Soccer and faith: Did evangelicalism really cost Brazil the World Cup?

After Brazil was knocked out of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, many fans were quick to blame the team’s poor performance on the evangelical beliefs of some players. On social media, some complained that Brazil’s team was much better when its players were “behaving like Catholics” and that “evangelical Protestant sterilization has flattened their ball, ruined their samba and obliterated their swag.” While such commentary can be described as semi-serious soccer banter, it speaks to the broader…