Good Morning!
Welcome to the latest in a series of profiles of international women’s football teams The Final Third will be running in the run up to the 2023 Women’s World Cup. Today’s team - Brazil.
Brazil
World Ranking: 8th
Captain: Rafaelle Suza
Squad Nickname: Seleção Feminina
The Brazilian Women’s Football Team, also known as the Seleção Feminina, is one of the most successful and renowned women’s football teams in the world. The team is administered by the Brazilian Football Confederation and has a rich history of excellence in international competitions.
The team was founded in 1986, although women’s football has a long history in Brazil, dating back to the early 20th century. Still, much like many of the other countries The Final Third has written about previously, women’s football was banned by the Brazilian government in 1941 after the minister of education and health called for the “protection of womanly bodies”. The ban was not lifted until the late 1970s, with the Brazilian national women’s team playing their first official match in 1986.
2019 Women’s World Cup (France)
During the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, Brazil advanced to the Round of 16 (the knockout stage). In the group stage, they were placed in Group C, alongside Australia, Italy and Jamaica. Brazil progressed from the group with two wins and one loss. They won 3-0 against Jamaica, kicking off the tournament with a convincing victory.
They lost 3-2 to Australia’s Matildas, in a thrilling match. They faced Italy in their final group stage match, securing a crucial 1-0 victory. With one win and two losses, Brazil accumulated six points in the group stage and qualified for the Round of 16. However, their journey in the tournament came to an end when they faced France. Brazil suffered a 2-1 defeat against the host nation, ending their 2019 World Cup campaign.
2023 Women’s Finalissima (Wembley)
The Brazilian Women’s National Team took on England’s Lionesses in the Women’s Finalissima in April 2023. The Finalissima is an intercontinental women’s football match between the winners of the most recent European and South American championships. England took home the opening point of the game, with Manchester United’s Ella Toone scoring a fantastic goal (and the only one in the first half of play).
Brazil showed their nerve in the second half of play, equalising in the third minute of extra time. With neither team able to push another goal into the back of the net during extra time, the already tense match went to penalties. From the get-go, it looked as if it could have gone either way, with both goalies, Leticia Izidoro Lima da Silva for Brazil and Mary Earps for England, putting up a valiant fight. But for Brazil, it was not to be, as Chloe Kelly secured an incredible penalty bringing the score to 4-2 in the penalties to England. Who knows whether these two well-matched teams will face each other again in the 2023 Women’s World Cup?
Players to watch:
Marta Vieira da Silva: Widely regarded as one of the greatest female footballers of all time, Marta is an icon of women's football in Brazil. She has won multiple FIFA World Player of the Year awards and has been the driving force behind the team's success for many years.
Rafaelle Suza: The captain of the Brazilian Women’s Team, Rafaelle is also a defender for Arsenal WFC. She is known for her strong defensive skills, aerial prowess and leadership qualities which have made her an asset to the national team.
Thank you for reading this edition of The Final Third. If you liked reading, please do share this edition or send on to friends and family. You can find The Final Third on Instagram (& Threads!) @TheFinalThird3, so do follow us there.
We’ll be back each day before the World Cup kicks off on 20 July. And if there’s a women’s football team you’d particularly like to hear about, please do get in touch at editorfinalthird@gmail.com.
Have a great day!
Megan