Vanuatu’s passion for Brazil wins hearts and makes headlines worldwide during the 2026 FIFA World Cup

Brazil’s 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign is over following a 2-1 defeat to Norway in the Round of 16, but the five-time champions did not leave the tournament without receiving remarkable support from the South Pacific. (The Guardian)

Thousands of kilometres away from Brazil, Ni-Vanuatu football fans took to the streets wearing yellow shirts, carrying Brazilian flags and celebrating the Seleção as if it were their own national team. Their enthusiasm did not go unnoticed in Brazil, where the country’s largest television network and one of its leading newspapers highlighted the scenes during the competition.

On 28 June, Globo’s Esporte Espetacular broadcast a five-minute report titled “Vanuatu: O pequeno país da Oceania que vibra com a Seleção” — “Vanuatu: the small Oceanian country that cheers for the Seleção”. The report introduced Brazilian viewers to supporters in the Pacific nation and showed how the Brazilian team had inspired celebrations far beyond South America. You can watch the report with subtitles by clicking here.

Vanuatu was also included in an edition of Globo’s Central da Copa, in a segment presenting Brazilian supporters in countries including Bangladesh and Lebanon. The programme reinforced the idea that the Seleção remains a global football institution, capable of attracting committed followers in places with very different languages, histories and cultures. (Globoplay)

Brazilian newspaper Folha de S.Paulo also reported on the phenomenon. In an article published on 25 June, the newspaper included Vanuatu among several countries where supporters had demonstrated strong affection for Brazil. The report described how green and yellow had taken over the streets during celebrations connected to the beginning of the World Cup. (Folha de S.Paulo)

Videos shared through social media added to the visibility of the story. Images of Ni-Vanuatu supporters wearing Brazil shirts, joining car parades and waving flags reached Brazilian and international audiences, transforming a local celebration in Port Vila into one of the tournament’s most unexpected stories.

A connection built through Brazilian football

There is no major historical or political relationship between Brazil and Vanuatu that can fully explain the strength of this support. The connection appears to have been created primarily through football, international broadcasts and the enormous cultural influence of the Brazilian national team.

Pelé, Zico, Romário, Ronaldo Nazário, Ronaldinho and Neymar helped establish Brazil as more than simply a successful national side. Across generations, the yellow shirt became associated with skill, attacking football, individual creativity and the idea of jogo bonito.

That reputation travelled far beyond South America. World Cup broadcasts, European club competitions, documentaries, video games and social media allowed football followers in the Pacific to watch Brazilian players and develop their own relationship with the Seleção.

One of the people interviewed by Globo was former Vanuatu international Ronaldo Wilkins, whose life offers a particularly meaningful example of the influence of Brazilian football in the country. Wilkins was named in honour of Brazilian legend Ronaldo Nazário, widely known as O Fenômeno, and later wrote his own chapter in Vanuatu’s football history.

Wilkins represented Vanuatu at the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup in South Korea, the country’s first appearance at a FIFA World Cup tournament. In Vanuatu’s opening match, he played a central role in a courageous comeback against Mexico. After his team fell two goals behind, Wilkins assisted Bong Kalo before scoring the equaliser himself, finding a gap between several defenders to make it 2-2. Mexico eventually won 3-2 through Edson Álvarez’s goal in stoppage time, but Wilkins and Kalo had already become the first Vanuatu players to score on the world stage.

His connection with Brazil later became even more direct. Following the U-20 World Cup, Wilkins travelled to Brazil and spent 15 days training and being assessed at São Paulo FC’s academy in Cotia. He did not remain with the Brazilian club, but the experience gave the young Ni-Vanuatu player an opportunity to train within one of South America’s most respected youth systems. He subsequently represented Vanuatu at senior international level.

Wilkins’ journey helps show that the admiration for Brazil in Vanuatu is not merely a passing trend created by the 2026 World Cup. In his case, Brazilian football influenced his name, his childhood references and part of his own playing career.

Football culture in Vanuatu

Football has an important place in Ni-Vanuatu society. The Oceania Football Confederation has previously described it as the country’s biggest sport, while Vanuatu’s national teams and leading clubs have long participated in regional competitions.

The scenes witnessed in 2026 were also not entirely unprecedented. During the 2014 World Cup, the OFC reported that victories by popular international teams were followed by honking cars, cheering supporters and lively celebrations in the streets of Port Vila. Local football followers have long adopted international teams during major competitions, creating their own World Cup traditions while continuing to support Vanuatu in Oceanian football.

Modern technology has strengthened that relationship. Supporters no longer depend exclusively on television coverage. Matches, goals, interviews, highlights and historical footage can be followed through mobile phones, while international football discussions take place instantly through social media.

In that environment, geographical distance matters far less. A young supporter in Port Vila can watch the same Brazilian players, goals and celebrations as someone in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo or Salvador.

For a country yet to appear at a senior FIFA World Cup, adopting a major international side is also part of the tournament experience. Brazil, Argentina, France and other traditional football nations attract supporters across the Pacific, but the Seleção’s history and visual identity give it a particularly powerful appeal.

More than an unusual World Cup story

The attention received by Vanuatu should not reduce Ni-Vanuatu supporters to an exotic curiosity from a distant island nation. Their celebrations were genuine expressions of football passion and showed that followers in Oceania are active participants in the global game.

They watch international competitions, develop connections with players and teams and create their own match-day traditions. The Brazilian flags seen in Port Vila were therefore not simply decorations. They represented decades of football history reaching another part of the world.

For Brazilian audiences, Globo’s report offered an opportunity to understand how deeply the country’s football identity has travelled. It also allowed Ni-Vanuatu voices such as Ronaldo Wilkins’ to be heard in Brazil, presenting a connection that has developed through television, memory, admiration and personal experience.

Brazil’s World Cup ended earlier than its supporters had hoped, but the scenes from Vanuatu provided another reminder of the Seleção’s extraordinary international reach.

The yellow shirt still carries meaning well beyond Brazil. In the streets of Port Vila, it brought people together, turned World Cup matches into community events and connected a South Pacific nation with one of football’s most recognisable traditions.