Hasim the evangelism ended the joy of Brazilian football?

BarcelonaA few hours after Norway eliminated Brazil in the World Cup, a debate began to ignite on Brazilian social media: there were people who, to justify the slow decline of Brazilian football, which has not won the World Cup since 2002, spoke of the rise of evangelism in a traditionally Catholic country. What seemed like an unimportant comment escalated in tone, with Catholics, evangelicals, and atheists arguing, football people wondering if it wasn't a sterile debate, and even theologians having their say.

"Brazil was better when its players were womanizers, drunks, and slightly out of shape. In other words, when they behaved like Catholics," argued an account on X, adding that "Protestant evangelical sterilization has ruined their samba." It was one of the first to bring up a topic that no one had thought of when exploring the causes of the decline of the canarinha. There were all sorts of responses. Some ironic, some contributed elements to the debate, and many insults. Many people came to say that blaming religion for the problems of Brazilian football didn't make much sense, as the real reasons have to do with playing style, tactics, player development, and rivals. Now, more than one admitted that perhaps it wasn't a cause of the problems but perhaps it did have some influence. Evidence that things are changing in Brazil.

The last time Brazil was champion was in 2002, when they defeated Germany 2-0 in Yokohama, with two goals from Ronaldo. Since then, the country has undergone a significant religious change, as that year 80% of the population declared themselves Catholic, and now only 55%. Evangelicalism, on the other hand, has been growing stronger: it now represents 25%-30% of the population. In 2002, only four players, including Kaká, were evangelicals. The then Milan player celebrated the triumph with a jersey that read in English ""I belong to Jesus". Others, like Ronaldo, went to dedicate the title to a Catholic church.

This 2026, evangelicals have been the majority within the squad, as 20 out of the 26 footballers would be. A debate with a marked political tone, as evangelicalism tends to be one of the bastions of more conservative policies, such as the one represented by President Jair Bolsonaro. The one who has stood out the most for his evangelicalism in recent years has been Neymar, but this has not meant that he has stopped starring in scandals in his private life. In 2017, he was baptized again when he converted to evangelicalism.

The debate would revolve around how self-perception and one's role in life change depending on how one understands religion. Social media users began analyzing messages from Brazilian players after their elimination, such as those from young forward Endrick or midfielder Bruno Guimaraes, who missed a penalty: “I could have done better. It wasn't like that, but I thank God for the opportunity,” they said. Critics argued that the evangelical current that has reached Brazil leaves your destiny in God's hands. You trust that he will guide you, that he has a plan for you, and this causes you to "not take responsibility for anything." “I wish the Brazilian national team players felt Catholic guilt: the remission of sins, repentance, penance,” said Pedro Rosano, a Brazilian football journalist.

Here is one of the keys to the debate. Most of the current national team players are followers of neo-Pentecostalism, an evangelical current from the United States that has strong communication channels, holds religious services in large temples with sung masses, and advocates for material wealth. Although some people recalled that throughout World Cup history, only once has a predominantly Protestant nation, England in 1966, won the World Cup, the debate would focus solely on the incidence of neo-Pentecostalism. "Brazil's golden football generations emerged from a football culture that valued the group, the idea that the team was greater than any player. This sense of community is being lost throughout Brazil, along with the rise of the evangelical faith and its focus on individualism," said Andre Pagliarini, a Brazilian historian, in statements to the British newspaper The Times, which has been following this debate. It's not about being Protestant, as Norwegians or English people can be. It's about neo-Pentecostalism, a current that has also reached Catalonia through Latin American immigration and has gained followers like former Barça Brazilian player Dani Alves.

Neopentecostalism defends a current in which material benefits would be a response to your fidelity to God. According to this idea, if someone is rich or wins in sports, it is because the creator has decided so after the prayers and fidelity of the faithful. Some people claim that this takes away the competitive spirit from footballers, who have lost the joy of the game of past generations, who emerged from the streets, with a touch of cunning in the game that made them very competitive, as they thought everything depended on them, not on any higher power. Political scientist Elvin Calcaño analyzed the case on social media: "Brazilian football had an identity in which exuberance, celebration, and the color of a culture born from the syncretism between Catholicism and religious imaginaries of African origin were mixed. When players won the World Cup, they used to arrive at the stadiums singing samba and playing Afro-Brazilian drums. The game was an extension of the celebration." "Now most players are evangelicals. And in their evangelism, all kinds of syncretism or diversity are expelled," he added. Before the World Cup, media outlets like Globo ran reports analyzing how religion has always been present in the national team. And how evangelical temples have held mass these days with all the faithful dressed in yellow. The results, however, have not helped.

Despite this, sports journalists and analysts have preferred to focus their analyses more on the game, the training system, tactics, and more professional aspects. Millions of people, however, have been carried away by this debate. Some defending it and others calling it nonsense. But the weight of neopentecostalism is not a minor detail: it has increasing repercussions in Latin America and is an important political actor. Furthermore, it has enjoyed the support of the US government since the 1960s, when it was used as an element to stop left-wing policies when Catholicism devised liberation theology. But that is another story.