From Pelé to Zico and Ronaldo, Brazil's iconic stars and swaggering "Joga Bonito" style of play are intrinsically interwoven into World Cup lore. This latest incarnation of the team wearing the distinctive yellow jersey, however, has much to prove heading into this summer's tournament. 

The Seleção stands as the most successful nation in soccer history, having won the World Cup a record five times, and is the only country to have qualified for every single tournament since its inception in 1930. Living up to that lofty reputation has proven difficult in recent years, with a disappointing quarterfinal exit at Qatar 2022, and the team's current sixth-place standing is its lowest-ever ranking heading into a World Cup tournament.   

A side that boasts the big-name attacking talent of the likes of Raphinha, Vinícius Júnior and Neymar can't be discounted, and head coach Carlo Ancelotti remains confident his team can end their 24-year wait for a sixth World Cup title. 

How did Brazil qualify? 

Brazil's route to North America was far from convincing. It finished fifth in CONMEBOL (Confederación Sudamericana de Fútbol) qualification, a campaign that saw them suffer six defeats.

Who is Brazil's manager?  

Carlo Ancelotti is set to be the first non-Brazilian head coach to manage the Seleção at a World Cup. One of the most successful European club managers of the modern era, Ancelotti has overseen five UEFA Champions League titles and led several top-tier clubs, including Juventus, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. 

Whether Ancellotti can translate that managerial experience into a triumph on soccer's biggest stage remains to be seen, but the 66-year-old does have plenty of past World Cup experience, having represented Italy as a defender at the 1986 and 1990 tournaments. The former AC Milan player also served as Italy's assistant manager under Arrigo Sacchi at the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the US. 

Who is Brazil's key player?  

With Brazil set to adopt a counterattacking approach under Ancelotti, its success likely hinges on the form of Real Madrid forward Vinícius Júnior.

With just eight goals from his 47 appearances for his country, it's fair to say the 25-year-old hasn't replicated his sparkling club showings so far at the international level. With Neymar's involvement in the tournament likely to be restricted by a calf injury, the pressure is on Viní Jr. to live up to his billing as his country's main attacking threat. 

Who is Brazil's young player to watch? 

While much of the pre-tournament hype surrounds Real Madrid's Brazilian teenager Endrick, the smart money is on Rio-born Rayan to be the key youngster to emerge as a Seleção star during this World Cup. 

The 19-year-old arrived in the Premier League in January as Antoine Semenyo's replacement at Bournemouth and quickly settled in, scoring an impressive five English Premier League goals in 15 appearances. With his manager at Bournemouth having recently been announced as Liverpool's boss, a big-money move to Merseyside looks like a real possibility for the former Vasco da Gama youth player after this tournament. 

Brazil's full 2026 squad 

Goalkeepers

  • Alisson (Liverpool) 
  • Ederson (Fenerbahçe) 
  • Weverton (Grêmio) 

Defenders

  • Marquinhos (Paris Saint-Germain) 
  • Gabriel Magalhães (Arsenal) 
  • Éderson (Atalanta)  
  • Bremer (Juventus) 
  • Ibáñez (Al-Ahli) 
  • Léo Pereira (Flamengo) 
  • Danilo (Flamengo) 
  • Alex Sandro (Flamengo) 
  • Douglas Santos (Zenit Saint Petersburg) 

Midfielders

  • Casemiro (Manchester United) 
  • Bruno Guimarães (Newcastle United) 
  • Fabinho (Al Ittihad) 
  • Danilo Santos (Botafogo) 
  • Lucas Paquetá (Flamengo)
  • Raphinha (Barcelona)
  • Neymar (Santos)  

Forwards

  • Vinícius Júnior (Real Madrid) 
  • Raphinha (Barcelona) 
  • Matheus Cunha (Manchester United) 
  • Luiz Henrique (Zenit Saint Petersburg) 
  • Igor Thiago (Brentford) 
  • Endrick (Real Madrid) 
  • Gabriel Martinelli (Arsenal) 
  • Rayan (Bournemouth) 
  • Neymar Junior (Santos) 

Brazil's World Cup 2026 Group C fixture list and US TV schedule

Saturday, June 13
Brazil vs. Morocco
Kickoff: 6:00 p.m. ET/3:00 p.m. PT
Stadium: New York New Jersey Stadium (MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey)
US TV: FS1/Telemundo

Friday, June 19
Brazil vs. Haiti 
Kickoff: 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT
Stadium: Philadelphia Stadium (Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) 

Wednesday, June 24
Brazil vs. Scotland
Kickoff: 6:00 p.m. ET/3:00 p.m. PT
Stadium: Miami Stadium (Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida)
US TV: FOX/Telemundo

How to livestream Brazil's 2026 World Cup matches in the US

Exclusive English live broadcast rights for every World Cup 2026 match are with Fox, with games to be shown on Fox and FS1. If you don't have access to either channel in your cable lineup, there are several alternatives. A number of major live TV streaming services, such as YouTube TV and Hulu Plus Live TV, carry both channels, but the cheapest option for most cord-cutters is the Fox One streaming app.

Fox One: $20 per month

Watch every game of the 2026 World Cup on Fox

Fox's direct-to-consumer streaming service launched in August last year. Fox One costs $20 a month or $200 a year and gives you access to Fox's complete TV portfolio, including sports-related channels such as Fox Deportes, Fox Sports, B1G, FS1, FS2 and local Fox stations.

Fubo

Carries Fox and FS1

You can watch Fox and FS1 on Fubo via the service's $74-per-month Pro Plan. Click here to see which local channels you get in your region with Fubo. 

YouTube TV

Carries Fox and FS1

For $83 a month, YouTube TV's standard plan will get you Fox and FS1 along with a wide array of other channels. Plug in your ZIP code on YouTube TV's welcome page to see which local networks are available in your area.

DirecTV MySports

Carries Fox and FS1

DirecTV's MySports genre package includes access to both channels. If you're a new customer, you can get a discounted rate of $50 a month for your first two months, before the cost reverts to $70 a month. You can use its channel lookup tool to see which local channels are available where you live.

Livestream Brazil's 2026 World Cup matches in the US in Spanish 

Spanish-language broadcast rights in the US are with NBCUniversal, with Telemundo set to show 92 games, and the remaining 12 will be broadcast on Universo. All content will be available to stream on Peacock, with the service set to offer Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos sound. 

Peacock

Carries Spanish-language coverage of the World Cup

Peacock currently costs $11 per month for the ad-supported Peacock Premium plan and $17 per month for the ad-free Peacock Premium Plus plan.

Source: CNET