FIFA 2022 - Can Brazil & Argentina Break Europe's World Cup Dominance?

Bookies are currently betting on the two South American giants to reach the World Cup finals in Qatar, with Brazil as the odds-on favourite. But will they live up to this promise, or disappoint their fans once again something they have not done consistently for the last two decades?

It was the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Japan. In front of a raucous crowd in Yokohama, Ronaldo Nazário pounced upon a loose deflection from German goalkeeper Oliver Kahn and deposited the ball into the back of the net. Twelve minutes later, Ronaldo received the ball in the vicinity of the box, dribbled to his right, and fired a shot into the bottom corner to double the lead. No more goals were scored in the game, meaning Brazil won the FIFA World Cup for the record fifth time. Over two decades later, this remains the last time a nonEuropean nation won the coveted prize.

it's hard to pinpoint the exact moment when the balance tilted away from South America, a continent that had been home to some of the most mesmerising footballers.

It happened gradually, then suddenly. It's not that they failed to catch up on a tactical front, for some of the most astute tacticians in global football hail from this region of the earth. It's more of a result of a force of the market, as the money and power are now concentrated in the hands of the abysmally low number of elite European clubs. The creamy layers of footballers, managers, scouts, and analysts all of them are poached by the European clubs. At the very basic level, this obviously impacts the cohesion and chemistry of the national team.