The Brazil national football team ( ), nicknamed A seleção,  represents Brazil in men's international football and is administered by the Brazilian Football Confederation, the governing body of football in Brazil. It has been a member of FIFA since 1923 and was a founding member of CONMEBOL in 1916. It was also a member of PFC, the unified confederation of the Americas, from 1946 to 1961.
Brazil is the most successful national team in the FIFA World Cup, winning the tournament five times: 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994 and 2002. In 114 World Cup matches played, the team has 76 wins, 19 losses, 247 points and a 129 goal difference. It is the only national team to have played in all World Cup editions without any absence nor need for playoffs, and was the most successful team in the now-defunct FIFA Confederations Cup, with victories in 1997, 2005, 2009, and 2013.
In FIFA's ranking system, Brazil holds the record for most Team of the Year first ranking wins with 14. Many commentators, football experts, and former players consider the Brazil team of 1970 to be the greatest national squad of all time. Other Brazilian squads are also highly esteemed and regularly appear listed among the best teams of all time, such as the teams of 1958–62 and of 1994–02 period. In 1996, Brazil went undefeated for 35 consecutive matches, a world record which held for 25 years.
Brazil has developed many rivalries through the years, the most notable being with Argentina, Italy and Uruguay. Brazil has the highest average Elo football rating over time, and the fourth-highest peak Elo rating of all time.
History
1914–1929: Early history
It is widely believed that Brazil's first-ever game was a 1914 match between a Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo select team and the English club Exeter City, held in the stadium of Fluminense FC. though it has also been claimed that the match was a 3–3 draw. In 1916, Brazil played its first matches against Chile and Uruguay.
Brazil achieved third place at the first two editions of the South American Championship—which would later become the Copa América—in 1916 and 1917. Led by the goalscoring abilities of Arthur Friedenreich, they were champions in the 1919 edition, which was held in their own country. Brazil finished third in 1920 and second in 1921. They won the 1922 championship, again on home soil, and achieved second place in 1925.
1930–1949: First World Cup appearance and title drought
In 1930, Brazil played in the first FIFA World Cup, held in Uruguay. After losing to Yugoslavia and defeating Bolivia in the group stage, they were eliminated from the competition. Four years later, Brazil lost in the first round to Spain in the all-knockout 1934 World Cup in Italy.
After finishing second at the 1937 South American Championship, Brazil reached the semi-finals at the 1938 FIFA World Cup in France. They were eliminated by eventual champions Italy, but managed to achieve third place after defeating Sweden. Brazil was the only South American team to participate in the tournament; other teams held a boycott to protest the tournament being held in Europe twice in a row. During World War II, Brazil finished third in the 1942 South American Championship and second in the 1945 edition. After the war, Brazil achieved second place at the 1946 edition, and won their third title at the 1949 edition, held in Brazil. The victory ended the team's 27-year drought without a South American title.
1950 World Cup and the Maracanazo
left|thumb|The Brazil national team at the 1950 World Cup
After World War II caused widespread destruction in Europe, Brazil's bid to host the 1950 FIFA World Cup went unopposed. During the tournament's group stage, Brazil defeated Mexico 4–0 at the Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro (then the Brazilian capital), tied with Switzerland 2–2 at the Pacaembu in São Paulo, and returned to the Maracanã to defeat Yugoslavia 2–0.
Unlike World Cup tournaments before and after, this edition had a final group stage to decide the champion. At this stage, Brazil defeated Sweden 7-1 and Spain 6–1. In the last game of the final round against Uruguay at the Maracanã, Brazil needed a win or draw to achieve a World Cup victory. Uruguay defeated Brazil 2–1, winning the World Cup in a game known as the Maracanazo. The defeat led to a period of national mourning in Brazil, and marked the end of the Brazil team wearing white as their default uniform.
1951–1957: Modern uniform and the "Battle of Berne"
After the disappointment of the Maracanazo, Brazil finished second at the 1953 South American Championship in Peru. At the 1954 World Cup in Switzerland, Brazil debuted a new uniform designed by Aldyr Schlee. It featured yellow shirts with green details, blue shorts, and white socks, and is still used today. In Barzil's two group stage matches, they defeated Mexico 5-0 and tied with Yugoslavia 1–1. In the quarter-finals, Brazil lost 4–2 to Hungary in one of the ugliest matches in football history, known as the "Battle of Berne". Brazil did not play in the 1955 South American Championship, but finished fourth at both the 1956 and 1957 editions.
1958–1970: Pelé and the First Golden Era
thumb|The Brazil national team at the [[1959 South American Championship (Argentina)|1959 Copa América]]
During the 1958 World Cup in Sweden, Brazil defeated Austria 3–0 in their first group match, then tied England 0–0. Before their third group match against the Soviet Union, coach Vicente Feola added Zito, Garrincha and Pelé to the starting line-up. From the kick-off, Brazil applied relentless pressure; in his biography of Garrincha, Ruy Castro described the first three minutes of the match as "the greatest three minutes in the history of football". Vavá gave Brazil the lead, and they won the match 2–0. Pelé scored the only goal of their quarter-final victory over Wales, and they defeated France 5–2 in the semi-final. Brazil then achieved a 5–2 victory over Sweden in the final, winning their first World Cup and becoming the first nation to win a World Cup outside of its own continent. Pelé described the moment as "a nation coming of age".
Brazil competed in two South American championships held in 1959. They finished second in the first tournament, and third in the second tournament. At the 1962 World Cup in Chile, Brazil defeated Mexico 2–0 in their first group match, then tied 0–0 with Czechoslovakia. Pelé was injured during the second match and was unable to play for the rest of the tournament. Brazil then defeated Spain 2–1 in their final group stage match. Brazil eliminated England 3–1 in the quarterfinals, defeated Chile 4–2 in the semifinals, and secured their second consecutive World Cup title with a 3–1 win in the final against Czechoslovakia.thumb|Defending champions Brazil at the [[1962 FIFA World Cup]]Brazil finished second at the 1963 South American Championship in Bolivia. The 1966 World Cup in England was Brazil's worst performance in a World Cup. They defeated Bulgaria 2–0, then lost to Hungary 3–1. The tournament was remembered for its aggressively physical play. Against Portugal, several violent tackles by Portuguese defenders caused Pelé to leave the match and the tournament. Brazil lost the match 3–1 and was eliminated in the first round of the World Cup for the first time since 1934. Afterwards, Pelé said he would not play in another World Cup. However, he would ultimately return in 1970.thumb|The [[1970 FIFA World Cup-winning Brazil team, considered by many commentators as the greatest football team ever]]
At the 1970 World Cup in Mexico, Brazil fielded what is widely considered the best World Cup squad in history.