When you think of football/soccer, there is one country that stands out more than any other nation in the sport, in terms of the accomplishments of the national team, as well as the individual players.
That country is Brazil. The stars that have donned the gold jerseys and blue shorts, and have led the national team to some considerable success – often championship success at the highest levels – almost feel synonymous with the greatest legends that the sport has ever known. Pelé. Garrincha. Ronaldo. Zico. Sócrates. Romário. Neymar.
Quite a few of those names featured prominently in some of Brazil’s most impressive World Cup runs, which includes seven appearances in the final, and five world championships. Pelé himself was the biggest and most readily identifiable star during the greatest era of Brazilian football, when the national team won three World Cup titles out of the four that were played during a 12-year span.
Besides those glory years from 1958 through 1970, with the brilliance of their play, led by Pelé, Brazil has enjoyed top-level success at other points, as well. They were widely expected to win in 1950, the first time that Brazil hosted the World Cup tournament, although they were stunned by neighboring Uruguay in the final, a loss that still stings to this day. They made it to the semifinal round numerous other times as well, including the last time that they hosted, in 2014, when they were again embarrassed before their home crowd in a 7-1 drubbing by eventual champions Germany, and then lost the third place consolation game convincingly as well, 3-0 to Netherlands.
However, Brazil went to three straight World Cup finals, from 1994 to 2002. They won it all in 1994 in the United States, and won it all again in 2002, defeating Germany in the final.
In between those two, however, Brazil was soundly beaten by France in the final at the Stade de France in St. Denis, a suburb just outside of Paris, and within easy walking distance of the capital. Yes, Brazil made it to the final, and were generally considered the favorites to defeat France. But they lost convincingly, as France blanked Brazil and dominated them en route to a 3-0 win.
Nor was that the first time, nor the last time, that France knocked Brazil out of the biggest sports tournament. They had managed to hold Brazil off in a 1986 in the 1986 quarterfinal, handing Brazil a defeat by winning 4-3 on penalty kicks after the two teams fought to a 1-1 tie during play.
And in 2006, eight years after France had knocked Brazil out for their first ever World Cup title, thee French side again blanked Brazil in the quarterfinals, as France would go on to win, 1-0, en route to a second ever World Cup final appearance (although this time they fell just short against Italy).
So, France has a surprisingly rich history against Brazil, despite Brazil being the historically dominant national team in the sport.
Later today, France and Brazil meet again, although this time, it will be different. It will be the French women's side versus the Brazilian women. While the men's national teams of the two countries have been to a combined ten World Cup finals, and have won seven world titles between them, both of the women's sides for these two nations have yet to win it all. The Brazilians came the closest, making it to the final in 2007, but ultimately losing to Germany.
The French women, historically, enjoyed their best tournament in 2011, pacing fourth overall.
The French women, historically, enjoyed their best tournament in 2011, pacing fourth overall.
It should be another interesting meeting between these two nations in the most popular sport in the world. Yet, the women should add a very different dimension to what may be shaping up to be an interesting, and perhaps unpredictable, rivalry between the two nations in this biggest of all sports.
I will go ahead and make this prediction: the French side will find a way to defeat the Brazilians and advance as the hosts in this tournament.
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