Neymar. Photo: CBF
Good morning and welcome to the very first edition of the Brazil Sports newsletter! Every Monday, I’ll be bringing you up to date with the big sporting stories in Brazil, picking out a few topics each week to explore in more detail. This week, we’re looking forward to the kick-off of the Women’s World Cup, and the rape allegations against football star Neymar. Happy reading!
The 2019 Women’s World Cup kicks off in France this Friday, and Brazil’s women are going in with a point to prove. Since the Brazilian side played its first global tournament in 1991, it has yet to win a World Cup trophy or Olympic gold medal—coming from the “Land of Football,” this is a problem.
Brazil kick off their campaign on Sunday, facing outsiders Jamaica in Grenoble. Their opponents are the lowest-ranked team in the tournament, making their debut in the World Cup. Also in Brazil’s group are Italy and Australia—who knocked out the Seleção at the last World Cup.
Women’s football is enjoying a popularity boom in Europe. Attendance records were smashed in the Spanish, French, and Italian women’s leagues this year, while the standard of play has never been higher.
In Brazil, while this popularity boost is happening, it is going at a much slower pace. Club football reigns supreme in the country, and even the men’s national side struggles for recognition unless they are playing well and winning trophies. For Brazil’s women, it’s an even steeper climb.
However, the difference in preparation for this year’s tournament has been striking. In the 2015 World Cup, the team arrived in Canada five days before their opening match. This year, the Brazilian football confederation sent the squad on a 15-day training camp in Portugal, accompanied by a sizable press corps. A good showing in France could be a turning point for the sport in Brazil.
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