |
| 2006 | 18 | 9-7-2 | 35-17 | 1st |
| 2010 | 18 | 9-7-2 | 33-11 | 1st |
| 2018 | 18 | 12-5-1 | 41-11 | 1st |
| 2022 | 17 | 14-3-0 | 40-5 | 1st |
NEXT MORE
How to Watch Serie A in the US: Live Streams, TV Channels, and Fixture Schedule
How to Watch Bundesliga in the US: Live Streams, TV Channels, and Fixture Schedule
UEFA Cuts Ticket Prices for Away Fans in European Club Competitions
Real Madrid's 2024-25 Champions League Group Stage Schedule
Complete fixtures and results for the 2024/25 UEFA Nations League group stage
How to Watch Champions League in the US: Live Streams, TV Channels, and Fixture Schedule
