Ancelotti vows Brazil's troubled team will regain the championship title
Veteran Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti, a five-time Champions League winner, has been unveiled as the new head coach of Brazil's national football team, marking a historic appointment as the first non-Brazilian coach in six decades to lead the five-time World Cup champions.
Speaking during his official presentation at a Rio de Janeiro hotel, Ancelotti expressed pride at guiding "the best team in the world" and expressed hope that Brazil would once again claim World Cup glory, aiming to win the 2026 tournament.
The 65-year-old takes the reins of a national team for the first time, inheriting a squad that has struggled for form in 2026 World Cup qualifying, following the dismissal of Dorival Junior after a humiliating 4-1 loss to Argentina in March.
Ancelotti announced his first squad, which includes Manchester United midfielder and former Brazil captain Casemiro, Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr, and Barcelona winger Raphinha, for June's qualifiers against Ecuador and Paraguay. The midfielder Casemiro, who has not been called up since October 2023, was given the nod to return.
However, Neymar, who has not played for Brazil since suffering a serious knee injury in October 2023, will not feature in the upcoming qualifiers, although Ancelotti indicated he still considered the forward an important part of his plans.
Ancelotti assumed his role amid turbulence within Brazil's football federation (CBF), which elected a new president, Samir Xaud, following the dismissal of the previous boss over conspiracy allegations.
The CBF and Brazilian football fans hopes are high that Ancelotti can revive the squad's form and reclaim the status of the greatest national team in the world, with eyes firmly set on winning the 2026 World Cup.
Source: AFP, 2025
Despite hailing from Italy, Carlo Ancelotti, the renowned Champions League winner, expressed his ambition to guide Brazil's national football team in their pursuit of the 2026 World Cup, showing his intent to surpass even his past achievements in other countries. As the first non-Brazilian coach in six decades to take charge of the five-time World Cup champions, Ancelotti hopes to lead Brazil to victory, emulating the success they have previously shown on the global stage, a feat thatpledges to captivate the attention of soccer enthusiasts not just in Brazil, but also the United States and Canada, where passion for sports, particularly football, is palpable.
