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With Brazil’s 1-0 loss to Argentina on Tuesday at the Maracana, one of the sport’s most impressive streaks came to an end.
The loss was Brazil’s first at home in World Cup qualifying and came amidst an injury crisis. Neymar, Richarlison, Vinicius Junior, Ederson, and Casemiro missed the game but the result magnifies the recent string of poor results that has plagued their campaign to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
Here’s a closer look at Brazil’s poor run of form that continued with the loss to their longtime rivals.
The Maracana may have a reputation as a fortress for Brazil, but that label is slowly fading after Argentina’s recent success at the stadium. The reigning world champions won the 2021 Copa America at the Rio de Janeiro grounds, beating Brazil 1-0 in the process courtesy of a goal from Angel Di Maria. They were able to repeat the feat on Tuesday, this time through a header from Nicolas Otamendi.
Six games into CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying, Brazil sit sixth in the ten-team table. They have won just twice during that stretch and have only seven points. First-place Argentina, by comparison, have 15 points after five wins in six games.
Brazil are not yet in danger of missing out on the 2026 World Cup since seven spots are open for South American teams for the expanded 48-team tournament, but it is a surprising place for the regional giants to occupy this deep into the competition.
The five-time World Cup winners are winless in four and have lost three games in a row for the first time since 2001 when they lost four in a row. That four-game losing streak is the longest in the team’s history and could be matched when they return to the pitch in March. They next face England at Wembley Stadium and follow that up with a game against Spain at the Santiago Bernabeu.
With just two wins in six games, Brazil’s win percentage so far during World Cup qualifying sits at a dismal 33%. The team has just two wins in six games, which came during the opening games of the campaign in September. The team has just seven points during that stretch, and last picked up a point a month ago when they tied 1-1 with Venezuela.
Brazil committed 26 fouls in a chippy game, while the match in total saw both sides commit 42. The players took time to settle down after the game was delayed by roughly a half hour because of violence in the stands, which led to a first half in which 22 fouls were registered — and just one shot on target was taken. Brazil had 16 fouls in the first half and slowed their roll slightly in the second 45.
The Selecao were unbeaten for 64 games at home during World Cup qualifying, an impressive feat that was finally snapped by an Argentina team that continue to ride a high after winning last year’s World Cup.
The 33% win percentage during qualifying so far pales in comparison to Brazil’s all-time win percentage at home World Cup qualifiers heading into this game, which stood at 79%. The number will take a little bit of a hit after Tuesday’s loss but also serves as a reminder of how their current run of form is a ways off from the team’s best.
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