Factbox: Brazil

Colours: Gold shirts, blue shorts and white socks.

Nickname: A Selecao (the national team) is the most common, O Canarinho (Little Canary) also crops up as does Verde-Amarelho (Green-Yellow).

Previous World Cup appearances: (18) 1930, 1934, 1938, 1950, 1954, 1958, 1962, 1966, 1970, 1974, 1978, 1982, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006. The only team to have played at every tournament.

Best World Cup performance: Winners -- 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002. 2nd place: 1950, 1998

Coach: Dunga

Most capped player: Cafu 148 caps

Top goalscorer: Pele 77

Squad:

1-Julio Cesar (Inter Milan). Goalkeeper. Born Sept. 3 1979. Caps 48. Goals 0.
Arguably the world's top goalkeeper, he has tremendous agility, commands his area well and rarely puts a foot wrong. In the 18-match qualifying campaign he conceded only 11 goals. Raised at Flamengo, Brazil's most popular club, he joined Inter Milan in 2005. Has won four scudettos with Inter, plus the 2004 Copa America and 2009 Confederations Cup with Brazil.

22-Doni (AS Roma). Goalkeeper. Born Oct. 22 1979. Caps 10. Goals 0.
Understudy to Julio Cesar but has rarely got a look in recently because of the Inter Milan player's outstanding form. Stood in to help Brazil win the 2007 Copa America, saving two penalties as they beat Uruguay in a shootout in the semi-finals. Once banned for 40 days for his part in a ferocious brawl during a Corinthians-Santos match in Brazil.

12-Heurelho Gomes (Tottenham Hotspur). Goalkeeper. Born Feb. 15 1981. Caps 5. Goals 0.
Got the nod as third-choice goalkeeper ahead of Victor despite a lack of international experience. Won four consecutive Dutch league titles with PSV Eindhoven where he was a crowd favourite. He can throw the ball into the opponents' half of the field from his own penalty area. Joined Tottenham in 2008 and this season helped them to qualify for the Champions League.

2-Maicon (Inter Milan). Defender. Born July 26 1981. Caps 53. Goals 4.
Nominally a defender, Maicon is in reality one of Brazil's most potent attacking weapons. Has tremendous physique, power and speed and is an imposing sight in full flight. Won the Copa America in 2004 and 2007. Raised at Cruzeiro, he joined Inter in 2006 after two seasons with Monaco.

3-Lucio (Inter Milan). Defender. May 8 1978. Caps 91. Goals 5.
Tall, aggressive central defender who also has surprisingly deft control on the ground and a good scoring record at set pieces. Made an inauspicious start to his international career when he head-butted a team mate during a game at the 2000 Olympics but has matured greatly since. A survivor of the 2002 World Cup campaign, he was the mainstay of the defence in 2006. Has captained the side under Dunga.

13-Daniel Alves (Barcelona). Defender. Born May 6 1983. Caps 35. Goals 3.
The regular right-back at Barcelona, yet finds himself stuck behind Maicon at international level despite having more finesse. Sometimes used on the right flank where he produced one of his best international performances in the 2007 Copa America final against Argentina, scoring in the 3-0 win.

6-Michel Bastos (Olympique Lyon). Defender. Born Aug. 2 1983. Caps 4. Goals 1.
Speedy winger with a powerful shot, he operates on the flanks for his French club but reverts to his original position as a left back for Brazil. Previously with less fashionable Lille, he became more visible after joining Olympique Lyon for a reported 18 million euros at the start of the season.

16-Gilberto (Cruzeiro). Defender. Born April 25 1976. Caps 33. Goals 1.
Left-back who featured regularly in the early days under Dunga but has fallen out of favour more recently. he has a fair chance of breaking into the final squad.

4-Juan (AS Roma). Defender. Born Feb. 1 1979. Caps 75. Goals 6.
Quieter than his central defensive partner but just as effective, the former Flamengo and Bayer Leverkusen player has been a regular since helping Brazil to win the 2004 Copa America. Has won over Roma fans who were sceptical about whether he could replace Cristian Chivu when he joined the club in 2007.

14-Luisao (Benfica). Defender. Born Feb. 13 1981. Caps 39. Goals 3.
Tall, shaven-headed and aggressive central defender, the first-choice replacement when Lucio or Juan are not available. In his seventh season at Benfica. He was in the 2006 World Cup squad but did not get on the pitch.

15-Thiago Silva (AC Milan). Defender. Born Sept. 22 1984. Caps 7. Goals 0.
Technically gifted central defender who has had an impressive first season with AC Milan. Began his career well with Brazilian club Juventude but had two unhappy seasons with Porto and Dynamo Moscow which were blighted by injury and illness. Greatly benefited from a move home in 2006, helping Fluminense to reach the Libertadores Cup final two years later.

8-Gilberto Silva (Panathinaikos). Midfielder. Born Nov. 7 1976. Caps 92. Goals 3.
Hard-tackling destroyer, short on flair, who often looks more like a third central defender than a midfielder and has surprisingly been resurrected as an international. Ever-present in the 2002 World Cup campaign, the former Arsenal player was a reserve four years later but was quickly reinstated by Dunga.

5-Felipe Melo (Juventus). Midfielder. Born Aug. 26 1983. Caps 17. Goals 2.
Nomadic midfielder at his eighth professional club, he was a surprise to many Brazilians when he was called up last year but quickly settled into the team, forming a solid wall with Gilberto Silva. Another big, powerful player, he likes to keep it simple but collects frequent cards.

18-Ramires (Benfica). Midfielder. Born March 24 1987. Caps 11. Goals 0.
Another hard-working, quick and dynamic midfielder, more defensive than attacking. Replaced Elano after Brazil struggled to a 4-3 win over Egypt at the Confederations Cup and has kept his place since. Raised at Joinville, he made his name at Cruzeiro before a move to Benfica a year ago.

7-Elano (Galatasaray). Midfielder. Born June 14 1981. Caps 43. Goals 7.
Attacking midfielder, often among the goals. Played alongside Robinho in the memorable Santos team which won the Brazilian championship in 2002, then went to Ukraine to play for Shakhtar Donetsk. Moved to Manchester City, where he suffered prolonged spells out of the team, and finally Turkey.

10-Kaka (Real Madrid). Midfielder. Born April 22 1982. Caps 75. Goals 25.
In an unhappy season with Real Madrid he has lost the form which made him 2007 World Player of the Year and many feel that Brazil depend too much on him. At his most deadly when he picks up the ball in midfield and accelerates towards goal, he is a superb all-rounder with vision, a good long-range shot and a deadly finish. A devout member of the controversial Apostolic Reborn in Christ church to which he donated his player of the year trophy.

19-Julio Baptista (AS Roma). Midfielder. Born Oct. 1 1981. Caps 44. Goals 8.
His nickname "The Beast" sums it up. An explosive, powerful player, he has scored a few important goals for his country but is habitually used as a substitute or reserve.

20-Kleberson (Flamengo). Midfielder. Born June 19 1979. Caps 33. Goals 2.
Right-sided midfielder, he won a World Cup winner's medal in 2002 but his career nose-dived with an ill-fated move to Manchester United where he never really impressed. His international career was surprisingly resurrected after he returned home to play for Flamengo, via Turkish club Besiktas.

17-Josue (VfL Wolfsburg). Midfielder. Born July 19 1979. Caps 26. Goals 1.
Feisty midfielder who won titles as part of the highly successful Sao Paulo team between 2005 and 2007. A regular feature of Wolfsburg's Bundesliga-winning side last season. Played in the Brazil team which won the 2007 Copa America but has been on the fringes of the squad since.

11-Robinho (Manchester City). Forward. Born Jan. 25 1984. Caps 72. Goals 23.
A rarity in that he plays better for his country than his club, Robinho burst on to the scene as a teenager with Santos in 2002, his trickery, dribbling and physical appearance leading to comparisons with Pele. He has not quite lived up to the early promise and spells with Real Madrid and Manchester City were marred by difficult relationships with his employers.

9-Luis Fabiano (Sevilla). Forward. Born Nov. 8 1980. Caps 37. Goals 25.
Big, powerful and aggressive striker who is perfectly suited to Dunga's counter-attacking game. 'The Fabulous One' has a tremendous scoring rate of more than a goal every two games for his country, including nine in 11 World Cup qualifiers. He often gives the impression that he is about to boil over and sometimes does, although he has mellowed since his early days with Sao Paulo when he was involved in a number of brawls.

21-Nilmar (Villarreal). Forward. Born Oct. 9 1982. Caps 12. Goals 8.
Has averaged nearly a goal a game including a hat-trick in the World Cup qualifier against Chile. Raised at Internacional, he had two seasons with Olympique Lyon but his career went backwards after a return home to play for Corinthians in 2006. He suffered two injuries and found himself at the centre of a legal row between Corinthians and Internacional, where he returned in 2007. Joined Villarreal this season.

23-Grafite (VfL Wolfsburg). Forward. Born April 2 1979. Caps 3. Goals 1.
Debuted against Guatemala in 2005 but suffered a serious knee injury shortly afterwards, ending his hopes of a place in the 2006 World Cup squad. Since then, he has been repeatedly overlooked despite leading Wolfsburg to the Bundesliga title last season when he was top scorer with 28 goals.