47% of Brazilians trust that their team will win the sixth World Cup title in Russia, extending the decline in confidence in Canarinha in recent years, according to a survey released this Tuesday by the Datafolha firm.

A few weeks before the World Cup that Brazil hosted in 2014, 68% of Brazilians believed in winning the title. Before the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, the percentage was 66%, according to the same polling firm.

For Folha de Sao Paulo, which published the result of the survey this Tuesday, the decline in Brazilians' confidence in their team reflects the pessimism generated by Brazil's historic 7-1 defeat against Germany in the semifinals of the 2014 World Cup.

The percentage of Brazilians who say they do not know who can win this year's World Cup is 37% this year, far above the 18% measured shortly before the 2014 World Cup and the 12% on the eve of the 2010 World Cup.

In contrast, 9% of Brazilians surveyed this year believe that Germany will win the World Cup, compared to 5% who expected the German title in 2014.

Datafolha surveyed 2,826 people in 174 municipalities in Brazil between January 29 and 30 for a survey whose results have a margin of error of two percentage points.

The survey noted the lower optimism of Brazilians towards their team despite Canarinha's arrival in Russia as the undisputed leader of the South American qualifiers and the high confidence that fans have in both Brazilian coach Tite and the team's main star, Neymar.

For 32% of Brazilians, the best football player in the world right now is Neymar, while 24% mention Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo and 14% refer to Argentine Leonel Messi.

Regarding the coach, 62% rate Tite's work so far as good, 15% consider his performance regular, and 3% disapprove it.

Although Tite's evaluation a few weeks before the World Cup in Russia is lower than the 68% approval rating that then Brazilian coach Luiz Felipe Scolari had shortly before the 2014 championship, it matches Carlos Alberto Parreira's rating shortly before the 2006 World Cup (62%) and surpasses Dunga's 49% before the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and Scolari's 37% on the eve of the 2002 World Cup, when Brazil won its last title.