SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA – OCTOBER 10: Estevao of Brazil (C) celebrates with teammates after scoring the team’s first goal during the international friendly between South Korea and Brazil at Seoul World Cup Stadium on October 10, 2025 in Seoul, South Korea. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)
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Brazil has defeated South Korea 5-0 in Seoul in an international friendly. It is the biggest win since Italian manager Carlo Ancelotti became head coach.
South Korea 0-5 Brazil
Brazil turned on the style in Seoul, smashing the host South Korea and mercilessly racking up five goals in the process. For Brazil, the forwards were back on form. Estêvão, Vinícius Junior and Rodrygo all scored and looked menacing as an attacking trio. Manchester United forward Matheus Cunha played as the main striker and also chipped in with an assist.
The host was no match for Brazil, and the star players mentioned above certainly shone despite the rainy conditions. Flashes of yellow darted around the pitch and the team in red couldn’t keep up with the pace, passing combinations or clever movement in behind. This friendly turned out to be a complete mismatch and that was reflected in the final score.
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA – OCTOBER 10: Estevao of Brazil (C) celebrates after scoring the team’s first goal during the international friendly between South Korea and Brazil at Seoul World Cup Stadium on October 10, 2025 in Seoul, South Korea. (Photo by Han Myung-Gu/Getty Images)
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Brazil Enjoys Playing South Korea
Brazil has played South Korea on nine occasions since 1995, recording eight wins and just one defeat back in a 1999 friendly.
Brazil defeated South Korea 4-1 as recently as December 2022 with a victory over the Asian side at the last World Cup. On that night in Qatar, Brazil looked like a team that could go on and win the trophy. ‘The Seleção’ ran rings around South Korea and some of the attacking football reminded fans of the glorious World Cup-winning Brazil teams of old.
DOHA, QATAR – DECEMBER 05: Neymar of Brazil celebrates with Raphinha, Lucas Paqueta and Vinicius Junior after scoring the team’s second goal via a penalty during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Round of 16 match between Brazil and South Korea at Stadium 974 on December 05, 2022 in Doha, Qatar. (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images)
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Yet, Brazil would later crash out on penalties in the quarter-finals, in a devastating defeat against Croatia. Since then Brazil have struggled to hit the levels they did in that particular game against South Korea in 2022 but today’s encounter means they look back on track.
For Brazil, the 5-0 win in Seoul will become another fond memory of South Korea, which of course was one of two host nations when Brazil last lifted the World Cup trophy in 2002.
TOPSHOT – Brazil’s team captain and defender Cafu hoists the South Korea/Japan 2002 World Cup trophy over the whole Brazilian team as confetti fall over the pitch during the award ceremony at the International Stadium Yokohama, Japan, 30 June, 2002 following Brazil’s 2-0 victory against Germany in match 64 of the 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea Japan final. Brazil has now won a record five World Cup titles. Brazil previously was a FIFA World Cup winner in 1958, 1962, 1970 and 1994. AFP PHOTO ANTONIO SCORZA (Photo by ANTONIO SCORZA / AFP) (Photo by ANTONIO SCORZA/AFP via Getty Images)
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Steady Progress For Brazil
Brazil finished in fifth place in South American FIFA 2026 World Cup qualifying. It sounds bad for a nation of such soccer pedigree. It was far from a glorious campaign, but things have looked brighter lately.
A crushing loss to Argentina in March of this year was the only defeat Brazil faced in nine qualifying matches in a row from October 2024 to September 2025. On that run Brazil defeated fellow qualifiers Paraguay and Colombia and drew with Uruguay and Ecuador. It was a big improvement from the first half of qualifying.
Therefore, there might be an argument that, before Ancelotti came into the job, things were already starting to look up, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t the right appointment. Such was the manner of the crushing defeat to Argentina in the middle of that run, the Italian is seen as a necessary saviour in turbulent times. The boss has still had very little time to work with the team and lost the last qualifying game 1-0 in the altitude of Bolivia, but he still has time on his side.
Brazil’s head coach Carlo Ancelotti looks on before a friendly football match between South Korea and Brazil at Seoul World Cup Stadium in Seoul on October 10, 2025. (Photo by ANTHONY WALLACE / AFP) (Photo by ANTHONY WALLACE/AFP via Getty Images)
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Ancelotti and his squad are only getting started, and yet only a few camps and a handful of friendlies are to be played between now and the 2026 World Cup. Make no mistake about it, despite tricky circumstances and 24 years without winning the trophy, nothing less than the gold will be seen as a sufficient result by the people of Brazil.
Next up for the Seleção is a friendly match against Japan in Tokyo on October 14th. This game will be played around 8 months before the start of the FIFA 2026 World Cup.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/josephosullivan/2025/10/11/attacking-players-shine-as-brazil-defeats-south-korea-by-5-goals/
