What is Brazil's route to the 2022 World Cup final?
By Max Parsons
Ask people who will be lifting that beautiful trophy come 18 December, and Brazil will be a very common answer.
Tite's side comes into the 2022 World Cup as one of - if not the - favourites to win the whole thing and, with a deeply terrifying squad and 24 victories in their previous 29 matches behind them, you can understand why.
The Selecao's absence from the latter stages in Qatar would be a shock, to say the least, while their involvement in the final would be far from a surprise.
Brazil route to the 2022 World Cup final
Since the groups were drawn, a fair few hours have been spent working out how the World Cup could pan out.
Who will we come up against in the round of 16? Who could we face in the semi-final? And what about if we come second in the group?! It's high-octane stuff and - to non-football fans, incomprehensibly - captivating.
Brazil's potential route to the 2022 World Cup final starts with a group-stage campaign that, on paper, might look simple. The five-time champions will be confident of claiming the top spot in Group G, but they do have to overcome tricky opponents to get there.
The Selecao have been drawn against Serbia, Switzerland and Cameroon - all of whom have the capabilities to cause an upset on the World Cup stage, but a second-placed finish would undeniably be a severe disappointment.
Topping the group would see the Brazilians face the runner-up of Group H, consisting of Portugal, Ghana, Uruguay and South Korea - a last-16 bout between Portugal and Brazil would be sensational (and likely should Brazil manage only second in their group) but, despite Uruguay's strength coming into this tournament, an all-South American tie is the likely outcome in this particular scenario.
Should they progress into the final eight, Tite's men could play any of Spain, Germany or even Belgium. With a group-stage triumph, the runners-up of Group E - containing Spain and Germany - represent likely opponents while, with a second-placed finish, the Red Devils would probably stand in their way - whatever happens, Brazil's quarter-final could be colossal.
A win in that one would present the Selecao with a semi-final tie against a whole host of possible opponents, Winning their group would give Brazil a potential titanic clash against the likes of the Netherlands or even Argentina, while second place in Group G should see them face either France or England in the last four - assuming they both finish top of their respective groups.
Another victory would push Tite's side into the showpiece event - the final. Falling short in the group stage would allow for a gargantuan South American derby - one for the neutrals, certainly - although a group-stage victory would have seen them eliminate the other immediate favourites for glory along their path to the last two, leaving the likes of Belgium or Portugal for them to battle it out with for the ultimate prize.
Brazil's record in major tournament finals
Well, whoever comes up against Brazil in a World Cup final usually has a sombre journey home - put it that way.
The Selecao have been involved in a whopping seven World Cup finals throughout their history, winning five of them. Their first came back in 1950 when they lost to Uruguay, before going on a vengeance spree and winning their next four (in 1958, 1962, 1970 and 1994 respectively), while a 3-0 final defeat to France in 1998 final was swiftly followed by victory over Germany in the next World Cup.
To complement those World Cup final appearances, the Brazilians have also competed in 21 Copa America finals, although they don't fare as well as they do when competing for the Jules Rimet trophy. They have just nine Copa America titles under their belts - six triumphs fewer than both Uruguay and Argentina - and lost their most recent major tournament final, ceding the title to Argentina in 2021.
With the pain of that defeat in recent memory, you can bet that the Samba kings will be raring to continue their lightning form into the World Cup in search of a sixth world crown.
Tite boasts one of the best squads in the tournament at his disposal consisting of players that go to Qatar off the back of great individual form for their clubs and, with a cocktail of resilience and fiery flair, they could quite feasibly go all the way.