The Brazilian national football team has marked its departure for the FIFA World Cup in the United States with a special ceremony to "purify" their aircraft, sparked widespread discussion across social media platforms after a video of the event went viral.

Prior to takeoff, the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) released a photo of the squad standing in front of the aircraft, captioned, "Let’s go together." The image features stars like Neymar and Vinicius Junior looking in high spirits as they prepare for their World Cup campaign.

Brazil, the record five-time world champions, last lifted the trophy in 2002. Following a nearly two-decade drought, the Seleção are embarking on this latest campaign determined to capture their long-awaited sixth title, affectionately known as the "Hexa."

The viral footage shows the chartered Azul Airlines aircraft stationed at Rio de Janeiro’s Galeão Airport. Water cannons positioned on either side of the plane sprayed arches of water over the fuselage to commemorate the journey—a traditional aviation ritual known as a "water cannon salute."

In Christian traditions, such rituals are often metaphorically viewed as a form of "baptism," symbolizing a clean slate and conveying blessings before a major journey or daunting challenge. Following the ceremony, the aircraft was specially adorned in the colors of the Brazilian national flag.

The Brazilian squad departed for New Jersey, USA, on Tuesday (June 2) at 7:00 AM Bangladesh Time (BST). After a roughly 10-hour flight, the squad, managed by coach Carlo Ancelotti, arrived safely at their destination.

The team traveled aboard a super-VIP chartered Boeing 767-300ER. The aircraft is configured with 96 fully lie-flat bed seats, allowing passengers to sleep horizontally. The CBF arranged the state-of-the-art aircraft to maximize comfort and minimize player fatigue during the long-haul flight.

The Brazilian national team will set up its World Cup preparatory training camp at the Columbia Park training facility in New Jersey. All eyes are now on the five-time champions to see if they can finally end their 24-year wait and turn the "Hexa" dream into reality.