Brazil national under-23 football team explained

Brazil Olympic
Badge:Brasil Olympic Comittee crest.svg
Badge Size:135px
Fifa Trigramme:BRA
Nickname:Portuguese: Seleção (The Selection)
Portuguese: Canarinha (Little Canary)
Portuguese: Amarelinha (Little Yellow)
Portuguese: Verde-Amarela (Green-Yellow)
Association:Confederação Brasileira de Futebol
(Brazilian Football Confederation)
Confederation:CONMEBOL (South America)
Coach:Ramon Menezes
Most Caps:Ronaldinho (27)
Top Scorer:Matheus Cunha (21)
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First Game: 5–1
(Turku, Finland; 16 July 1952)
Largest Win: 14–0
(Mexico City, Mexico; 17 October 1975)
Largest Loss: 5–1
(Cali, Colombia; 10 February 1980)
Regional Name:Olympic Games
Regional Cup Apps:14
Regional Cup First:1952
Regional Cup Best: Gold medalist (2016, 2020)
2Ndregional Name:Pan American Games
2Ndregional Cup Apps:11
2Ndregional Cup First:1959
2Ndregional Cup Best: Gold medalist (1963, 1975, 1979, 1987, 2023)

The Brazil national under-23 football team represents Brazil in international football competitions during Olympic Games and Pan American Games. The selection is limited to players under the age of 23, except three overage players. The team is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF). Brazil U23 is one of the most successful teams in the Olympic football tournament, having won it twice (2016 and 2020) and securing a record total of seven medals, including two golds, three silvers, and two bronzes.

The Olympic football tournament was the last international competition in football organized by FIFA which Brazil had never won until they won at home in 2016. They had previously won three silver medals (1984, 1988, 2012) and two bronze medals (1996, 2008).[1] The team was often coached by the in-charge senior team coach in the past, such as Mário Zagallo in 1996, Vanderlei Luxemburgo in 2000, Dunga in 2008 and Mano Menezes in 2012.

History

1952–1976 Summer Olympics

Brazil's first participation in the Olympics was in Helsinki, Finland, in 1952. In that year, Brazil reached the quarter-finals, when they were eliminated by West Germany 4–2.[2] In 1960, in Rome, Italy,[3] in 1964 in Tokyo, Japan,[4] in 1968 in Mexico City, Mexico,[5] and in 1972 in Berlin, West Germany,[6] Brazil was eliminated in the first stage. In Montreal, 1976, Brazil was defeated by Poland 2–0 in the semi-finals, then Brazil was defeated by the Soviet Union 2–0 in the bronze medal match, finishing in the fourth place.[7] In these six participations, Brazil was represented by a team of junior or non-professional players as the Olympics did not allow professional players to participate during this period, all while state-sponsored communist players were allowed to compete.

1984 Summer Olympics – Los Angeles

Starting in 1984, professional players were allowed to participate. However, European and South American teams, as traditional football powerhouses that won every single FIFA World Cup, were restricted to players with no more than five "A" caps at the start of the tournament. Brazil won its first medal in 1984, in Los Angeles, United States. In the group stage, Brazil beat Saudi Arabia 3–1, West Germany 1–0 and Morocco 2–0. In the quarter-finals Brazil defeated Canada in the penalty shootout, then they beat Italy 2–1 after extra-time in the semi-finals, but was beaten by France 2–0 in the gold medal Match, thus winning the silver medal.[8]

1988 Summer Olympics – Seoul

The second Brazilian silver medal was won in Seoul, South Korea, in 1988. Brazil won the medal after defeating in the group stage Nigeria 4–0, Australia 3–0 and Yugoslavia 2–1. In the quarter-finals Brazil beat their South American rivals Argentina 1–0, then defeated West Germany in the penalty shootout, but was defeated by the Soviet Union 2–1 after extra time in the gold medal match.[9] Romário was the competition's top goal scorer with seven goals.[10]

1996 Summer Olympics – Atlanta

Starting in 1992, only players under the age of 23 were allowed to participate, with an exception of three overage players in the team. Brazil, managed by senior team coach, Mário Zagallo, won the bronze medal for the first time in 1996, in Atlanta, United States. In the group stage, Brazil was beaten by Japan 1–0 in the first match, then they beat Hungary 3–1 and Nigeria 1–0, finishing in the group's first position. After beating Ghana 4–2 in the quarter-finals, Brazil was defeated by Nigeria 4–3 after extra time. In the bronze medal match, Brazil beat Portugal 5–0.[11]

2000 Summer Olympics – Sydney

Brazil, managed by senior team coach, Vanderlei Luxemburgo, was eliminated in the quarter-finals. In the group stage, Brazil beat by Slovakia 3–1 in the first match, then they were beaten by South Africa 3–1. In the last group match, Brazil beat Japan 1–0 to secure the first position in the group stage. In the quarter-finals, Brazil was beaten by Cameroon 1–2, who later won the gold medal.[12]

2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup

In December 2002, CBF appointed Ricardo Gomes as the coach for the Brazil Olympic team who were preparing for the 2004 Olympics. Prior to Olympic qualifying, the Brazil Olympic team or Brazil U23 was sent to compete at the 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup. Brazil was invited to the tournament and decided to send their Under-23 team, due to their senior team competing a month earlier at the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup. Although Brazil competed with an U23 team, all the appearances and goals in this tournament were recognized by FIFA as full international caps.[13] The Brazil U23 team advanced all the way to the final, but were defeated by Mexico 0–1 after extra time, denying Brazil the chance to be the first guest team to win the tournament. The following year Brazil failed to qualify for the 2004 Olympic Games after losing out to Paraguay and Argentina in the qualifying tournament.[14]

2008 Summer Olympics – Beijing

Brazil, managed by senior team coach, Dunga, finished in the first position in the group stage, ahead of Belgium, New Zealand and China, which they beat 1–0, 5–0 and 3–0 respectively.[15] In the second round, Brazil beat Cameroon 2–0 after extra time.[16] Brazil and Argentina met on August 19 in the semi-final game of the competition. The game was marred by numerous fouls and two ejections for Brazil. Argentina won 3–0.[17] In the bronze medal match, Brazil beat Belgium 3–0.[18]

2012 Summer Olympics – London

Brazil, under coach Mano Menezes, was defeated by Mexico 2–1 in the gold medal match, played on 11 August,[19] after beating Egypt, Belarus and New Zealand in the preliminary round, Honduras in the quarter-finals and South Korea in the semi-finals. Before the Games, they beat Great Britain 2–0 in a friendly game.

2016 Summer Olympics – Rio de Janeiro

Brazil finished in the first position in the group stage, ahead of Denmark (won 4–0), Iraq (tied 0–0) and South Africa (tied 0–0), with the two latter games were a slumpy start for Brazil. In the second round, Brazil beat Colombia 2–0 and in the semi-final match, Brazil played a one-sided game against Honduras and won 6–0. In the final against Germany, on 20 August 2016 – the first match between the two teams in any FIFA-sanctioned tournament since the historic 2014 FIFA World Cup semi-final – Brazil edged a 5–4 victory on penalties after a 1–1 draw. Neymar, captaining the side, scored the decisive penalty to win the tournament for the first time ever.[20]

2020 Summer Olympics – Tokyo

Brazil qualified for the 2020 Summer Olympics as the runners-up, of the 2020 CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament in a rather difficult campaign. The team finished at the top of their group with 7 points, following a 4–2 win over Germany, a 0–0 draw to Ivory Coast and a 3–1 win over Saudi Arabia. They beat Egypt 1–0 in the quarter-finals, and Mexico in the semi-finals with a 4–1 victory in the penalty shootouts following a 0–0 draw in extra time. In the final against Spain, Matheus Cunha opened the score for Brazil in the first half and a Mikel Oyarzabal goal in the second half forced the match into extra time; Malcom scored the winning goal in the 108th minute, which lead Brazil to their second Olympic gold medal, consecutively after their first win in Rio five years prior.[21] [22]

Results and fixtures

See main article: Brazil Olympic football team results (1952–1988) and Brazil Olympic football team results (1991–present).

2024

Players

Current squad

The following 18 players were called up for the 2023 Pan American Games.[23]

Overage Players are marked with asterisk (*).

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up to a Brazil under-23 squad in the last 12 months.

Overage players in Olympic Games

TournamentPlayer 1Player 2Player 3
Aldair (DF)Rivaldo (MF)Bebeto (FW)
Did not select
Thiago Silva (DF)Ronaldinho (MF)Did not select
Thiago Silva (DF)Marcelo (DF)Hulk (FW)
Weverton (GK)Renato Augusto (MF)Neymar (FW)
Aderbar Santos (GK)Diego Carlos (DF)Dani Alves (DF)

Manager history

Professionalism restriction era (1952–1988)

U-23 era

Competitive record

See main article: Brazil national football team records and statistics.

Most goals scored
Most goals scored in a single match
First goal scored
Biggest victories

14–0 vs., 17 October 1975

10–0 vs., 28 April 1963

9–0 vs., 30 January 2000

9–1 vs., 2 September 1959

7–0 vs., 23 October 1975

7–0 vs., 7 April 1999

7–0 vs., 12 January 2000

7–1 vs., 27 December 1959

Olympic Games

Football at the Summer Olympics has been an under-23 tournament since 1992.

Olympic Games record
Host and YearRoundPositionSquad
Paris 1900Only club teams participated
St. Louis 1904
London 1908No national representative
Stockholm 1912
Antwerp 1920Did not participate
Paris 1924
Amsterdam 1928
Berlin 1936
London 1948
Quarter-finals 5th 3 2 0 1 9 6 Squad
Melbourne 1956Did not participate
Group stage 6th 3 2 0 1 10 6 Squad
Group stage 9th 3 1 1 1 5 2 Squad
Group stage 13th 3 0 2 1 4 5 Squad
Group stage 13th 3 0 1 2 4 6 Squad
Fourth place 4th 5 2 1 2 6 6 Squad
Moscow 1980Did not qualify
Silver medal 2nd 6 4 1 1 9 5 Squad
Silver medal 2nd 6 4 1 1 12 4 Squad
Barcelona 1992Did not qualify
Bronze medal 3rd 6 4 0 2 16 8 Squad
Quarter-finals 7th 4 2 0 2 6 6 Squad
Athens 2004Did not qualify
Bronze medal 3rd 6 5 0 1 14 3 Squad
Silver medal 2nd 6 5 0 1 16 7 Squad
Rio de Janeiro 2016Gold medal1st6330131Squad
Tokyo 2020Gold medal1st6420104Squad
Paris 2024Did not qualify
Total 2 Gold medals 14/24 66 38 12 16 134 69
  1. Since 1992, squads for Football at the Summer Olympics have been restricted to three players over the age of 23. The achievements of such teams are not usually included in the statistics of the international team.
  2. Web site: Games of the XV. Olympiad . September 5, 2008 . . October 25, 1999 .
  3. Web site: Games of the XVII. Olympiad . September 5, 2008 . . October 26, 1999 .
  4. Web site: Games of the XVIII. Olympiad . September 5, 2008 . . November 3, 1999 .
  5. Web site: Games of the XIX. Olympiad . September 5, 2008 . . November 3, 1999 .
  6. Web site: XX. Olympiad Munich 1972 Football Tournament . September 5, 2008 . . November 13, 1999 .
  7. Web site: Montreal 1976 – Fixtures and Results . September 5, 2008 . FIFA.com . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120817023529/http://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/tournament%3D512/edition%3D197121/results/index.html . August 17, 2012 . mdy-all .
  8. Web site: Los Angeles 1984 – Fixtures and Results . September 5, 2008 . FIFA.com . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20080914040453/http://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/tournament%3D512/edition%3D3330/results/index.html . September 14, 2008 . mdy .
  9. Web site: Seoul 1988 – Fixtures and Results . September 5, 2008 . FIFA.com . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20080917123534/http://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/tournament%3D512/edition%3D3351/results/index.html . September 17, 2008 . mdy-all .
  10. Web site: XXIV. Olympiad Seoul 1988 Football Tournament . September 5, 2008 . . November 15, 1999 .
  11. Web site: XXV. Olympiad Atlanta 1996 Mens Football Tournament . September 5, 2008 . . November 21, 1999 .
  12. Web site: XXVII. Olympiad Sydney 2000 Mens Football Tournament . May 22, 2009 . . August 22, 2008 .
  13. Web site: Seleção Brasileira (Brazilian National Team) 2002–2003 . May 22, 2009 . October 11, 2008 . RSSSF .
  14. Web site: Seleção Brasileira Restritiva (Brazilian National Restrictive Team) 2000–2003 . May 22, 2009 . September 16, 2008 . RSSSF .
  15. Web site: Resultados . September 5, 2008 . Terra . pt .
  16. Web site: Brazil – Cameroon Score . https://web.archive.org/web/20080821051609/http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/football/beijing-2008/2008/brazil-cameroon-241448.html . dead . August 21, 2008 . September 5, 2008 . Yahoo Eurosport . mdy-all .
  17. Web site: Argentina goleia Brasil e defronta Nigéria na final . September 5, 2008 . August 19, 2008 . TSF . pt . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090723015649/http://tsf.sapo.pt/PaginaInicial/Desporto/Interior.aspx?content_id=981711 . July 23, 2009 . mdy-all .
  18. News: Brazil downs Belgium for men's soccer bronze . September 5, 2008 . August 22, 2008 . CBC . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090723140914/http://www.cbc.ca/olympics/soccer/story/2008/08/22/olympics-msoccer-bronze.html?ref=rss . July 23, 2009 .
  19. News: Irvin. Duncan. Mexico Wins Soccer Gold Medal, 2–1. August 11, 2012. New York Times. August 11, 2012.
  20. Web site: Brazil find redemption, make history at the Maracana. https://web.archive.org/web/20201031154612/https://www.fifa.com/mensolympic/news/brazil-find-redemption-make-history-at-the-maracana-2823179. dead. 31 October 2020. 21 August 2016.
  21. Web site: Brazil 2 Spain 1 . 7 August 2021. BBC Sport. 9 August 2021.
  22. Web site: Brazil edge Spain in men’s Olympic football final thanks to Malcom’s magic. 7 August 2021. Guardian. 9 August 2021.
  23. Web site: Convocados da seleção brasileira para o Pan: veja a lista de Ramon Menezes . GloboEsporte . 22 September 2023 . pt.

CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament

For the 2008, 2012 and 2016 Olympics, the qualification tournament was the South American Youth Football Championship.

CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament record
width=70Yearwidth=110Roundwidth=40width=40width=40width=40width=40width=40
1960Third place63031410
1964Runners-up4310102
1968Champions632192
1971Champions743073
1976Champions5410122
1980Fifth place6213812
1984Champions541093
1987Champions732299
1992Group stage421144
1996Champions7520216
2000Champions7520246
2004Third place8422155
2020Runners-up7520167
2024Third place740387
Total 7 Titles 85 51 19 15 166 78

Pan American Games

Pan American Games record
Host and YearRoundPositionSquad
Did not enter
Mexico City 1955
Silver medal 2nd 6 4 1 1 27 11 Squad
Gold medal 1st 4 3 1 0 18 3 Squad
Did not enter
Cali 1971
Gold medal 1st 7 5 2 0 33 2 Squad
Gold medal 1st 5 5 0 0 14 1 Squad
Silver medal 2nd 3 2 0 1 3 1 Squad
Gold medal 1st 5 4 1 0 10 2 Squad
Did not enter
Quarter-finals 5th 4 2 2 0 5 2 Squad
Did not enter
Silver medal 2nd 5 4 0 1 12 2 Squad
Group stage 5th 3 2 0 1 7 4 Squad
Group stage 6th 3 0 2 1 2 4 Squad
Bronze medal 3rd 5 3 1 1 15 7 Squad
Did not qualify[24]
Gold medal 1st 5 4 1 0 8 1 Squad
Total 5 Gold medals 12/19 55 38 11 6 154 40

Honours

Friendlies

See also