We're focused on winning. If we can play beautifully, that's a bonus.
Beneath the lights of Los Angeles, Brazil steps into Copa América carrying the weight of five years without a continental title and the quiet urgency of a squad in transition. Coach Dorival Júnior, barely five months into his tenure, has shaped a lineup that blends seasoned resolve with youthful ambition — nineteen of twenty-six players making their debut on this stage. Against Costa Rica at SoFi Stadium, the Seleção begins not merely a tournament, but a reckoning with what this generation of Brazilian football can become.
- Brazil enters Copa América without a continental title since 2019, the sting of a 2021 final loss to Argentina still present in the squad's memory.
- Coach Dorival Júnior has had just over five months to forge a coherent identity from a roster where nearly three-quarters of the players have never played a Copa América match.
- Deliberate lineup changes — Arana at left-back, Militão in central defense, Alisson in goal — signal that the warm-up friendlies were laboratories, not formalities.
- Captain Danilo, a decade-long pillar of the national team, sets the emotional register: victory first, beauty second, determination always.
- Tonight's Group D opener against Costa Rica is the first real measure of whether Júnior's tactical learning curve has produced a team capable of going the distance in a 16-nation field.
Brazil opens its Copa América campaign tonight at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, facing Costa Rica at 10 p.m. Brasília time. The Seleção enters Group D — alongside Paraguay and Colombia — in a tournament that arrives at a delicate moment of squad renewal under coach Dorival Júnior, who took charge just over five months ago.
Júnior has made pointed changes from the lineup that faced the United States in a friendly less than two weeks ago. Guilherme Arana comes in at left-back, Éder Militão steps into central defense, and Alisson earns the starting goalkeeper role. The adjustments, Júnior explained, were drawn directly from lessons learned during a late-May training camp in California and two warm-up matches — a 3-2 win over Mexico and a 1-1 draw with the United States. 'The starting lineup reflects what we've learned,' he said.
The historical backdrop adds weight to the occasion. Brazil last lifted the Copa América in 2019; its most recent final, in 2021, ended in a 1-0 defeat to Argentina on home soil during the pandemic. Argentina now holds fifteen titles, level with Uruguay at the top of the all-time list. Brazil's ten championships span a century, from 1919 to 2007.
The squad's youthful character is striking — nineteen of the twenty-six players called up are making their Copa América debut. Captain Danilo, the Juventus fullback with more than a decade in the yellow shirt, anchors the experienced core and has framed the team's mindset plainly: winning is the priority, with flair as a welcome bonus. The starting eleven — featuring Vinicius Júnior, Rodrygo, and Raphinha in attack, and Bruno Guimarães marshalling midfield — will tonight face its first true test of tournament football.
Brazil's men's football team takes the field tonight in Los Angeles for the opening match of Copa América, facing Costa Rica at 10 p.m. Brasília time at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood. The squad enters Group D alongside Paraguay and Colombia in a 16-team tournament that will test a roster undergoing significant renewal.
Coach Dorival Júnior, who took over the national team just over five months ago, has made deliberate adjustments to the lineup that faced the United States in a friendly twelve days earlier. Guilherme Arana moves into the left-back position, replacing Wendell, while Éder Militão slots into central defense in place of Lucas Beraldo. Alisson also earns a starting role. During a press conference on Sunday, Júnior explained that the recent training camp and two warm-up matches—a 3-2 victory over Mexico on June 8 and a 1-1 draw with the United States four days later—provided essential opportunities to evaluate how different players would function together.
"We made changes based on what we learned from those initial games and training sessions," Júnior said. "Those were crucial for testing different names and seeing how they fit. The starting lineup reflects what we've learned." The preparation phase began in late May in California, where the team conducted intensive work before the friendlies.
Brazil is chasing its tenth Copa América title. The last continental championship came in 2019. The team's most recent final appearance, in 2021, ended in defeat—Argentina won 1-0 in a match held in Brazil during the pandemic. Argentina has since claimed the trophy fifteen times, tying Uruguay for the most Copa América victories. Brazil's previous championships came in 2007, 2004, 1999, 1997, 1989, 1949, 1922, and 1919.
The squad carries a distinctly youthful character. Of the 26 players called up, nineteen are making their Copa América debut. Captain Danilo, the lateral who plays for Juventus in Italy and has worn the yellow shirt for more than a decade, represents the experienced core. When asked about expectations, Danilo set a pragmatic tone: "We're focused on winning. If we can play beautifully while doing it, that's a bonus. But the priority is victory, with determination if necessary." His presence anchors a team that will rely heavily on younger talent to navigate the tournament.
The starting eleven against Costa Rica will feature Alisson in goal; Danilo, Éder Militão, Marquinhos, and Guilherme Arana across the back; Bruno Guimarães, João Gomes, and Lucas Paquetá in midfield; and Raphinha, Rodrygo, and Vinicius Júnior in attack. The composition reflects Júnior's strategy of blending proven performers with emerging players. Tonight's match will offer the first real test of whether this reconfigured team can deliver the consistency required to reclaim the continental title.
Citas Notables
We made changes based on what we learned from those initial games and training sessions. Those were crucial for testing different names and seeing how they fit.— Coach Dorival Júnior
We're focused on winning. If we can play beautifully while doing it, that's a bonus. But the priority is victory, with determination if necessary.— Captain Danilo
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why make these specific changes now, at the start of the tournament rather than waiting to see how the team performs?
Júnior had two friendlies to experiment. He learned what he needed to learn. Now he's committing to the players he believes give Brazil the best chance. It's not hesitation—it's conviction based on evidence.
Nineteen debutants is a lot. Does that feel like a risk or an opportunity?
Both. The risk is obvious—inexperience in high-pressure moments. But these are young players at top European clubs. They've been tested. Danilo's job is to steady them when it matters.
Argentina just won the Copa América. Is there pressure to respond immediately?
There's always pressure to win. But Brazil lost that 2021 final at home. This is about reclaiming what they believe belongs to them. One game at a time.
What does a win tonight actually tell us?
It tells us the new system works. It tells us the young players can handle the moment. It doesn't guarantee anything beyond that, but it's the foundation everything else is built on.
Danilo said winning matters more than playing beautifully. Is that a retreat from how Brazil usually thinks about football?
It's pragmatism. Brazil has always wanted both. But when you're rebuilding, you take what you can get. Beauty can wait.