No Neymar, no Vinicius Júnior, no problem for Brazil.
Two players from the local team Botafogo saved Brazil and coach Dorival Júnior from another defeat last Friday with a last-minute 2-1 win against Chile in South American qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.
With pressure from fans and even President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Júnior is expected to give more chances to Botafogo forwards Igor Jesus and Luiz Henrique, who scored in Santiago. Jesus, rather than Real Madrid striker Endrick, is likely to start as the center forward, and Henrique is expected to replace Savinho in the second half.
Without their goals, Brazil could have faced a fourth straight loss in qualifying, which might have meant the end for coach Júnior, who took the job only in January.
From Monday’s training, it looks like Júnior might bring in another local player to replace the suspended Lucas Paquetá. Flamengo midfielder Gerson’s addition would strengthen the team’s physicality against Peru in Brasilia on Tuesday night.
Two other new players are also likely to be in Brazil’s starting lineup: Right back Vanderson replacing Danilo and midfielder André taking the place of Bruno Guimarães.
The performance of the two Botafogo players has sparked an old debate in Brazil about whether the national team should only include players from the big European leagues for important competitions. President Lula shared his opinion.
“I was watching (Brazil vs. Chile) and I only knew the goalkeeper (Ederson), the PSG defender (Marquinhos), Rodrygo, and Raphinha, who I recognized because of his hairstyle,” Lula told radio CBN in an interview. “I didn’t know these players. They should get those who play here in Brazil to play for the national team.”
Since taking charge of Brazil, Júnior has selected 20 players from local teams. Tuesday’s match could highlight other local talents in the squad, like Botafogo left back Alex Telles and Cruzeiro midfielder Matheus Pereira.
Brazil climbed to fourth place in the standings with 13 points, behind Lionel Messi’s Argentina (19), Colombia (16), and Uruguay (15).
