Under-20: Brazil and Paraguay meet on Tuesday (31) at Canindé

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·31 March 2026

Under-20: Brazil and Paraguay meet on Tuesday (31) at Canindé

Brazil’s U-20 National Team returns to action this Tuesday (31) for another friendly against Paraguay, wrapping up the first commitments of the new cycle, which marks coach Paulo Victor’s debut in charge of the team. The match will be played at Canindé at 4 p.m., with live coverage on CBF TV, and tickets on sale through the Bilheteria Digital website.

The 3-1 win in the match played at Martins Pereira Stadium, in São José dos Campos, pleased coach Paulo Victor. However, the very next day, after celebrating a good debut, he was already working on adjustments toward one of the goals he has set for his time in charge: to instill the identity of Brazilian football in the U-20 National Team, the path by which he plans to lead the team to the titles targeted in competitions such as the South American Championship and, especially, the FIFA U-20 World Cup, which Brazil has not won since 2011. Both will take place in 2027.

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Assistant coach Lucas Andrade and head coach Paulo Victor speak with the group during training at Canindé: the work period combined activities and observationCredits: Staff Images / CBF

In the gap between the two matches, there was time for two more on-field sessions: a practice match for the athletes who played fewer than 45 minutes in the friendly, and the familiarization session at the venue for this Tuesday’s (31) game, Canindé. As he announced right after last Saturday’s win, Paulo Victor tested variations in almost every area of the team to define the lineup expected to start the next match.

“We’re going to use as many players as possible, taking advantage of the friendly period to test offensive and defensive variations. I think that’s the richness of friendly matches: we greatly shorten the working time, preparation, and connection of a team that wants to be, and needs to be, successful, with the responsibility it always carries,” said the coach.

The coach tested variations in the team for the second friendly against ParaguayCredits: Staff Images / CBF

His idea is to get to know as much as possible about the group that makes up this first call-up, with players from the 2007 and 2008 age groups, each marked by a different path within the National Team. “They differ in terms of experience and familiarity within the Brazilian National Team. The 2007 generation has had only one call-up throughout the entire youth cycle, which was a tournament in Portugal played in 2024, if I’m not mistaken. The 2008 generation, meanwhile, completed a South American Championship and World Cup cycle. They already have much more experience, much more familiarity within the National Team. And my role here is to unify a mentality, an identity as the Brazilian National Team,” he said.

With the short preparation window, the coach has also been making use of time off the field with the group, in meetings and video sessions, reviewing the first game in full with the squad to correct what is necessary and deliver another strong performance this Tuesday in front of the Brazilian fans.