Vinicius Junior, the latest soccer sensation from Brazil, joined up with the Flamengo first team squad for the first time on Thursday ahead of an expected big-money move to Real Madrid.

The Copa America is likely to be expanded to 16 teams when it next takes place in Brazil in 2019, South American soccer's governing body said on Wednesday.

Five-times world champions Brazil have returned to what they will consider their rightful place at the top of the FIFA rankings for the first time in seven years.

Brazil recovered from conceding an early goal to beat Uruguay 4-1 in Montevideo on Thursday, with Paulinho grabbing a hat-trick in a win that all but cemented their place at next year's World Cup finals.

Liverpool striker Roberto Firmino will replace Gabriel Jesus in the Brazil team to play Uruguay in Thursday's crunch World Cup qualifier, coach Tite said on Wednesday.

Veteran forward Diego Souza was called up to replace injured Manchester City star Gabriel Jesus as Brazil made three changes to their squad for upcoming 2018 World Cup qualifiers against Uruguay and Paraguay on Friday.

Rio de Janeiro's famed Carnival bacchanalia hit full stride on Saturday, as hundreds of thousands roared into the streets for one of the city's oldest and by far its biggest "bloco" street party, the Bola Preta.

Five times World Cup winners Brazil will play Australia in a friendly at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on June 13, giving the Socceroos the toughest of warm-ups for the Confederations Cup later that month.

Brazil beat Colombia 1-0 in a benefit match for the families of those killed in the Chapecoense air disaster but Wednesday's game in Rio de Janeiro was marred by a disappointing turnout.

Brazilian midfielder Oscar landed in Shanghai on Monday where the 25-year-old was set to smash the Asian transfer record with a reported 60 million euros ($63 million) deal with Shanghai SIPG.

Former Brazil international defender Alex on Monday announced his retirement from football at the age of 34 due to a serious knee injury that requires surgery.

Barcelona striker Luis Suarez hopes teammate Lionel Messi will follow his lead by signing a long-term contract to see out the remainder of his prime years at the Camp Nou.

The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) has announced a benefit game between Brazil and Colombia on Jan. 25, the same day Chapecoense play their first game since the air crash that prompted the friendly.

Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps towered over the 2016 Rio Games, capping an era of sustained excellence that promises to reverberate through the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and beyond.

The pilot in the plane crash that killed 71 people traveling to Colombia on a Bolivian charter including footballers from Brazil had not flown enough hours to pilot commercial flights, a copilot's attorney said Saturday.

Brazil and Argentina are set to play a South American "Superclassico" gala match in Australia next year, it was reported Tuesday.

Bolivian authorities detained on Tuesday the chief executive of airline LaMia, the owner of the plane that crashed last week in Colombia and killed nearly all of Brazil's Chapacoense soccer team, prosecutors said.

Brazil have invited Colombia to play a friendly match next month with proceeds from the game going to families of the Chapecoense players and staff killed in the Medellin air crash, a Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) spokesman told Reuters on Monday.

South American football confederation CONMEBOL agreed Monday to award the Copa Sudamericana to Brazilian club Chapecoense, whose team was wiped out in a plane crash while heading to the final.

Colombian striker Radamel Falcao scored twice as Monaco thrashed Bastia 5-0 to move top of Ligue 1 on Saturday, while French champions Paris Saint-Germain crashed to a shock 3-0 defeat at Montpellier.