Why are Brazilian teams performing so well at the FIFA Club World Cup?
The Club World Cup has been an interesting tournament so far, featuring numerous captivating moments. For instance, Bayern Munich convincingly defeated the semi-professional club Auckland FC 10-0. Boca Juniors’ coach, Miguel Ángel Russo, remarked, “With all due respect, the result isn’t that impressive because they (Auckland FC) are a semi-professional club,” emphasizing the need to respect their opponents.
Ironically, Boca Juniors ended up drawing 1-1 against Auckland FC. In another thrilling match, the two yellow clubs, Borussia Dortmund (BVB) and Mamelodi Sundowns, engaged in a gripping contest that showcased the Southern African powerhouses nearly overcoming Europe’s elite.
Additionally, Al Hilal, under Simone Inzaghi, managed to hold the world’s biggest club, Real Madrid, to a 1-1 draw after having been the better team for most of the match. Furthermore, Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami made history as the first MLS side to secure a victory against a European team (FC Porto) in a competitive fixture.
Despite some matches struggling with ticket sales and resulting in empty seats, which don’t look great on television, the football has been exciting and entertaining to watch. The unique approaches taken by non-European teams have offered a refreshing perspective on how football can be played, particularly for those who primarily consume European football. This has illustrated that the quality gap isn’t as significant globally—except perhaps in the case of Auckland FC.
The most notable region in this competition has been the South American clubs, particularly the Brazilian teams: Palmeiras, Fluminense FC, Flamengo, and Botafogo. Both Fluminense FC and Palmeiras finished unbeaten with 5 points, while Flamengo secured 7 points, also unbeaten, tying for the highest points tally alongside SL Benfica. Flamengo made headlines with a historic 3-1 victory over Chelsea, a team that cost over a billion pounds to assemble.
Botafogo, in a challenging “group of death” with teams like Atletico Madrid and PSG, managed to earn 6 points, finishing second in their group and qualifying for the Round of 16 ahead of Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid, which boasts players like Julian Alvarez and Antoine Griezmann.
They also defeated a treble-winning PSG side that had dominated Ligue 1, only suffering their first defeat after clinching the title, comfortably winning the Coupe de France and demolishing Inter in the Champions League final by five goals (it could have been even more).
Considering that the Brasileirão season is just over 10 games, with Flamengo in first place, Palmeiras in fourth, Fluminense in sixth, and Botafogo in eighth, it raises an interesting question: Is European football truly head and shoulders above South American football, particularly in the context of the Brasileirão, or is the gap in footballing ability much closer than we realize?
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When discussing football heritage, no country stands out more than Brazil. The South American giants have won the World Cup five times, making them the most successful team in tournament history. They have also achieved an impressive record of 76 wins in 114 World Cup matches, with only 19 losses. This gives them a remarkable total of 247 points from the 22 World Cups they’ve participated in, along with a goal difference of +129. As a result, they boast the best win percentage, goal difference, and lowest loss percentage as of the 2022 World Cup.
Additionally, Brazil is home to four different Ballon d’Or winners, who collectively hold five Ballon d’Or titles. This achievement is even more impressive considering that when the Ballon d’Or was first awarded in 1956, non-Europeans were not eligible to win until 1995. Since then, no country has produced more Ballon d’Or winners than Brazil, solidifying its status on the international stage.
However, Brazil has struggled to replicate the glory of its previous teams in recent years. Many Brazilians believe this decline is due to European clubs signing their players at very young ages, such as Vinicius Jr. and Endrick, before they have had a chance to fully develop and experience Brazilian football. This trend has weakened the domestic league and led to younger players facing an excessive number of games.
A notable example is Neymar, who had over 200 appearances for Santos before joining Barcelona at the age of 21, which contributed to his health issues and injuries from the 2018-2019 season onward. The common European perception of South American football is that it serves as a breeding ground for young talent or as a destination for players who can no longer compete in Europe. However, historically, this view does not reflect the true nature of South American football.
This brings us to the Intercontinental Cup, a two-legged competition (sometimes three legs in its earlier years) that ran from 1960 to 2004. It was designed to determine which continent had the stronger football teams by pitting the UEFA Champions League winners against the Copa Libertadores champions to establish a world champion.
However, FIFA disapproved of this rivalry and attempted to restrict CONMEBOL and UEFA from hosting the competition unless it was designated as a ‘private friendly match’ in 1961. Despite FIFA’s efforts, the competition continued, though it had a tumultuous existence. When Real Madrid won the first edition against the Uruguayan side Peñarol, the Barcelona newspaper Mundo Deportivo hailed Real Madrid as the first world champion club.
They noted, however, that the competition excluded teams from Africa, Asia, and other regions recognized by FIFA, pointing out doubts about the quality of football in those areas. As a result, Real Madrid initially claimed the title of World Champions until FIFA intervened, asserting that the competition allowed no participation from outside Europe or South America, thus they could only claim to be intercontinental champions.
In 1962, the competition gained worldwide attention as the Santos team, regarded as one of the greatest teams of all time, featured stars such as Gilmar, Mauro, Mengálvio, Coutinho, Pepe, and most notably Pelé. They dazzled audiences by winning the Intercontinental Cup 8-4 on aggregate against Benfica and later defended their title against AC Milan, becoming the first team to win back-to-back titles in the competition.
However, due to the violence often exhibited in the Copa Libertadores by Argentine and Uruguayan clubs during the 1960s, as well as disagreements with CONMEBOL, a lack of financial incentives, and the harsh treatment of the Brazilian national team during the 1966 FIFA World Cup by European teams, Brazilian football—including its club sides—withdrew from international competitions in 1966 and 1967, including the Copa Libertadores. This absence allowed Argentine teams to establish their dominance in the Intercontinental Cup.
Fast forward to 1970, during a meeting of the FIFA Executive Committee, a proposal was made to expand the Intercontinental Cup into a Club World Cup featuring representative clubs from every existing continental confederation. However, this proposal was unsuccessful and marked the beginning of the tournament’s decline. Following the controversial events of the 1969 final, many European teams became increasingly concerned about the violence and brutality they anticipated in future editions, contributing to the tournament’s slow downfall.
Notably, the 1975 edition went uncontested because both UEFA finalists refused to participate, as did the 1978 edition when Boca Juniors declined to play against Club Brugge. In 1980, there was an attempt to rebrand the tournament with sponsorship from Toyota, but the 1980s saw a domination by South American clubs. Teams like Brazil’s Flamengo and Grêmio, Uruguay’s Nacional and Peñarol, and Argentina’s Independiente and River Plate each claimed the title once after Nacional’s victory in 1980.
The 1990s marked an era of European dominance, with clubs such as AC Milan, Red Star Belgrade, Ajax, Juventus, Real Madrid, Manchester United, and newcomers Borussia Dortmund winning titles, bolstered by their economic power and heavy recruitment of South American stars. This poaching weakened the ability of South American clubs to compete effectively. Entering the 2000s, the last four editions of the tournament were held, with Boca Juniors winning two titles and Real Madrid and Porto each winning one. Ultimately, the competition merged with the Club World Cup in 2005.
The first FIFA Club World Championship was held in 2000, alongside the Intercontinental Cup. Teams competing in the inaugural tournament included Corinthians, Vasco da Gama, Manchester United, Necaxa, Raja CA, Real Madrid, Al-Nassr, and South Melbourne.
Hosted in Brazil, the tournament culminated in an all-Brazilian final between Corinthians and Vasco da Gama, where Vasco had the home advantage. Corinthians emerged victorious, winning 4-3 in a penalty shootout, thus becoming the first official Club World Champions. The tournament was scheduled to be hosted again in 2001 in Spain, with an expanded format that increased the number of teams from 8 to 12.
However, it was canceled on May 18 due to several factors, the most significant being the collapse of FIFA’s marketing partner, International Sport and Leisure. The participants of the canceled edition each received $750,000 in compensation, and the Real Federación Española de Fútbol (RFEF) received $1 million from FIFA.
In 2003, another attempt was made to host the tournament, with 17 different countries expressing interest as host nations, but it once again did not materialize. At that point, FIFA, UEFA, CONMEBOL, and Toyota collaborated to merge the Intercontinental Cup with the Club World Championship. Following the last Intercontinental Cup final in 2004, the Club World Championship was relaunched and held in Japan in 2005.
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Importantly, until 2017, the previous winners of the Intercontinental Cup were still considered de facto world champions by many football communities and media outlets. In that year, FIFA officially recognized the winners of the Intercontinental Cup as world champions.
In the early days of the rebranded Club World Championship, Brazilian teams dominated the tournament. São Paulo won the inaugural edition by defeating Liverpool 1-0 in the final, keeping the trophy in Brazil. The following year, Internacional qualified for the 2006 tournament by defeating the defending World and South American champions, São Paulo, in the Copa Libertadores Finals.
At the tournament, Internacional progressed all the way to the final, where they faced Barcelona and emerged victorious, retaining the trophy for Brazil. However, after this victory, the trophy would not return to Brazilian football for more than five years, as European teams began to dominate the competition.
In 2012, Corinthians, backed by a large number of traveling fans in an event dubbed “Invasão da Fiel,” ended European dominance by winning the final and securing their second World Cup crown. This match highlighted the cultural differences between South American and European players.
For instance, David Luiz and Oscar were seen in tears after their defeat, while many of their European teammates appeared unfazed, leading Luiz to express that he felt some of his teammates did not put in enough effort. From my observations, the perspective on club competitions differs significantly between Europe and South America.
Most Europeans view club competitions in this order: the national cup is typically considered the least important, followed by the top-flight league title, which denotes the best team in the country for that season. The Champions League is regarded as the pinnacle of achievement, determining the best team in Europe and seen as the highest honor a club can win. Other competitions, such as the Community Shield, Supercopa, or even the Club World Cup, are generally treated as minor bonuses.
In Brazil, the scenario is quite different. To understand what is at stake for Brazilian clubs, it’s important to recognize how Brazilian football operates. Brazilian clubs first compete in their respective state championships; each state, including the federal district, has its own league to determine the state champion (e.g., the Campeonato Paulista for São Paulo).
Following this, there is the Brasileirão, which determines the national champion and signifies the top club in Brazil. The Copa Libertadores is the second most prestigious trophy for South American clubs, determining the continental champion, while the Club World Cup is the ultimate prize that designates the world champions.
Brazilian teams have a distinguished history in the Club World Cup, having won the first three tournaments and claiming another title six years later on Brazilian soil. They remain determined to bring the trophy back to Brazil, being the only non-European country to have produced champions since the tournament’s inception in 2000. The competition has defied critics, showcasing Brazilian teams that have dominated their groups with the help of exciting coaches.
For instance, Filipe Luís has an equal number of defeats this season as the trophies won with Flamengo. Additionally, Igor Jesus has been a constant threat, scoring two goals in three matches, although his performance could have been even better had he not been sidelined by an injury. Given the prestige the competition holds for South American giants, it is understandable why Brazilian teams are performing well.
They are challenging the narrative that European football is far superior, as demonstrated by the early exits of teams like Atlético Madrid, FC Porto, and potentially RB Salzburg in the group stage. If any Brazilian team can manage to bring the trophy back home after so many years, it would be an incredible achievement.
It would also be poetic, considering that Corinthians won the first edition and São Paulo clinched the title after the tournament’s initial rebranding. Now, either Palmeiras, Fluminense FC, Flamengo, or Botafogo has the opportunity to continue this legacy. Only time will tell if Brazil will again become the home of the Club World Cup champions.
By: Sekwila Mumba / Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/s3kwila
Featured Image: @GabFoligno / Alexandre Schneider / Getty Images