‘USA 94: Brazil's Return to Glory’ (2026) Netflix Review - A Nostalgic Throwback to the Fourth Win

We are back again with another football documentary, and this time around it is on Brazil’s 1994 World Cup. The plot focuses on Brazil’s path to its yet again fourth FIFA World Cup title, which ended its painful 24-year drought for the cup. With the help of archived footage, present-day interviews, and some rare behind-the-scenes recordings captured by players themselves, the makers have managed to offer a unique perspective on one of the most important events in the history of Brazil. When it comes to archived footage, we get to see goalkeeper Gilmar Rinaldi and defender Jorginho come on often during the tournament, which provides us with a rare glimpse of what occurred when the event was ongoing. As viewers, we get an insight into hotel room discussions, team gatherings, and private celebrations, which gives us a feeling of being involved rather than a third party watching.

But instead of solely focusing on the win, the documentary shows us things beyond that too. For example, the year 1994 was not easy for Brazil as a country. It was a year marked by national grief due to the death of Formula One Driver Ayrton Senna. For that, the viewers also discuss how that tragedy affected the players and the nation as a whole. In addition to this, they also tell us how their eventual win was a ray of hope and healing for Brazil.  We get to see what it means to play together with unity and win at difficult times.

The only issue is that the makers have tried their best to provide us with a holistic view of the whole thing, yet somewhere the main focus continues to remain on the celebration of victory. This, in return, overshadows a lot of other themes that USA 94: Return to Glory has. But even with this flaw, it's not like the documentary doesn’t work well. It still manages to do a great job in making me feel and experience what it must have been like back in 1994 for Brazil.

Another thing is that if you want a deeper critical analysis of the game, then USA 94: Return to Glory doesn’t really enter much into the technicalities. If you want to know what happened, how it happened, and why the win meant so much, then yes, you can watch. But for those of you who wish for a more critical examination of the era or a deeper exploration of the football culture followed in Brazil, you might experience some disappointment.

The pacing is even, which is another plus point for USA 94: Return to Glory. Nowhere does the speed slow down or become too fast for us not to be able to keep track of what is being shown. That is important in a plot which has viewers of all ages, and also some who might not be born to understand the gravity of this win for Brazil.

Final Score- [7/10]
Reviewed by - Neerja Ch
Follow @NeerjaCH on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times