# Brazil national under-23 football team

The Brazil national under-23 football team (Portuguese: Seleção Brasileira de Futebol Sub-23) represents Brazil in international football competitions during Olympic Games and Pan American Games. The selection is limited to players under the age of 23, except three overage players. The team is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF). Brazil U23 is one of the most successful teams in the Olympic football tournament, having won it twice (2016 and 2020) and securing a record total of seven medals, including two golds, three silvers, and two bronzes.
The Olympic football tournament was the last international competition in football organized by FIFA which Brazil had never won until they won at home in 2016. They had previously won three silver medals (1984, 1988, 2012) and two bronze medals (1996, 2008). The team was often coached by the in-charge senior team coach in the past, such as Mário Zagallo in 1996, Vanderlei Luxemburgo in 2000, Dunga in 2008 and Mano Menezes in 2012.

## History
### 1952–1976 Summer Olympics

Brazil's first participation in the Olympics was in Helsinki, Finland, in 1952. In that year, Brazil reached the quarter-finals, when they were eliminated by West Germany 4–2. In 1960, in Rome, Italy, in 1964 in Tokyo, Japan, in 1968 in Mexico City, Mexico, and in 1972 in Berlin, West Germany, Brazil was eliminated in the first stage. In Montreal, 1976, Brazil was defeated by Poland 2–0 in the semi-finals, then Brazil was defeated by the Soviet Union 2–0 in the bronze medal match, finishing in the fourth place. In these six participations, Brazil was represented by a team of junior or non-professional players as the Olympics did not allow professional players to participate during this period, all while state-sponsored communist players were allowed to compete.

### 1984 Summer Olympics – Los Angeles

Starting in 1984, professional players were allowed to participate. However, European and South American teams, as traditional football powerhouses that won every single FIFA World Cup, were restricted to players with no more than five "A" caps at the start of the tournament. Brazil won its first medal in 1984, in Los Angeles, United States. In the group stage, Brazil beat Saudi Arabia 3–1, West Germany 1–0 and Morocco 2–0. In the quarter-finals Brazil defeated Canada in the penalty shootout, then they beat Italy 2–1 after extra-time in the semi-finals, but was beaten by France 2–0 in the gold medal Match, thus winning the silver medal.

### 1988 Summer Olympics – Seoul

The second Brazilian silver medal was won in Seoul, South Korea, in 1988. Brazil won the medal after defeating in the group stage Nigeria 4–0, Australia 3–0 and Yugoslavia 2–1. In the quarter-finals Brazil beat their South American rivals Argentina 1–0, then defeated West Germany in the penalty shootout, but was defeated by the Soviet Union 2–1 after extra time in the gold medal match. Romário was the competition's top goal scorer with seven goals.

### 1996 Summer Olympics – Atlanta

Starting in 1992, only players under the age of 23 were allowed to participate, with an exception of three overage players in the team. Brazil, managed by senior team coach, Mário Zagallo, won the bronze medal for the first time in 1996, in Atlanta, United States. In the group stage, Brazil was beaten by Japan 1–0 in the first match, then they beat Hungary 3–1 and Nigeria 1–0, finishing in the group's first position. After beating Ghana 4–2 in the quarter-finals, Brazil was defeated by Nigeria 4–3 after extra time. In the bronze medal match, Brazil beat Portugal 5–0.

### 2000 Summer Olympics – Sydney

Brazil, managed by senior team coach, Vanderlei Luxemburgo, was eliminated in the quarter-finals. In the group stage, Brazil beat by Slovakia 3–1 in the first match, then they were beaten by South Africa 3–1. In the last group match, Brazil beat Japan 1–0 to secure the first position in the group stage. In the quarter-finals, Brazil was beaten by Cameroon 1–2, who later won the gold medal.

### 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup

In December 2002, CBF appointed Ricardo Gomes as the coach for the Brazil Olympic team who were preparing for the 2004 Olympics. Prior to Olympic qualifying, the Brazil Olympic team or Brazil U23 was sent to compete at the 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup. Brazil was invited to the tournament and decided to send their Under-23 team, due to their senior team competing a month earlier at the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup. Although Brazil competed with an U23 team, all the appearances and goals in this tournament were recognized by FIFA as full international caps. The Brazil U23 team advanced all the way to the final, but were defeated by Mexico 0–1 after extra time, denying Brazil the chance to be the first guest team to win the tournament. The following year Brazil failed to qualify for the 2004 Olympic Games after losing out to Paraguay and Argentina in the qualifying tournament.

### 2008 Summer Olympics – Beijing

Brazil, managed by senior team coach, Dunga, finished in the first position in the group stage, ahead of Belgium, New Zealand and China, which they beat 1–0, 5–0 and 3–0 respectively. In the second round, Brazil beat Cameroon 2–0 after extra time. Brazil and Argentina met on August 19 in the semi-final game of the competition. The game was marred by numerous fouls and two ejections for Brazil. Argentina won 3–0. In the bronze medal match, Brazil beat Belgium 3–0.

### 2012 Summer Olympics – London

Brazil, under coach Mano Menezes, was defeated by Mexico 2–1 in the gold medal match, played on 11 August, after beating Egypt, Belarus and New Zealand in the preliminary round, Honduras in the quarter-finals and South Korea in the semi-finals. Before the Games, they beat Great Britain 2–0 in a friendly game.

### 2016 Summer Olympics – Rio de Janeiro

Brazil finished in the first position in the group stage, ahead of Denmark (won 4–0), Iraq (tied 0–0) and South Africa (tied 0–0), with the two latter games were a slumpy start for Brazil. In the second round, Brazil beat Colombia 2–0 and in the semi-final match, Brazil played a one-sided game against Honduras and won 6–0. In the final against Germany, on 20 August 2016 – the first match between the two teams in any FIFA-sanctioned tournament since the historic 2014 FIFA World Cup semi-final – Brazil edged a 5–4 victory on penalties after a 1–1 draw. Neymar, captaining the side, scored the decisive penalty to win the tournament for the first time ever.

### 2020 Summer Olympics – Tokyo

Brazil qualified for the 2020 Summer Olympics as the runners-up, of the 2020 CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament in a rather difficult campaign. The team finished at the top of their group with 7 points, following a 4–2 win over Germany, a 0–0 draw to Ivory Coast and a 3–1 win over Saudi Arabia. They beat Egypt 1–0 in the quarter-finals, and Mexico in the semi-finals with a 4–1 victory in the penalty shootouts following a 0–0 draw in extra time. In the final against Spain, Matheus Cunha opened the score for Brazil in the first half and a Mikel Oyarzabal goal in the second half forced the match into extra time; Malcom scored the winning goal in the 108th minute, which lead Brazil to their second Olympic gold medal, consecutively after their first win in Rio five years prior.

## Results and fixtures

Win  Draw  Loss

### 2024
## Players
### Current squad

The following 18 players were called up for the 2023 Pan American Games.
* Caps and goals correct as of 4 November 2023, after the match against Chile.
| No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
| 1 | 1GK | Mycael | (2004-03-12)12 March 2004 (aged 19) | 4 | 0 | Athletico Paranaense |
| 12 | 1GK | Andrew | (2001-07-01)1 July 2001 (aged 22) | 1 | 0 | Gil Vicente |
| 14 | 1GK | Matheus Donelli | (2002-05-17)17 May 2002 (aged 21) | 1 | 0 | Corinthians |
| 2 | 2DF | Miranda | (2000-01-19)19 January 2000 (aged 23) | 5 | 1 | Vasco da Gama |
| 3 | 2DF | Michel | (2003-05-20)20 May 2003 (aged 20) | 4 | 0 | Palmeiras |
| 16 | 2DF | Thauan Lara | (2004-01-22)22 January 2004 (aged 19) | 5 | 1 | Alverca |
| 13 | 2DF | Gustavo Martins | (2002-08-11)11 August 2002 (aged 21) | 5 | 1 | Grêmio |
| 4 | 2DF | Arthur Chaves | (2001-01-29)29 January 2001 (aged 22) | 5 | 0 | TSG Hoffenheim |
| 6 | 2DF | Patryck Lanza | (2003-01-18)18 January 2003 (aged 20) | 5 | 0 | São Paulo |
| 5 | 3MF | Ronald | (2003-02-11)11 February 2003 (aged 20) | 5 | 2 | Grêmio |
| 8 | 3MF | Matheus Dias | (2002-05-09)9 May 2002 (aged 21) | 4 | 0 | Nacional |
| 11 | 3MF | Guilherme Biro | (2004-04-20)20 April 2004 (aged 19) | 5 | 1 | Sharjah |
| 15 | 3MF | Igor Jesus | (2003-03-07)7 March 2003 (aged 20) | 5 | 0 | Los Angeles |
| 10 | 3MF | Marquinhos | (2003-04-07)7 April 2003 (aged 20) | 5 | 0 | Cruzeiro |
| 7 | 3MF | Gabriel Pirani | (2002-12-04)4 December 2002 (aged 20) | 5 | 1 | D.C. United |
| 9 | 4FW | Matheus Nascimento | (2004-03-03)3 March 2004 (aged 19) | 4 | 0 | LA Galaxy |
| 18 | 4FW | Figueiredo | (2001-08-14)14 August 2001 (aged 22) | 4 | 0 | Vasco da Gama |
| 17 | 4FW | Kaio César | (2004-02-15)15 February 2004 (aged 19) | 5 | 0 | Al Hilal |
Overage Players are marked with asterisk (*).

### Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up to a Brazil under-23 squad in the last 12 months.
| Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club | Latest call-up |
| GK | Gabriel Grando | (2000-03-29) 29 March 2000 (age 24) | 0 | 0 | Grêmio | v. Morocco, 7 September 2023 |
| GK | Matheus Cunha | (2001-05-24) 24 May 2001 (age 23) | 1 | 0 | Flamengo | v. Morocco, 7 September 2023 |
| DF | Arthur | (2003-03-17) 17 March 2003 (age 21) | 1 | 0 | Bayer Leverkusen | v. Morocco, 7 September 2023 |
| DF | Vinicius Tobias | (2004-02-23) 23 February 2004 (age 21) | 1 | 0 | Real Madrid Castilla | v. Morocco, 7 September 2023 |
| DF | Welington | (2001-02-19) 19 February 2001 (age 24) | 1 | 0 | São Paulo | v. Morocco, 7 September 2023 |
| DF | Abner | (2000-05-27) 27 May 2000 (age 24) | 4 | 0 | Real Betis | v. Morocco, 7 September 2023 |
| DF | Vitão | (2000-02-02) 2 February 2000 (age 25) | 0 | 0 | Internacional | v. Morocco, 7 September 2023 |
| DF | Robert Renan | (2003-10-11) 11 October 2003 (age 21) | 1 | 0 | Zenit Saint Petersburg | v. Morocco, 7 September 2023 |
| DF | Morato | (2001-06-30) 30 June 2001 (age 23) | 0 | 0 | Benfica | v. Morocco, 7 September 2023 |
| DF | Lucas Halter | (2000-05-02) 2 May 2000 (age 24) | 0 | 0 | Goiás | v. 2023 Pan American Games$^{INJ}$ |
| DF | Rikelme | (2003-07-16) 16 July 2003 (age 21) | 0 | 0 | Cuiabá | v. 2023 Pan American Games$^{WIT}$ |
| DF | João Moreira | (2004-05-21) 21 May 2004 (age 20) | 0 | 0 | São Paulo | v. 2023 Pan American Games$^{INJ}$ |
| MF | João Gomes | (2001-02-12) 12 February 2001 (age 24) | 0 | 0 | Wolverhampton | v. Morocco, 7 September 2023$^{INJ}$ |
| MF | Danilo | (2001-04-29) 29 April 2001 (age 23) | 0 | 0 | Nottingham Forest | v. Morocco, 7 September 2023$^{INJ}$ |
| MF | Andrey Santos | (2004-05-03) 3 May 2004 (age 20) | 1 | 0 | Strasbourg (on loan from Chelsea) | v. Morocco, 7 September 2023 |
| MF | Marlon Gomes | (2003-12-14) 14 December 2003 (age 21) | 1 | 0 | Vasco da Gama | v. Morocco, 7 September 2023 |
| MF | Maurício | (2001-06-22) 22 June 2001 (age 23) | 1 | 0 | Internacional | v. Morocco, 7 September 2023 |
| MF | Aleksander | (2003-10-08) 8 October 2003 (age 21) | 1 | 0 | Fluminense | v. Morocco, 7 September 2023 |
| MF | Bitello | (2000-01-07) 7 January 2000 (age 25) | 1 | 0 | Grêmio | v. Morocco, 7 September 2023 |
| MF | Gabriel Moscardo | (2005-09-28) 28 September 2005 (age 19) | 1 | 0 | Corinthians | v. Morocco, 7 September 2023 |
| FW | Luiz Henrique | (2001-01-02) 2 January 2001 (age 24) | 0 | 0 | Real Betis | v. Morocco, 7 September 2023$^{WIT}$ |
| FW | Paulinho | (2000-07-15) 15 July 2000 (age 24) | 25 | 7 | Atlético Mineiro | v. Morocco, 7 September 2023 |
| FW | Lázaro | (2002-03-12) 12 March 2002 (age 22) | 1 | 0 | Almeria | v. Morocco, 7 September 2023 |
| FW | Vitor Roque | (2005-02-28) 28 February 2005 (age 20) | 1 | 0 | Athletico Paranaense | v. Morocco, 7 September 2023 |
| FW | João Pedro | (2001-09-26) 26 September 2001 (age 23) | 1 | 0 | Brighton & Hove Albion | v. Morocco, 7 September 2023 |
| FW | Igor Paixão | (2000-06-28) 28 June 2000 (age 24) | 1 | 0 | Feyenoord | v. Morocco, 7 September 2023 |
| FW | Marcos Leonardo | (2003-05-02) 2 May 2003 (age 21) | 1 | 0 | Santos | v. Morocco, 7 September 2023 |
| FW | Gabriel Veron | (2002-09-03) 3 September 2002 (age 22) | 0 | 0 | Porto | v. 2023 Pan American Games$^{INJ}$ |
| $^{INJ}$ Player withdrew from the squad due to an injury. $^{WIT}$ Player withdrew from the squad due to non-injury related reasons. $^{CAN}$ The call-ups were withdrawn due to the matches being cancelled. |||||||

### Overage players in Olympic Games

| Tournament | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 |
| 1996 | Aldair (DF) | Rivaldo (MF) | Bebeto (FW) |
| 2000 | Did not select | Did not select | Did not select |
| 2008 | Thiago Silva (DF) | Ronaldinho (MF) | Did not select |
| 2012 | Thiago Silva (DF) | Marcelo (DF) | Hulk (FW) |
| 2016 | Weverton (GK) | Renato Augusto (MF) | Neymar (FW) |
| 2020 | Aderbar Santos (GK) | Diego Carlos (DF) | Dani Alves (DF) |

## Manager history
### Professionalism restriction era (1952–1988)

* Newton Cardoso (1952–1959)
* Gradim (1959–1960)
* Vicente Feola (1960)
* Antoninho (1960–1962)
* Sylvio Pirillo (1962–1963)
* Antoninho (1963–1964)
* Vicente Feola (1964)
* Antoninho (1968)
* Celso Marão (1968)
* Antoninho (1971–1972)
* Zizinho (1975–1976)
* Cláudio Coutinho (1976)
* Mário Travaglini (1979)
* Jayme Valente (1979–1980)
* Gílson Nunes (1983)
* Cléber Camerino (1984)
* Jair Picerni (1984)
* Jair Pereira (1986)
* Carlos Alberto Silva (1987–1988)

### U-23 era

* Ernesto Paulo (1991–1992)
* Carlos Alberto da Luz (1994)
* Mario Zagallo (1994)
* Pupo Gimenez (1995)
* Jairo Leal (1995)
* Mario Zagallo (1996)
* Vanderlei Luxemburgo (1999–2000)
* Valinhos (2003)
* Ricardo Gomes (2003–2004)
* Lucho Nizzo (2007)
* Dunga (2008)
* Ney Franco (2011–2012)
* Mano Menezes (2012)
* Alexandre Gallo (2014–2015)
* Rogério Micale (2015–2016)
* André Jardine (2019–2021)
* Ramon Menezes (2023–)

## Competitive record
### Most goals scored

* Matheus Cunha 21 goals

### Most goals scored in a single match

* Aírton (7 goals) vs. United States, 28 April 1963
* Caio (4 goals) vs. Bolivia, 23 February 1996 (U-23 era)

### First goal scored

* Humberto Tozzi vs. Netherlands, 16 July 1952
* Sílvio vs. Argentina, 4 December 1991 (U-23 era)

### Biggest victories

    14–0 vs. Nicaragua, 17 October 1975
    10–0 vs. United States, 28 April 1963
    9–0 vs. Colombia, 30 January 2000
    9–1 vs. Haiti, 2 September 1959
    7–0 vs. Trinidad and Tobago, 23 October 1975
    7–0 vs. United States, 7 April 1999
    7–0 vs. Trinidad and Tobago, 12 January 2000
    7–1 vs. Colombia, 27 December 1959
Olympic Games
Football at the Summer Olympics has been an under-23 tournament since 1992.
Olympic Games record
Host and Year
Round
Position
Pld
W
D*
L
GF
GA
Squad
Paris 1900
Only club teams participated
St. Louis 1904
London 1908
No national representative
Stockholm 1912
Antwerp 1920
Did not participate
Paris 1924
Amsterdam 1928
Berlin 1936
London 1948
Helsinki 1952Quarter-finals5th320196Squad
Melbourne 1956
Did not participate
Rome 1960Group stage6th3201106Squad
Tokyo 1964Group stage9th311152Squad
Mexico City 1968Group stage13th302145Squad
Munich 1972Group stage13th301246Squad
Montreal 1976Fourth place4th521266Squad
Moscow 1980
Did not qualify
Los Angeles 1984Silver medal2nd641195Squad
Seoul 1988Silver medal2nd6411124Squad
Barcelona 1992
Did not qualify
Atlanta 1996Bronze medal3rd6402168Squad
Sydney 2000Quarter-finals7th420266Squad
Athens 2004
Did not qualify
Beijing 2008Bronze medal3rd6501143Squad
London 2012Silver medal2nd6501167Squad
Rio de Janeiro 2016
Gold medal
1st
6
3
3
0
13
1
Squad
Tokyo 2020
Gold medal
1st
6
4
2
0
10
4
Squad
Paris 2024Did not qualify
Total2 Gold medals14/246638121613469—
*Denotes draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.
**Gold background color indicates that the tournament was won. Red border color indicates tournament was held on home soil.
***Right arrow (→) means an actual tournament status.
CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament
For the 2008, 2012 and 2016 Olympics, the qualification tournament was the South American Youth Football Championship.
CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament record
Year
Round
Pld
W
D
L
GF
GA
1960Third place63031410
1964Runners-up4310102
1968Champions632192
1971Champions743073
1976Champions5410122
1980Fifth place6213812
1984Champions541093
1987Champions732299
1992Group stage421144
1996Champions7520216
2000Champions7520246
2004Third place8422155
2020Runners-up7520167
2024Third place740387
Total7 Titles8551191516678
Pan American Games
Pan American Games record
Host and Year
Round
Position
Pld
W
D*
L
GF
GA
Squad
Buenos Aires 1951Did not enter
Mexico City 1955
Chicago 1959Silver medal2nd64112711Squad
São Paulo 1963Gold medal1st4310183Squad
Winnipeg 1967Did not enter
Cali 1971
Mexico City 1975Gold medal1st7520332Squad
San Juan 1979Gold medal1st5500141Squad
Caracas 1983Silver medal2nd320131Squad
Indianapolis 1987Gold medal1st5410102Squad
Havana 1991Did not enter
Mar del Plata 1995Quarter-finals5th422052Squad
Winnipeg 1999Did not enter
Santo Domingo 2003Silver medal2nd5401122Squad
Rio de Janeiro 2007Group stage5th320174Squad
Guadalajara 2011Group stage6th302124Squad
Toronto 2015Bronze medal3rd5311157Squad
Lima 2019Did not qualify
Santiago 2023Gold medal1st541081Squad
Total5 Gold medals12/19553811615440—
*Denotes draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.
**Gold background color indicates that the tournament was won. Red border color indicates tournament was held on home soil.
***Right arrow (→) means an actual tournament status. :

## Honours

* Summer Olympics:
** Gold medalists (2): 2016, 2020
** Silver medalists (3): 1984, 1988, 2012
** Bronze medalists (2): 1996, 2008
** Fourth place: 1976
* Pan American Games:
** Gold medalists (5): 1963, 1975 (shared), 1979, 1987, 2023
** Silver medalists (3): 1959, 1983, 2003
** Bronze medalists (1): 2015
* CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament:
** Champions (7): 1968, 1971, 1976, 1984, 1987, 1996, 2000
** Runners-up (2): 1964, 2020
** Third place (2): 1960, 2004
* South American Games:
** Bronze medalists (1): 1986

### Friendlies

* Camel Nations Cup:
** Winners: 1988
* Copa Mercosur:
** Winners: 1995
* Wuhan Youth Soccer Tournament:
** Winners: 2014
* Toulon Tournament:
** Winners: 2019