Brazil's Historic Early Exit from 2025 U20 World Cup After Loss to Spain
Brazil's U20 team suffers historic group stage elimination at the 2025 World Cup after a 1-0 loss to Spain, marking their worst performance in the tournament's history.
- • Brazil eliminated from the 2025 U20 World Cup after losing 1-0 to Spain.
- • This marks the first time Brazil failed to advance past the group stage since 1977.
- • Brazil finished last in Group C with just one point from a draw against Mexico.
- • Coach Ramon Menezes cited limited training and player call-up restrictions as challenges.
Key details
Brazil's Under-20 national team was eliminated from the 2025 U20 World Cup after a 1-0 defeat to Spain on October 4 in Santiago, Chile, marking a historic low point as the team failed to win any match in the group stage for the first time since the tournament's inception in 1977. The loss left Brazil at the bottom of Group C with just one point, earned from a draw against Mexico earlier in the tournament. Morocco and Mexico advanced to the Round of 16, while Spain awaited group results to possibly proceed as one of the best third-placed teams.
The decisive goal came early in the second half from Spanish striker Iker Bravo, and Brazil struggled to convert scoring opportunities, hitting the woodwork twice. The campaign exposed defensive vulnerabilities and offensive inefficiencies. The team's performance continued a worrying trend for Brazilian youth squads, following a heavy 6-0 defeat to Argentina in the South American championship and failure to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Coach Ramon Menezes, who has now faced multiple setbacks including this World Cup exit and Olympic qualification failures, acknowledged challenges such as limited preparation and restrictions on player call-ups due to club commitments. Despite tactical attempts and early promise in the matches, Brazil could not overcome their shortcomings, culminating in their worst U20 World Cup performance ever.