Brazil eye glory on home soil

The hosts of the 2027 World Cup are looking like serious contenders as the finals slowly come into view

- By Glenn Moore

There remains a year-and-a-half to go before the 2027 World Cup, with qualifying barely underway, but already favourites are starting to emerge after the autumn international break.

Two were always obvious: holders Spain, only defeated in this year's European Championship final on penalties having looked the best side in the tournament, and the Olympic champions, the United States, who will be desperate to wipe away the memory of their ignominious 2023 World Cup.

Joining this vaunted pair are Brazil. Increasingly it looks as if Arthur Elias is building a vibrant contending team with a mixture of youth and experience that could finally enable Marta to cap her incredible career with a World Cup winners' medal. Twenty years after she won silver in Shanghai, Brazil's only World Cup final appearance, that would be truly remarkable.

Is this status unexpected? After all, Brazil are the hosts and Olympic silver medallists. Yet only one host nation has ever won the event - the US on penalties in 1999 - and while Brazil pushed the US hard in the Olympic final in Paris, they scraped through the group stage in third place after one win and two losses.

Nevertheless, they capitalised on their fortune with impressive results in beating hosts France and Spain in the knockout stages before losing 1-0 to the US at the Parc des Princes.

They have continued to catch the eye, not least against England, the back-to-back European champions.

In April 2023, at Wembley, they lost the inaugural Finalissima, but only on penalties. They returned to England for the autumn internationals and spoiled their hosts' Euro 2025 homecoming party with a 2-1 victory in Manchester despite having captain Angelina sent off after just 20 minutes.