Brazilian football
| Football in Brazil | |
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Night view of Maracanã Stadium, June 2013.
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| Country | Brasil |
| Governing body | CBF |
| National team | Brasil |
| First played | 1894 |
| Registered players | 2,1 million |
| Clubs | 29,208 |
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National competitions
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Club competitions
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International competitions
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Audience records
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| Single match | 199,854 (Brazil 1-2 Uruguay at Maracanã Stadium in 1950 FIFA World Cup) |
Association football is the most popular sport in Brazil. The Brazilian national football team has won the FIFA World Cup tournament five times, the most of any team, in 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994 and 2002, and is the only team to succeed in qualifying for every World Cup competition ever held. It is among the favorites to win the trophy every time the competition is scheduled. After Brazil won its 3rd World Cup in 1970, they were awarded the Jules Rimet Trophy permanently. But 365 days before World Cup 2014 began, Brazil's rank dropped to 22nd, an all-time-low position. Brazil has also won an Olympic Gold Medal in the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Pelé, arguably the greatest footballer ever, led Brazil to three of those championships and is the top scorer of all time in the sport. All of the leading players in the national teams are prominent in the football world, including Garrincha, Cafu, Roberto Carlos, Romário, Rivaldo, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, and Kaká in the men's game, and Marta in the women's game. Some of these players can be considered super-stars, achieving celebrity status internationally and signing sports contracts, as well as advertisement and endorsement contracts, in the value of millions of euros.
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Wikipedia