One Country, Two Cups—The International Image of Brazil in 1950 and in 2014: A Study of the Reputation and the Identity of Brazil as Projected by the International Media During the Two FIFA World Cups in the Country

Abstract

This article analyzes the international image of Brazil as projected in the foreign media coverage of the two World Cups held in the country through the theoretical framework of nation branding and competitive identity. Brazil hosted the 1950 and the 2014 FIFA World Cups as a strategy to improve its international image. This article uses content and discourse analysis of international media articles to show that, as a public diplomacy strategy, hosting the Cups was a big success. There was an increase in the visibility of Brazil in both years because of the Cups, but there was also a change in the frames used to describe Brazil, from the economy and culture to politics, and a change in tone, from positive to negative. The use of stereotypes about Brazil also became more frequent in 2014.