The first major tournament without her since she arrived at the national team.
Pela primeira vez desde que ingressou na seleção, Marta não estará em campo quando o Brasil disputar uma Copa América — afastada por cirurgia no joelho, sua ausência sinaliza não apenas uma perda individual, mas a virada de uma era. Sob o comando da sueca Pia Sundhage, uma equipe amplamente renovada busca o oitavo título continental e a classificação para a Copa do Mundo, carregando o peso de um legado que precisa ser reinventado, não apenas preservado.
- A ausência simultânea de Marta, Cristiane e Formiga deixa um vazio de liderança que nenhuma jogadora, isoladamente, ainda foi capaz de preencher.
- Dezoito das 23 convocadas jamais disputaram uma Copa América, tornando este torneio um batismo coletivo sob pressão máxima.
- O Brasil venceu apenas um dos sete amistosos contra seleções europeias nesta temporada, revelando fragilidades táticas — especialmente no segundo tempo — que adversárias como Argentina e Colômbia certamente explorarão.
- Tamires e Debinha emergem como referências de uma liderança distribuída, enquanto nomes como Geyse, Kerolin e Angelina precisam confirmar em campo o que mostraram em seus clubes.
- O torneio oferece mais do que um troféu: a vaga direta para a Copa do Mundo de 2023 e as Olimpíadas de 2024 tornam cada partida uma decisão existencial para o projeto da seleção.
O Brasil entra em campo esta noite contra a Argentina na abertura da Copa América sem Marta pela primeira vez em sua história recente. A maior jogadora do mundo em seis ocasiões está em recuperação de uma ruptura no ligamento do joelho esquerdo. Aos 36 anos, ela já vinha sendo poupada por Pia Sundhage, mas sua ausência marca um limiar inegável — o início de um torneio sem a figura que definiu uma geração inteira.
Sundhage, primeira estrangeira a comandar a seleção feminina brasileira, chegou em 2019 e encontrou um elenco em transição. Desde Tóquio, ela tem construído algo novo: das 23 convocadas, 18 são estreantes na competição. Cristiane não foi chamada. Formiga se aposentou. O trio que sustentou o domínio brasileiro por mais de uma década se desfez de vez.
No lugar de uma capitã única, a comissão técnica aposta na liderança compartilhada. Tamires, com 123 jogos pela seleção, e Debinha, artilheira da era Sundhage, são as referências do grupo. Rafaelle traz experiência na defesa. Geyse, recém-contratada pelo Barcelona, e Kerolin, campeã da NWSL, representam a nova geração que precisa amadurecer depressa.
O torneio acontece entre 8 e 30 de julho em três cidades colombianas. O título garante vaga direta para a Copa do Mundo de 2023 e as Olimpíadas de 2024 — o que torna cada resultado uma questão de sobrevivência para o projeto. Mas o caminho é incerto: o Brasil venceu apenas uma das sete partidas contra equipes europeias nesta temporada, com dificuldades para manter intensidade após o intervalo.
Argentina e Colômbia chegam fortalecidas. Sole Jaimes, campeã da Liga dos Campeões pelo Lyon, lidera as argentinas. Catalina Usme, artilheira da última edição, é a referência colombiana em casa. O nível regional subiu, e a margem de erro do Brasil encolheu. Sundhage sabe que reconstruir e competir ao mesmo tempo é a tarefa mais difícil do esporte — e este torneio será o primeiro grande teste de que a renovação é real.
Brazil's women's football team takes the field tonight at 9 p.m. against Argentina in the Copa América opener, and for the first time in her international career, Marta will not be there. The six-time world player of the year is sidelined by knee surgery, a rupture in her left ligament that has left her in recovery. At 36, she had already been used sparingly by coach Pia Sundhage in recent months, but her absence still marks a threshold—the first major tournament without her since she arrived at the national team.
Sundhage, a Swedish coach and the first foreigner to lead Brazil's women's program, inherited a squad in transition when she arrived in late 2019. She has spent the months since the Tokyo Olympics building something new. Of the 23 players on the Copa América roster, 18 have never played in this tournament before. Among them are Angelina, a 22-year-old midfielder with sharp passing and tackling, and Duda Sampaio. The team is also without Cristiane, whom Sundhage chose not to call, and Formiga, who retired. That trio—Marta, Cristiane, and Formiga—formed the backbone of Brazil's dominance over the past decade. Now the coach must find new voices and new leaders.
Tamires, the Corinthians left back with 123 caps, and Debinha, the North Carolina Courage striker who leads Sundhage's tenure in goals, have emerged as reference points for their teammates. The plan is to rotate the captain's armband among players rather than vest it in a single figure. Rafaelle at Arsenal brings experience in defense. Among the younger bets are Geyse, recently signed by Barcelona, and Kerolin, a standout in the American league and an NWSL champion. Lorena, the Grêmio goalkeeper, and Angelina represent the next generation.
The tournament runs from July 8 to 30 across three Colombian cities—Cali, Armênia, and Bucaramanga. Brazil's first match against Argentina will be played in Armênia and broadcast on SBT and SporTV. The stakes are clear: an eighth Copa América title would secure direct qualification for the 2023 World Cup and the 2024 Olympics. But the path is uncertain. In seven friendlies this season against European opposition, Brazil won only once, beating Hungary 3-1. They drew with Holland, Finland, and Spain. They lost to Denmark and Sweden in the two matches immediately before this tournament. The team struggles to maintain intensity after halftime and has not found consistent attacking rhythm.
Argentina, the only nation ever to win this competition besides Brazil, arrives as a serious threat. Sole Jaimes, their forward and a Champions League winner with Lyon, will move to Flamengo after the tournament. Colombia, the host nation, finished fourth in 2018 and second in both 2010 and 2014. Catalina Usme, their 32-year-old striker from América de Cali, was the leading scorer in the last Copa América. The regional standard has risen. National leagues are more developed, individual players more accomplished, and the gap between Brazil and its neighbors has narrowed.
Sundhage's task is to rebuild while competing at the highest level. She must find ways to sustain performance through ninety minutes, to attack with precision, and to develop leaders from a squad that is largely untested at this stage. The absence of Marta is not merely the loss of a player—it is the visible marker of a generational shift. Brazil enters this tournament as a team in renovation, seeking to prove that the next generation can carry forward what the last one built.
Citas Notables
Pia Sundhage is not just coaching a team; she is rebuilding a whole structure while the competition around her grows stronger.— Analysis of the coaching challenge
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why does Marta's absence feel like such a turning point, even though Brazil has other strong players?
Because Marta was the constant. She was there through every major tournament, every cycle. Her presence meant continuity. Now that she's gone, there's no hiding from the fact that this is a different team with different leaders.
Pia Sundhage has won before—with the U.S., with Sweden. What's different about this job?
She's not just coaching a team; she's rebuilding a whole structure. And she's doing it while the competition around her is getting stronger. That's harder than inheriting a machine that already works.
The friendlies were rough—one win in seven. How much should we read into that?
It matters because it shows where the vulnerabilities are. But friendlies against Europe are different from Copa América. The rhythm is different, the stakes are different. Still, the second-half problem is real and it's something she'll need to solve fast.
Who's the player most likely to surprise people in this tournament?
Angelina, probably. She's 22, she's in the American league, and she has the kind of technical ability that can unlock things. But she's also untested at this level. That's the whole squad, really—untested.
Argentina won this once. How much of a threat are they?
They're the only team that's ever beaten Brazil in a Copa América final. They have Sole Jaimes, who's played at the highest level in Europe. They're not a fluke threat—they're real.
What does Sundhage need to prove tonight?
That the new generation can compete. That losing Marta, Cristiane, and Formiga doesn't mean losing the tournament. That's the whole story right there.