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Boeing 767-300ER from Aeronexus carries players and technical staff, while Azul only participates in the aircraft’s visual characterization
The Brazilian team’s journey to the 2026 World Cup began with an unusual detail that quickly caught attention. The delegation led by Carlo Ancelotti boarded this Monday, June 1st, on a Boeing 767-300ER with Azul’s branding. The aircraft, however, does not belong to the Brazilian company but to the South African company Aeronexus. The plane is registered as ZS-NEX and was chartered to transport players and technical staff to the United States.
Partnership with Azul explains the plane’s painting
The presence of Azul’s brand on the fuselage generated curiosity because the company does not operate the plane used by the team. The CBF requested an executive aircraft with more than 90 seats in this configuration, something that currently does not exist in Brazil. Therefore, the confederation itself chartered the Boeing 767-300ER from Aeronexus, which will also provide the crew. Azul, in turn, will be responsible only for the external characterization of the aircraft, within the partnership with the entity.
Operation deviates from the standard of the last World Cups
The journey in a plane from one company but with the branding of another is something unusual in the recent routine of the Brazilian team. In the 2022 World Cup, the delegation traveled to Qatar in a Qatar Airways aircraft, without Gol’s branding, the sponsor at that time. In 2018, the CBF rented an Airbus A340, also without the branding of the partner company at the time. Thus, the 2026 operation differs from the team’s two previous World Cup trips.
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Arrival in the United States marks the beginning of preparation
The players and members of the coaching staff will land on the morning of Tuesday, June 2, at Newark Airport in the United States. After that, the delegation will head to the New York Red Bulls Training Center, located in Morristown, New Jersey. The location will serve as the initial base for the team during preparation. Despite the international flight of about ten hours, the Aeronexus Boeing will not be used for internal travel during the Cup, which will be conducted by American airlines.
Boeing 767-300ER is suited for long flights
The Boeing 767-300ER is a wide-body aircraft designed for long-distance routes. Depending on the configuration chosen by the operator, the model can carry more than 200 passengers and has the range for non-stop intercontinental flights. In the case of the Brazilian team, the plane is equipped for charter operations, meaning exclusive charter flights without ticket sales to the general public. This configuration offers more internal space than conventional aircraft used in domestic flights.
Aeronexus serves sports groups and international tours
Aeronexus operates specifically in the segment of exclusive flights for sports teams, government delegations, musical tours, and clients who need reserved transportation. The same plane has been used by the British band Rolling Stones on some tours and also by Flamengo, among other clients. Thus, the choice meets the logistical needs of the CBF, while the visual identity of Azul reinforces the commercial partnership with the Brazilian team.
The journey towards the sixth title begins, therefore, with a different operation from the last World Cups and with a plane that became a topic even before the debut.
After all, when the Brazilian team embarks for a World Cup on a foreign aircraft branded by a national company, even the flight becomes the center of attention.
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