The Odds of Brazil Winning the Women’s World Cup
Joga Bonito is Portuguese for “The Beautiful Game.” The Brazilians give the phrase a whole new meaning when they play football. This iconic ad campaign from 2006 was a perfect introduction for new fans learning about Brazil’s style of play while incorporating the game’s biggest stars. Nike needs to bring this back for the women, too. Marta, Debinha, and other stars would be perfect for it.
The Brazilians flew under the radar coming into this World Cup after failing to get out of the Round of 16 at the last two competitions. It’s a team that is used to going deeper in the knockout rounds, and with a new generation of players and familiar leadership, this team has a chance to win it all. Here we’ll look at Brazil’s team in this tournament and their chances to take home the trophy.
Marta’s Role
Marta has been getting a lot of attention coming into this World Cup, and rightfully so. She is the GOAT. However, as we’ve seen in both the NWSL and international level, playing a full 90 minutes every single game isn’t possible anymore. Father time is undefeated and catches up to everyone at some point.
Don’t get me wrong, Marta can still run circles around people, but injuries and the mileage of playing international soccer, since she was 16 are starting to add up. Watching Marta enter the game in the 75th minute of the Panama match and their last warm-up match against Chile are the best indicators of that.
Other Players Stepping Up
With Marta’s new role as a super sub, other players have had to step up, and they all have in a big way. Debinha is still part of the old guard but as rock solid as ever in the midfield. Kerolin (NC Courage, 25), Geyse (Barcelona, 25), Adriana (Orlando Pride, 26), and of course, Ary Borges (Racing Louisville, 23) represent the next generation of phenomenal Brazilian footballers. Ary Borges is proving she might be the best player in this group, with involvement in all four of Brazil’s goals against Panama. A hat trick, plus this delicious backheel assist and the overall build-up play, give a glimpse of what Joga Bonito is.
Most Brazil goal that ever Brazilled at WWC? 🇧🇷 🙌pic.twitter.com/LKBqU1Yueh
— Men in Blazers (@MenInBlazers) July 24, 2023
New Coaching
The star power is back in a big way for Brazil, but it still takes a great coach to bring the best out of those players. Should we even be surprised that former USWNT and Sweden head coach Pia Sundhage has helped lead this resurrection for Brazil? Before Sundhage came in, Vadao was in his second stint as Brazil’s manager.
While his teams were dominant from 2014 to 2016 with a 30-12-11 record, his second stint was a failure. 14-1-12 from 2017 to 2019 had left Brazil in a bad place. It’s one of the more unlikely pairings, but Pia Sundhage has a track record of getting results. She’s a master at understanding the pulse of her team, what their strengths and weaknesses are, and how to create the best possible game plan to set her team up for success. Her record right now between the USWNT, Sweden, and Brazil is 123-23-19, which puts her in elite status as one of the best managers in the world.
If not for Homare Sawa and Japan, she’d have a World Cup title under her belt to go with the Olympic Gold medals she’s won with the USWNT. The combination of young talent and an experienced manager makes them a scary proposition for any team in the knockout rounds.
World Cup Journey
France will be a tough test in their next match. Based on how Brazil played in the opener versus how France played in their opener, Brazil could make history and beat France for the first time (0-5-6 all-time). Should they defeat France, it would set them up to be group winners and have a much easier matchup against either Colombia or South Korea.
If they don’t and end up second in the group, they’d have to face Germany, one of the favorites, to win the whole competition. Brazil defeated Germany 2-1 back in April, giving them all the confidence they need to do it again.
If Brazil can beat Germany, then their quarterfinal matchup won’t be as tricky between the winner of Group B and the runner-up in Group D. Both of those spots are still up for grabs. It’s tough to say who would be their opponent at that point. All in all, Brazil has an opportunity to get to at least the semifinal with their form coming into the World Cup to go with a dominating performance over Panama. A few upsets would be necessary for Brazil to win it all, but the beauty of the World Cup is at least one team goes on a Cinderella run, and Brazil could be that team.
Featured image via Getty Images
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