[1] Atlético Mineiro played ten matches on European soil from 1 November to 7 December 1950, touring through West Germany (where it took part in a Winter Tournament), Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg and France (including the Saar Protectorate).

From Germany, Atlético followed to Vienna, where 60,000 people saw the Brazilians lose 0–3 to a strong Rapid Wien side, which would form the backbone of the Austria national football team in the 1954 FIFA World Cup, the tour's worst result.

Viennese press reported that Atlético Mineiro's players complained about refereeing (a supposed offside goal and a non-existent penalty to Rapid), as well as about the crowd's behaviour, which they saw as menacing (even though the home team's supporters were only raising their arms to applaud the visitors).

[15][16] Atlético won 2–1 under an extremely low temperature, which forced goalkeeper Kafunga to put his hands in a hot water bottle during the match, and caused midfielder Barbatana to suffer from hypothermia.

[17][21] Despite not having an unbeaten run, sports media lauded Atlético Mineiro's tour as a historical success for the country's football,[3] which had suffered a major setback with the Maracanazo in the same year.

The results achieved under adverse conditions and snowy grounds led to the dubbing of the team as Campeões do Gelo (Portuguese for "Ice Champions"), a feat remembered in the club's official anthem.