On June 25 at 9 a.m., Brazil will face Costa Rica in the first round of Group D matches in the Copa América. The gap in overall team strength is evident, with Brazil ranked 5th in FIFA rankings, while Costa Rica stands at 52nd.
Brazil is one of the favorites to win the tournament and shares Group D with Costa Rica, Colombia, and Paraguay. In the previous Copa América, Brazil reached the final but lost 0-1 to Argentina. Ahead of this month’s competition, Brazil played two friendly matches. On June 9, they defeated Mexico 3-2, with Endrick scoring the winner in stoppage time; on June 13, they drew 1-1 with the United States, with Rodrygo finding the net.
This Copa América sees a wealth of attacking talent in the Brazilian squad, including Vinícius Júnior, Rodrygo, Martinelli, and Endrick, with both Vinícius and Rodrygo valued at over 100 million euros and recently helping Real Madrid secure the UEFA Champions League title. Rodrygo has expressed the importance of winning for this generation of Brazilian players, stating, “We have fantastic players, but we need a title to prove ourselves.” Endrick, regarding the first match, remarked, “Costa Rica is a dangerous opponent, and we must be cautious.”
In their head-to-head history, Brazil holds a dominant record against Costa Rica, having won all ten of their encounters since the 1959 Pan American Championship. Their last meeting was in the second group stage match of the 2018 World Cup, where Brazil triumphed 2-0 thanks to goals from Coutinho and Neymar.
Costa Rica is the youngest team in this Copa América, with an average age of just 24.7 years. In June, they played several matches, drawing 0-0 with Uruguay in a friendly (with key Uruguayan players absent) on June 1, defeating Saint Kitts and Nevis 4-0 in a CONCACAF World Cup qualifier on June 7, and winning 3-0 against Grenada in another qualifier on June 10.
Notably, legendary goalkeeper Keylor Navas announced his retirement from international football ahead of this Copa América, leaving a significant void in Costa Rica’s defense as he was the team’s backbone and leader, instrumental in their three consecutive World Cup appearances. With few players currently competing in European leagues, it remains to be seen if Costa Rica can withstand Brazil’s offensive pressure.
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