Watch how Brazil’s success in the 2022 World Cup could affect the country’s calculus

Brazil’s success in the stadiums of Qatar in the World Cup may have positive effects on the country’s external accounts. Yes that’s right. With the account that records all transactions between Brazil and abroad.

That’s because negotiations over the athlete’s economic rights abroad are also part of the balance of payments.

Since the 1998 World Cup, in France, to here, Brazil has always collected more in the year following (from January to October) for the World Cup than in the year of the tournament with the athletes negotiating, with only one exception: in 2019, after defeat in Russia in a quarter final against Belgium.

This effect on the accounts, it must be admitted, is not great, since the balance of payments includes amounts in the billions of dollars, but it is not irrelevant. In its best January-October period, in 2018, overseas soccer athletes’ negotiations brought in US$362 million. In the first 10 months of this year, it was 240 million US dollars.

The impact of a good trophy on the sale of player rights goes beyond the 26 called by Tite, not least because only three of them play in Brazilian football: Weverton from Palmeiras, Everton Ribeiro and Pedro from Flamengo.
Superstars are the most visible (and often lucrative) part of the soccer field, but most of the players who go abroad are unknown.

Last year, 1,749 Brazilian players were involved in international transfers, according to FIFA’s annual report. For Portugal alone, the main destination, there were 274 athletes.

This figure is down from that seen in 2020 (with 2,008 transfers), but even so, Brazil has a comfortable lead compared to other global footballing powerhouses, with none surpassing 1,000 transfers in the past ten years. In 2021, Argentina (896), the United Kingdom (837) and France (772) trailed Brazil.

However, the account changes when it becomes financial. According to FIFA’s calculations, transfers involving Brazilians (not just those working in Brazil, but abroad as well) totaled $468m last year and for the first time the country didn’t top the rankings – it came in at $734m. Total money spent on French players was $644 million last year.

For athletes who work in large clubs, visibility abroad is guaranteed, regardless of the selection outcome. It is clear that athletes such as Gilberto Silva and Cleberson capitalized on their fifth-place performances in 2002 to leave for Arsenal and Manchester United respectively, but this situation is increasingly rare. In the Japan-Korea Cup, almost half of the team played in Brazil.

But for those who play on small teams, this performance can make a difference. In overseas minor leagues, having a player from a world champion team is still a sign of prestige.