The Argentina–Brazil football rivalry, also referred to as the South American derby (; ), the Superderby of the Americas or simply the Superderby is a football rivalry between the national teams of Brazil and Argentina. The rivalry is considered one of the fiercest in international football, having been described by FIFA as the "essence of football rivalry".
Background The games between the two nations are known for both the skill involved and the level of competitiveness, whether it be among individual players, club teams or national fixtures. Both teams are often considered among the best in the world and usually regarded as favourites for major football tournaments such as the FIFA World Cup, CONMEBOL and the Copa América. They are also routinely ranked among the top nations in both the FIFA World Rankings and the World Football Elo Ratings.
Moreover, throughout football's history, both nations have had players who, at one point or another, were considered to be the very best in the world, such as Alfredo Di Stéfano, Diego Maradona, and Lionel Messi from Argentina, and Pelé, Ronaldo, and Ronaldinho from Brazil.
In a head-to-head comparison of senior titles, Brazil has won five FIFA World Cups, while Argentina has won three. In contrast, Argentina has won the Copa América sixteen times, compared to Brazil's nine. The duo also has many independent achievements in inter-confederation competitions, such as the FIFA Confederations Cup, won four times by Brazil and once by Argentina, the CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions, twice for Argentina and none for Brazil, and the Panamerican Championship, won twice by Brazil and once by Argentina.
History The origins of the football rivalry between Argentina and Brazil can be traced back to a time before football became the massively popular sport that it is today in both countries. Since their first match in 1914, the men's senior national teams have faced each other in more than 100 matches, including friendlies, FIFA World Cup matches, and other official competitions.
Ever since Argentina's 3–0 victory over Brazil in 1914, the early years of the countries' football rivalry were defined by periods of non-engagement due to violent incidents. Notably, after a Copa América final turned violent in 1925, both teams refrained from competing in tournaments where the other was present (Brazil withdrawing from the Copa América until 1937), followed by a similar decade-long hiatus where, after a match in 1946, Argentina did not participate in any following World Cups until 1958.
Argentina would initially dominate the rivalry in a strict head-to-head count, going on to achieve considerable success in the Copa América, both with and without Brazil's attendance, winning twelve titles between 1921 and 1959 (placing second another seven times), which included a total of seven finals and won against Brazil (Brazil's first ever victory over Argentina in a final match would only come in 2004). However, after being the runner-up for the first ever World Cup in 1930, Argentina somewhat fell behind Brazil on the global stage, where the latter went on to win three World Cups in 1958, 1962, and 1970, while their figurehead player Pelé became the face of international football. Argentina would eventually win their first World Cup title as the host nation in 1978, after advancing from a hard-fought goalless draw against Brazil in the second group stage and ultimately winning the final match. Then came a second title in Mexico, in 1986, spearheaded by their own football icon, Maradona. The two teams would face each other again in the knockout stages for the 1990 World Cup, where Argentina was the eventual runner-up against West Germany. Brazil subsequently added two more titles to their record in 1994 and 2002, bringing their total to five, and Argentina went on to win the 2022 title, bringing their own total to three.
Between 1914 and 1976 the two nations also competed in the Roca Cup on 12 occasions. In 2011, the competition was reinstituted as the Superclassic of the Americas, which ran annually until 2019 (except in 2015 and 2016).
Notable matches and incidents
1925 Copa América
For the 1925 Copa América, Argentina and Brazil faced each other in the final match at Sportivo Barracas Stadium, on Christmas Day, drawing a crowd of more than 30,000 people. After 27 minutes, Lagarto intercepted a back pass by Ludovico Bidoglio and passed the ball to Arthur Friedenreich, who then managed to outmanoeuvre the Argentine goalie Américo Tesoriere with a strong shot, making it 1–0 to Brazil. Three minutes later, Nilo scored the second goal for the canarinha, to the crowd's astonishment: if the Brazilian lead was maintained, a new match would have to be played in order to determine the champion.
Before the end of the first half, a dangerous Brazilian counterattack was brought to a halt by Ramón Muttis with a heavy foul inflicted on Friedenreich, who in turn reacted by kicking the player. After the Argentine responded with a punch to the Brazilian's face, a full-blown brawl ensued, involving several players and even some spectators who invaded the pitch. Consequently, the game was soon suspended, only being resumed - without any dismissals - after a hug between Friedenreich and Muttis sealed a truce between the teams.https://www.elgrafico.com.ar/articulo/%C2%A1habla-memoria!/34004/argentina-y-una-feliz-navidad-en-1925-el-dia-que-gano-su-segunda-copa-america www.elgrafico.com.ar Argentina y una feliz navidad en 1925: el día que ganó su segunda Copa América, 25 December 2024.
After resuming, the match underwent a major change in course: by the end of the first half, Argentine player Antonio Cerrotti had narrowed the gap and opened the path to recovery. Then came the equaliser, ten minutes into the second half, scored by Manuel Seoane. After no more goals from either side, the match would end in a tied 2–2, granting Argentina their second victory in the Copa América. In Brazil, news of the match and its violent incident would be run by some local newspapers, who referred to the game as .
Because of this event, Argentina and Brazil would refrain from officially playing against each other for 11 years.
1937 Copa América final
By the 1937 South American Championship (now Copa América), the rivalry between both teams had already become a matter of national pride. There often were verbal confrontations between both parties, wherein Argentine fans often taunted the Brazilians by calling them macaquitos () and making monkey sounds. The tournament's final match, held in Buenos Aires, was played between the two teams and by the 90 minutes mark the score was still goalless; the tie would be broken by the Argentinians, who, in overtime, managed to score two goals. Questioning one of the goals validity and fearful for their own safety, the Brazilian players would leave the stadium before the match was officially finished. The Brazilian press would go on to call the match jogo da vergonha ().
1939 Roca Cup
The 1939 edition of the Roca Cup – the amicable tournament between Brazil and Argentina – was the longest one in history, only being decided after two extra playoffs, in a total of four matches. The first two games were held in São Januário Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, with the first one ending 5–1 to Argentina, in January 1939.Argentina fue el último que le hizo 5 goles a Brasil a domicilio on Infobae, 8 July 2014
A second match was held only a week later, with the Brazilian team seeking to avenge the previous defeat. The match was intense: at first, Brazil was ahead at 1–0, then Argentina held the lead at 1–2, with Brazil finally levelling the scores at 2–2. Shortly before the end of the match, the referee (who was the same from the previous game) called a penalty for Brazil. Furious, Argentine player Arcadio López verbally assaulted the referee and had to be escorted out of the pitch by the police. The Argentine team, enraged by the situation, left the pitch in protest. The penalty would grant Brazil a 3–2 victory, which was scored without a goalkeeper, since the entire Argentine team had already abandoned the pitch.
As both teams had each won one match, a playoff game was scheduled at Parque Antárctica in São Paulo. After extra time, the match ended in a 2–2 tie; therefore, a fourth and final match was held in the same venue and won by Argentina 3–0, finally granting them the trophy.
1945-1946 incidents
During a 1945 Roca Cup match won by Brazil 6–2, the young Brazilian player Ademir de Menezes fractured Argentine José Batagliero's leg.Aquella patada de Jair a Salomón by Alfredo Relaño on El País, 4 July 2005 Though it seemed to be only an unfortunate accident, both teams reacted by carrying the game on in a rougher and sometimes violent manner.
A few months later, Argentina and Brazil would again face each other in the final match for the 1946 South American Championship. Widespread media coverage at the time held the conviction that it would be a rough match. Twenty-eight minutes in, while heading for a free ball, Brazilian Jair da Rosa Pinto fractured Argentine captain José Salomón's tibia and fibula. General disorder ensued, with Argentine and Brazilian players fighting each other on the pitch as the mounted police unit on-site tried to suppress the brawl. After some 500 members of the audience invaded the pitch, both teams retreated to their dressing rooms. After eventually subduing the affray, the game was allowed to continue and Argentina would go on to win the match 2–0. After the incident, Salomón never completely recovered from the injury and would never play professional football again.Museo Dos Deportes – "O dia do desespero entre Brasil e Argentina" . Last retrieved 31 May 2006.
1974 FIFA World Cup
The event would mark the first-ever meeting between both countries in the FIFA World Cup. Brazil, who'd previously won the 1970 World Cup, would face Argentina in West Germany's Niedersachsenstadion, in Hanover, for the tournament's second round, as both teams were placed in Group A. Ultimately, the game was won 2–1 by Brazil, with goals from Rivellino and Jairzinho, whereas Brindisi scored the only goal for Argentina.
1978 FIFA World Cup
For the second group stage of the tournament, Group B was essentially a battle between Argentina and Brazil, which was resolved in controversial circumstances. In the first stage, Brazil beat Peru 3–0 while Argentina saw off Poland 2–0. Brazil and Argentina then played out a tense and violent goalless draw – which became known as A Batalha de Rosário () – thus granting both teams three points by the last round of games; despite the draw, Argentina would hold an advantage over Brazil insofar as their match against Peru kicked off several hours after Brazil's match with Poland.https://www.elgrafico.com.ar/articulo/las-cronicas-de-el-grafico/31900/1978-rosario-fue-una-fiesta www.elgrafico.com.ar 1978. Rosario fue una fiesta, 23 May 2018.
With Brazil having won their match 3–1, the Argentines knew that they had to beat Peru by four clear goals to go through to the final. The team would manage to do so with what some considered a suspicious degree of ease: trailing 2–0 at half-time, Peru's efforts simply collapsed in the second half of the game, allowing Argentina to win 6–0. Rumours had it that Peru might have been illicitly induced not to try too hard, a notion that was especially inflamed due to the fact that the Peruvian goalkeeper, Ramón Quiroga, was born in Argentina). Nevertheless, no foul play was ever proved, and Argentina met the Netherlands in the final.