Brazil’s World Cup Collapse Revives Debate Over Faith and Soccer

Demographic change

Behind this religious and cultural argument lies a genuine demographic transformation. Brazil remains home to the world’s largest Catholic population, but affiliation has steadily declined over recent decades while evangelical Protestant churches have grown rapidly. According to Brazil’s 2022 census, Catholics now account for just under 57% of the population, while Protestants represent roughly 27% — a dramatic increase from just a generation ago. 

Many members of Brazil’s current national team openly identify as evangelical Christians, frequently praying together before games or celebrating goals with religious gestures. Such displays have become increasingly common in Brazil, which hasn’t won a World Cup since 2002 (when the country was 80% Catholic).

Supporters of the religious explanation argue that soccer reflects wider cultural values. In their view, traditional Brazilian Catholicism — with its festivals, local rituals and blending of religious and popular culture — encouraged creativity, collective identity and emotional expression. They contend that evangelicalism places greater emphasis on personal discipline, moral restraint and individual responsibility — qualities they believe translate into a more cautious style of play.

Critics of the theory respond that it mistakes correlation for causation. This decline also comes as Brazil’s domestic soccer system has struggled to keep pace with developments in Europe, where investment in coaching, sports science and youth development. 

At the same time, Brazil exports more pro players (mostly to European clubs) than almost any other country, with many of its brightest prospects moving overseas as teenagers. This, many argue, is the cause for such a decline, not a players’ religious beliefs.

At the time, La Selecao emerged under vastly different social, political and economic conditions. They featured players from diverse regional and religious backgrounds, making it difficult to attribute success to any single cultural characteristic.

The debate, however, resonates because the game occupies an exceptional place in Brazilian society. For much of the 20th century, the national team served as an expression of Brazilian identity itself, celebrated for combining technical brilliance with joy and improvisation. It’s what made Pele the most famous athlete in the world during the 1980s. As results have declined over the last few decades, many fans have searched for explanations extending beyond tactics or player quality.

There is no evidence showing that Brazil’s religious transition has caused its national team to decline. Nonetheless, this is something that has ignited a national debate and something that will remain a talking point until the next World Cup in four years time.