Corinthians women's youth striker eyes Under-20 World Cup with Brazil | OneFootball

Forward Dulce Maria, who played in Corinthians’ women’s youth ranks, will wear the Brazil Under-20 national team jersey at the World Cup in the category, which will take place in Poland. Brazil, coached by Camila Orlando, is in Group B alongside Tanzania, Canada, and England, and will play on September 5, 8, and 11 — all at 10 a.m. (Brasília time) at Bielsko-Biala Stadium.

Brabinha will play in a World Cup wearing the Canarinho colors for the second time. In 2025, she was part of the campaign that ended in fourth place in the Under-17 tournament after a penalty shootout loss to Mexico. She gave an interview to CBF TV and recalled the experience she had last year representing her country.

Photo: Luciana Vermell/CBF

“I believe the experience I had at the 2025 Under-17 World Cup can help me a lot. I went through many things that definitely prepared me better to be here today. I hope this World Cup is even better than the one I played in 2025, both individually and for the team. We are very united, very strong, and with the way we are improving, we will definitely go very far,” she began.

She then spoke about the dream of wearing the Brazilian national team colors and said that her dream is to play in a senior World Cup for Brazil. Also in 2025, Dulce was part of the squad that finished as runners-up in the South American Under-17 Championship after being beaten by Paraguay. The final stage of the competition was played in a hexagonal format.

“To be very honest, I don’t think I will ever get used to it (wearing the national team jersey). Representing Brazil is a source of great pride and honor for me,” she added.

Dulce, like her other delegation teammates, arrived in Poland last Tuesday to make it easier to adapt to the location and time zone. The Brazilian delegation is staying in Kraków, which is five hours ahead of Brasília time.

“It’s good for us to already be here so we can get used to the time zone and the weather better. The adaptation has not been easy — it’s a five-hour difference from Brazil — but we are progressing well so we can be in our best condition for the opener.”

She ended by detailing her family’s feelings upon learning that she would play in a World Cup for Brazil again: “My family was very happy when they found out I was coming to the Under-20 World Cup. My mother called me crying, and my sister is very happy about everything I am achieving.”

In total, for Corinthians’ Under-17 and Under-20 teams, Dulce Maria has 23 goals in 62 matches, with 39 wins, 12 draws, and 11 losses. Her contract runs until December 2027.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.