Brazil’s captain Marquinhos has a simple message for his squad heading into the Round of 32: nobody gets a free pass. The veteran defender, who has earned over 100 caps for the national team, stressed that Brazil cannot afford complacency against Japan despite entering the knockout stage as heavy favorites.
The match is set for June 29, 2026, at Houston Stadium. And while Brazil chases a record sixth World Cup title, the crypto market is paying attention too, with the Brazil National Football Team Fan Token (BFT) seeing notable spikes in trading volume tied directly to the team’s on-pitch results.
Ancelotti’s Brazil looks different this time
Marquinhos pointed to the work of head coach Carlo Ancelotti as a key reason this iteration of the Seleção feels stronger than previous World Cup squads. The tactical discipline and squad cohesion under the Italian manager, he suggested, have addressed weaknesses that haunted Brazil in earlier tournaments.
The 2018 quarter-final loss to Belgium still lingers in institutional memory. That defeat exposed gaps in Brazil’s defensive structure and transition play, problems that Ancelotti has apparently spent considerable time fixing.
