There are many countries around the world that show some deep interest in soccer, but none of them come close to the passion of soccer in Brazil.
You don’t have to be a soccer fan to know about the huge contributions of Brazil to the soccer world.
In Brazil, soccer is more of a necessity than just a hobby, some go as far as calling it a religion in Brazil.
With that said, here are 5 interesting facts about soccer in Brazil for people that do not know a lot about soccer in general.
1- Brazil is known around the world as “The country of football”.
Just to clarify, “football” in this phrase refers to soccer. Most of the countries around the world use the term Football to refer to what Americans call soccer.
In other words, Brazil is known as the country of soccer. But how has it gained this name and how did its reputation spread across the globe?
Well, the term was used to praise the dedication of the Brazilians when it comes to soccer. You can’t not call Brazil the country of football when you learn about their deep interest in the game.
In Brazil, children are given soccer equipment on their birthdays. Soccer fields are everywhere in Brazil, some of them made of proper grass and official goal posts while others are made of mud and sticks.
As a Brazilian, your favorite soccer team will probably be decided when you are very young, and it is usually the team that your family members support.
This isn’t always the case of course, but soccer is deeply integrated into many Brazilian families to the point that the children in these families won’t be able to not learn about soccer and have a team to support.
You’ll see children and adults playing soccer all the time in Brazil, you’ll find people discussing previous and upcoming games, and you will usually find people sitting in cafes, at homes or on the streets watching the important soccer games together
So by now, I believe you already know why Brazil is known as the country of soccer (football). But if you would like to learn more about the reasons behind the popularity of soccer in Brazil, you can check this article.
2- Beach soccer was born in Brazil.
If you don’t already know, beach soccer is one of those variations of the soccer games that are played around the world.
All you need to know for now is that beach soccer is just soccer but on the beach. You can learn more about the differences between regular soccer and beach soccer here.
Now that you know what beach soccer is, you also know where it originated from.
In this FIFA article, it is stated that beach soccer has started on the shores of Brazil. The European sailors that used to land on the Brazilian shores are believed to be the ones who started the beach soccer game.
They used to play soccer on the beach for fun, and it turned out well for them and for the beach soccer fans in general.
On a side note, if you do not know what FIFA is, it is basically the governing body of soccer, beach soccer, and futsal around the world.
Another side note here. If you haven’t played soccer on the beach before, you should give it a try. In my case, beach soccer was one of the best sports experiences I have ever had in my life.
3- Brazil has the world record of world cup titles.
The world cup competition is the most prestigious competition in the soccer world. It takes place once every 4 years and many claim that it is the biggest sporting event in the world when it comes to viewership and attendance.
Brazil won 5 of these world cup competitions. They are currently the world record holders. No other country around the world has managed to lift the world cup trophy 5 times except Brazil.
Over the history of the game, Brazil have always been a feared competitor in the world cup. They had some of the best players in the history of the game.
Pele is a great example. Pele is a player that has managed to win 3 world cups in their soccer career. An insane number of world cup titles won by a single player. No other player has managed to win the world cup title 3 times in their career up until this date.
4- Brazil has never missed a world cup.
Brazil is the only country that has played in all of the FIFA world cup competitions.
They have participated in all of the 21 world cup competitions, and they have managed to win 5 of them as mentioned before. They have also managed to finish second 2 times, and they finished third 2 times.
In other words, Brazil has managed to reach the final four for 9 times out of the 21 world cup competitions that they have participated in.
These numbers, and other metrics easily indicate that Brazil has been the most successful country in one of the biggest sporting events on earth.
5- Brazil has permanently won the Jules Rimet trophy
The Jules Rimet trophy was the trophy that was given to the world cup winner until 1970. You might be familiar with the current world cup trophy, but the current version of the trophy wasn’t the one always used.
The reason that the old trophy was not used anymore was because Brazil won it permanently in the year 1970.
Here is an interesting fact for you. The original world cup trophy is not permanently given to the country that wins it. Instead, the country returns the original copy of the trophy for the upcoming world cup competition.
However, when the world cup competitions first started, the plan was to permanently award the trophy to the country that wins it for 3 times, and Brazil was the first country to achieve that in the year 1970.
In other words, Brazil got to permanently keep the old world cup trophy (Jules Rimet trophy), and a completely new world cup trophy was born after that.
Before I end this article, I want to state one last interesting fact about the Jules Rimet trophy. The trophy was stolen from Brazil and nobody knows where it is up until this day.
If you liked this article, then you can check this similar article that states 6 facts about soccer in Spain.