Poor performance in Copa América casts doubt on Brazil’s future in the Qualifiers

In the penalty shootout, Brazil was eliminated from America Cup for Uruguay on Saturday and ended a campaign that leaves more doubts about the team’s future in South American Qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.

The team arrived in the United States in a low mood, assuming for the first time that it was not among the favorites for a title.

In the first phase, they did not perform well or achieve good results, finishing in second place in Group D, behind Colombia, which made the path even more difficult in the quarterfinals.

In Las Vegas, Brazil faced Marcelo Bielsa’s excellent Uruguayan team, which had won three convincing games in Group C. The mission was made even more complicated by the absence of striker Vinícius Júnior, who was out due to suspension.

In a tight game, full of interruptions (46 fouls) and with few chances to score, the National Team was unable to break the 0-0 draw even with the expulsion of Uruguayan full-back Nahitan Nández 20 minutes from the end.

In the penalty shootout, goalkeeper Sergio Rochet saved Éder Militão’s shot, which opened the series for Brazil, and Douglas Luiz’s shot hit the post.

“It’s very sad, very painful,” Militão acknowledged in the mixed zone of Allegiant Stadium.

“We were growing into the game, playing well, but unfortunately that’s football. Sometimes things don’t go as planned,” added the Real Madrid defender.

A Brazil without magic

For Brazil, in fact, the Copa América started to get complicated against Uruguay, but in the game a few months ago, on October 17th of last year.

On that day, Neymar left the field at the Centenario stadium in Montevideo on a stretcher after suffering a serious knee injury in the national team’s 2-0 defeat in the qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.

The Brazilian number 10 remains unfit to play and was unable to play in the Copa América.

In his absence, the responsibility of leading the team fell to Vinícius Júnior, a strong candidate for the Ballon d’Or, but the Real Madrid striker only stood out by scoring two goals in the 4-1 victory over Paraguay.

Without the same performance he has shown for the Merengue team, Vini was the target of criticism for having received two avoidable yellow cards, which resulted in his suspension for the quarter-final game.

Rodrygo, another standout player for Real Madrid, inherited the number 10 shirt from Neymar, but failed to win the tournament.

The last trump card that coach Dorival Júnior had up his sleeve was Endrick, who at just 17 years old became the second youngest Brazilian to play in a Copa América.

Real Madrid’s new jewel had to fight against Uruguay’s tough marking in his first game as a starter for the national team, but although he was the most involved player in attack, he did little in the match.

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Dorival ignored?

Brazil returns home undefeated in 90 minutes, but with a modest record of one win and three draws.

Always optimistic, Dorival insisted that his squad has the potential to wear the national team’s shirt and just needs time and patience to get going.

“The results weren’t what we would have liked, I have to admit, and I place the responsibility for the results on the coach. But we have everything we need to evolve, grow and improve much more than what was presented,” he said.

The 62-year-old coach had almost 40 days to prepare the team, but after the elimination, the images that circulated the most on social media were those of Dorival asking to speak outside the players’ circle before the penalty shootout against Uruguay.

On the other hand, the Uruguayans listened attentively to Marcelo Bielsa’s instructions.

“This young team has shown that they can do great things. I just hope they have patience. It’s fair, I know that Brazil hasn’t won anything for a long time, but have patience with these youngsters,” asked captain Danilo.