The Brazilians score a goal in Haiti

Football is the most prominent sport in Brazil. The National Team has won the FIFA World Cup tournament a record five times, in 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994 and 2002 ^[1] and is the only team to have never missed a World Cup participation, and to be among the favorites to win the trophy every time the competition is scheduled. Pelé, one of the most recognized footballers in history, led Brazil to three of those championships and is the top scorer of all time in the sport. After the third win, Brazil kept the World Cup trophy permanently. Some of the contemporary talents in the national team prominent in the football world include Romário, Rivaldo, Ronaldo and Ronaldinho. Some of these players can be considered super-stars, achieving celebrity status internationally and signing sports contracts, as well as advertisement and endorsement contracts, in the value of millions of dollars. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2050x1311, 402 KB) Porto Príncipe (Haiti) - O jogador Ronaldinho Gaúcho no momento do segundo gol brasileiro. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2050x1311, 402 KB) Porto Príncipe (Haiti) - O jogador Ronaldinho Gaúcho no momento do segundo gol brasileiro. ... A player (wearing the red kit) has penetrated the defence (in the white kit) and is taking a shot at goal. ... First International Argentina 3 - 0 Brazil (Buenos Aires, Argentina; August 20, 1914) Largest win Brazil 9 - 0 Colombia (Lima, Peru; 23 March 1957) Worst defeat Argentina 6 - 1 Brazil (Buenos Aires, Argentina; 5 March 1940) World Cup Appearances 17 (First in 1930) Best result Winners, 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002... The FIFA World Cup, sometimes called the Football World Cup or the Soccer World Cup, but usually referred to simply as the World Cup, is an international football competition contested by the mens national football teams of the member nations of Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA... Year 1958 (MCMLVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... Year 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar). ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... Edson Arantes do Nascimento, KBE (born October 23rd 1940 in Três Corações, Brazil), best known by his nickname Pelé, is a former Brazilian football player and widely considered as the greatest in history. ... The World Cup is a small gold trophy representing the hopes and ambitions of every footballing nation on earth. ... Romário de Souza Faria (born January 29, 1966), better known simply as Romário, is a Brazilian legendary football center forward who helped the Brazil national team win the 1994 FIFA World Cup and has been one of the most prolific strikers in the world since the 1990s, having... Rivaldo Vítor Borba Ferreira (born April 19, 1972 in Paulista, Pernambuco), commonly known as Rivaldo, is a Brazilian professional football (soccer) player, currently playing for AEK Athens in the Super League Greece. ... Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima (b. ... For other persons named Ronaldinho, see Ronaldinho (disambiguation). ... Alternate uses: Dollar (disambiguation) The dollar is the name of the official currency in several countries, dependencies and other regions (see list below). ...

The governing body of football in Brazil is the Brazilian Football Confederation. The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) or Confederação Brasileira de Futebol in Portuguese is the governing body of football in Brazil, and was founded on August 20, 1914 as Confederação Brasileira de Desportos (CBD), meaning Brazilian Sports Confederation. ...

History

In the 1870s an expatriate named John Miller worked on the railway construction project in Sao Paulo together with some 3000 other immigrant families from the British Isles in the last decades of the 19th century. in 1884 Miller sent his ten year old son Charles William Miller to Bannisters school in Southampton, England to be educated. Charles was a skilled athlete who quickly picked up the game of football at the time when the Football Association was still being formed, and as an accomplished winger and striker Charles held school honours that gained him entry into the Southampton Club team and later into the County team of Hampshire. // The invention of the telephone (1876) by Alexander Graham Bell. ... Miller in the St Marys side of 1893-94 Charles William Miller (sometimes incorrectly referred to as Muller), born on the November 24, 1874 in São Paulo to a Scottish father John and a Brazilian mother of English descent Carlota Fox, is considered to be the father of... The Football Association (The FA) is the governing body of football in England and the Crown dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. ...

In 1888, the first sports club was founded in the city, São Paulo Athletic Club. São Paulo Athletic Club, also known as SPAC, was a historic Brazilian football club founded on May 15, 1898 by Charles William Miller and several English immigrants, being one of the first football clubs in the country. ...

In 1892 while still in England, Charles was invited to play a game for Corinthians, a team formed of players invited from public schools and universities. Corinthians Football Club were a football team based in London playing at various venues including Crystal Palace and Queens Club. ...

On his return to Brazil Charles brought some football equipment and a rules book with him. He then develop the new rules of the game amongst the community in São Paulo. São Paulo Athletic Club won the first three years championships. Miller's skills were far above his colleagues at this stage. He was given the honour of contributing his name to a move involving a deft flick of the ball with the heel "Chaleiro".

Charles Miller kept a strong bond with English football throughout his life. Teams from Southampton and Corinthians Club traveled to Brazil to played against São Paulo Athletic Club and other teams in São Paulo. After a tour of Corinthians to Brazil in 1910 a new team in Brazil took on the name of Corinthians after a suggestion from Charles

The Brazilian Football Confederation was founded in 1914, and the current format for the Campeonato Brasileiro was established in 1971. The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) or Confederação Brasileira de Futebol in Portuguese is the governing body of football in Brazil, and was founded on August 20, 1914 as Confederação Brasileira de Desportos (CBD), meaning Brazilian Sports Confederation. ... Year 1914 (MCMXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... The Série A is the main division of Brazilian football. ... Year 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1971 Gregorian calendar. ...

In 1988 São Paulo Athletic Club celebrated its centenary playing the English side Corinthians at Morumbi Stadium. English Corinthian finish its tour by going against the local professional Corinthians Paulista team, who counted the likes of Sócrates and Rivelino amongst its roster, at Paecambu Stadium in São Paulo and true to Corinthian principles of good clean football the score was 1 to 0 in favour of the locals when as agreed Socrates changed shirts to play alongside the English amateurs. This did not affect the score unfortunately although a largely packed stadium was cheering on for a drawn result. Sócrates. ... Roberto Rivellino (b. ...

Football culture

Football quickly became a passion for Brazilians, who often refer to Brazil as "o país do futebol" ("the football country"). Over 10,000 Brazilians play professionally at home and all over the world.

Football has a major effect on Brazilian culture. It is often the favorite pastime of youngsters that can be found playing football on the streets. World Cup tournaments are a social phenomenon, and it is not unusual for people to skip work to watch the national team play, and in some cases the very workplace will set up apparatus for its employees to watch the event together. It should be noted that the General Elections are usually held in the same year as the World Cup, and this is often criticized for taking advantage of the nationalistic surge created by football and bringing it into politics. Also, former football players are often elected to legislative positions. Brazilian culture is a Latin American culture of a very diverse nature. ... Brazil elects on the national level a head of state – the president – and a legislature. ...

One unique aspect of football in Brazil is the existence and importance of the Brazilian state championships. For much of the early development of the game in Brazil the nation's size and the lack of rapid transport made national competitions infeasible, so the competition centred on state tournaments and such inter-state competitions as the Torneio Rio-São Paulo. Even today, despite the existence of a national tournament, the state tournaments continue to be hotly contested and the intra-state rivalries remain intense. The Brazilian Football State Championships are competitions carried out in every state of Brazil. ... Torneio Rio-São Paulo (or Rio-São Paulo Tournament) was a traditional Brazilian football competition contested between São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro teams. ...

The development of a single state championship did not have the effect intended: instead of allowing all of the best teams in Brazil to compete with each other, it led to a lot of new clubs forming in order to share some of the success, this increased amount of clubs led to a wider spread of the talent, and an actual fall in the quality of football. Some of the more successful teams did not like the change, including Fluminense who complained that they were forced to travel across the country to play teams they had not heard of. Fluminense Football Club is a football (soccer) club in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. ...

Brazil has a reputation for playing particularly beautiful football, yet having particularly terribly organised football, this was reflected on the multiple teething problems of the national league, including several teams claiming to have won it, and another example of it is the military dictatorship disgracing a manager because they disagreed with his squad selection.

Football style

Brazilian football is a reflection of the country's multiracial society. Brazil's unique style is characterised by much creativity and swing and is infused with various rhythyms and choreographies. It is believed that this unique style was developed in the low income areas largely populated by people of African descent. The great "foot ability" that the players had could be traced to the physical coordination and rhythm associated with the capoeira, Brazilian martial arts, and samba which are characterized by footsteps to dance or to play under the rhythm of African drums. ^[2]

League System

Main article: Brazilian football league system

There is a three tier league system. The Brazilian football league system is a series of interconnected leagues for football clubs in Brazil. ...

• Campeonato Brasileiro Série A
• Campeonato Brasileiro Série B
• Campeonato Brasileiro Série C

There are also State Championships which are not hierarchically below the national league, however, they are used for the purposes of promoting clubs to the national leagues. The Série A is the main division of Brazilian football. ... The Série B is the intermediate division of Brazilian football. ... The Série C of the Campeonato Brasileiro is the third and lowest division of Brazilian football. ... The Brazilian Football State Championships are competitions carried out in every state of Brazil. ...

See also

• List of football clubs in Brazil
• Pelé
• Sambafoot - All about Brazilian Football - http://www.sambafoot.co.uk

v • d • e Football in Brazil
Brazilian Football Confederation | State federations | Men's national team | Women's National team | Football competitions | League system | Clubs | Footballers (list)| Managers | Stadiums | Derbies (list) | Awards

The Brazilian Football League is highly regionalised because of the vast size of the country. ... Edson Arantes do Nascimento, KBE (born October 23rd 1940 in Três Corações, Brazil), best known by his nickname Pelé, is a former Brazilian football player and widely considered as the greatest in history. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Brazil. ... The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) or Confederação Brasileira de Futebol in Portuguese is the governing body of football in Brazil, and was founded on August 20, 1914 as Confederação Brasileira de Desportos (CBD), meaning Brazilian Sports Confederation. ... First international  Argentina 3 - 0 Brazil  (Buenos Aires, Argentina; September 20, 1914) Biggest win  Brazil 14 - 0 Nicaragua  (Mexico; October 17, 1975) Biggest defeat  Uruguay 6 - 0 Brazil  (Viña del Mar, Chile; 18 September 1920) World Cup Appearances 18 (First in 1930) Best result Winners, 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994... First International Brazil 1–2 USA (Jesolo, Italy; 22 July 1986) Largest win Brazil 16–0 Rutgers University (Teresópolis, Brazil; 18 July 2001) Worst defeat Brazil 0–6 USA (Denver, United; 26 September 1999) World Cup Appearances 4 (First in 1991) Best result Third, 1999 Olympic Games Appearances 3... The Brazilian football league system is a series of interconnected leagues for football clubs in Brazil. ... The Brazilian Football League is highly regionalised because of the vast size of the country. ... . ... In many countries the term local derby, or simply just derby (pronounced dar-bee after the English city) means a sporting fixture between two (generally local) rivals, particularly in Association Football. ... The Bola de Ouro (Golden Ball) is an award given each year, since 1973, by the authoritative Brazilian magazine «Placar» to the best player in the Brazilian National Championship. ...