Paulinho started in Brazil's 5–0 friendly win against South Africa on 5 March 2014. On 2 June, he was named in manager Scolari's 23-man squad that would participate at the 2014 World Cup on home soil. On 8 July, he appeared as a second-half substitute in the 7–1 semi-final defeat to eventual champions Germany. Four days later, he started in the bronze medal match against the Netherlands, which ended in a 3–0 loss.