There’s a lot to learn for India, on and off the pitch, but there could be takeaways for Brazil and Uruguay as well

Published on: Oct 2, 2026, 16:00:28 IST

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“In Brazil, football is not just a game but king of all sports and the players are not just men but giants.” With that, and the visual of a foot cushioning the ball after gently knocking it up, began, “Giants Of Brazil.”

That quote, John Shakespeare’s rousing music, visuals of the violence – some of them Chaplinesque even if they were no laughing matter – on the pitch and the novelty of watching football at a standalone cinema are things I remember from the documentary.

In the four decades since, I have seen “Mineirazo” from the media tribune, reported on three more World Cup finals hoping to see Brazil win a sixth and learnt that football is the most important of the least important things in that country.

At the Metlife last July, Brazil were anything but kings. In six editions since 2002, they have made the World Cup semi-final only once and no Brazilian has happy memories of a 1-7 defeat. Also, the power axis has shifted since Brazil’s last World Cup title which was also the first in Asia.

Italy have slid. Spain are the new bosses. France can change nine players including Kylian Mbappe and still beat Belgium sparking celebrations not usually associated with Zinedine Zidane. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have been football’s biggest icons for most of this century in which no Brazilian has won the Ballon d’Or since 2007.

But the love for Brazil endures. The possibility of them coming to India, though, was as remote as Tara Westover getting a PhD. But as Westover has recounted in her fascinating book ‘Educated’, she did. And now Brazil are here.

Which leads to questions for India, Brazil, Uruguay and the All India Football Federation (AIFF). Here they are in no following order:

Less time on the ball

Panama were a few levels higher but for Khalid Jamil’s India, Brazil and Uruguay will be different beasts. Can they deal with the intensity of playing two tough matches in three days? How will India manage with significantly less time on the ball? Ryan Williams has spoken of the confidence drawn from the 1-1 in Bengaluru and India will need all of that and more. “I think against Brazil, you will need to be concentrated 1000 %,” Jay Gupta has said.

Will these games and the two scheduled against New Zealand in November be one-off events or the start of something special?

Lot to lose for AIFF

The federation, having taken the burden of organising and raising funds for these games, has a lot to lose. Its credibility for a start if the overall cost of around ₹85 crore cannot be recovered. India is not ready for such games, a former Bayern Munich official had said in 2022. Tickets will be expensive, said Bhaswar Goswami of Celebrity Management Group, the Kolkata-based company which had arranged the Argentina-Venezuela friendly in Kolkata in 2011. Full story here.

That the matches have not generated interest from big business tells its own story. The players and Jamil are happy that India can play such games at home but has AIFF overreached itself? If so, this will be the last time such matches are held.

The Vini poser

Like with Tite, Brazil did not change coaches after another disappointing World Cup. The first steps towards a World Cup final were taken by Argentina at Salt Lake stadium in 2011, Alejandro Sabella had said at Maracana three years later. Will it be the same for Carlo Ancelotti? Will Raphinha’s absence mean a start for Endrick? Can Brazil’s first full-time foreign head coach work his Real Madrid magic?

If he can, no one will be happier than Vinicius Jr, FIFA Player of the Year in 2024. One goal and an assist in the come-from-behind win against Australia does not compensate for one goal in eight matches in all competitions this term. Ancelotti has asked for time.

“Is he at his best now? No, he isn’t, but it is the start of the season. And Vini, always, even when he isn’t ay his best, he can still make a difference, just as he did today. So, I am going to be very patient, because he deserves that patience,” Ancelotti has said.

Forlan’s challenge

Marcelo Bielsa’s time ended with the squad being splintered and it is Diego Forlan’s job to put the pieces together. Bielsa had given Uruguay an identity, one far removed from their usual roughhouse ways. Uruguay rattled Argentina at home when they were the world champions. And then Brazil in the 2024 Copa.

Yet at the World Cup, the two-time champions Uruguay were the highest ranked team, 19th, to exit from the group stage. The Nations League has robbed South American teams of the chance to play teams from Europe. India have benefited. Can Uruguay?

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