Brazil faces yet another European hurdle in the World Cup, taking on Norway for a spot in the quarterfinals and, beyond securing a spot in the quarterfinals, it also wants to break a… curse!
Since winning the 2002 World Cup, Brazil has been eliminated in every knockout match it has played against a European team. In total, they’ve suffered six consecutive eliminations, without ever celebrating a single advancement against a UEFA opponent.
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It all began in 2006, when they were defeated by France in the quarterfinals. Four years later, they were eliminated by the Netherlands, while in 2014, they suffered a historic rout at the hands of Germany in the semifinals and then lost the third-place match to the Netherlands. In 2018, the obstacle was Belgium, and in 2022, Croatia, resulting in a 0-6 losing streak against European teams in the knockout stages since 2002.
What’s striking is that the picture changes completely when they face teams from other confederations!
During the same period, Brazil has been flawless against non-European national teams, advancing seven times in seven matches. It has eliminated, in succession, Ghana (2006), Chile (2010 and 2014), Colombia (2014), Mexico (2018), South Korea (2022), and Japan in this year’s tournament, maintaining a perfect record against non-European opponents!
*photo source: AP
