The Brazilian Football Federation (CBF) has reportedly renewed its interest in Carlo Ancelotti, hoping the Italian coach will take charge of the national team for the 2026 World Cup. This comes after Brazil’s disappointing 4-1 loss to Argentina in World Cup qualifying, which left them in fourth place. Only the top six teams from CONMEBOL will automatically qualify for the tournament in the USA, Mexico, and Canada.
Back in 2023, the CBF had attempted to bring the 65-year-old coach on board, even preparing to make him Brazil’s first-ever foreign manager. According to The Athletic, the federation has reached out to Ancelotti again amid growing pressure on current coach Dorival Junior. However, Madrid reportedly claims to be unaware of any contact between Ancelotti and the CBF.
Brazilian legend Ronaldo Nazario recently stated that the CBF’s pursuit of Ancelotti in 2023 was “not a fantasy” after he declined their offer. Ancelotti, in the final year of his contract at Real Madrid, had been a target for Brazil, with several of his Madrid players also on the Selecao squad.
CBF president Ednaldo Rodrigues, who was re-elected this week without opposition, had previously stated that Ancelotti would take over the Brazil job once his Madrid contract expired in 2024, just in time for the Copa America in June. “He will be here, you can be sure,” Rodrigues said.
However, the appointment never materialized. Instead, Fernando Diniz was asked to manage the team temporarily while maintaining his role as Fluminense’s coach, with Dorival Junior eventually being named the head coach. Ronaldo revealed that Real Madrid was close to parting ways with Ancelotti, which would have cleared the way for him to take over in Brazil. “It was not a fantasy because I helped in the process by talking to Carlo, but he wasn’t released,” Ronaldo explained on Charla Podcast. “If he hadn’t won anything, Real Madrid would have fired him, and Ancelotti would have come, but he won the Champions League and stayed for another year.”