Carlo Ancelotti beamed with pride after his first win as Brazil’s coach – a 1-0 victory over Paraguay. This was his second game in charge, following his departure from Real Madrid. The win sealed their spot in the 2026 World Cup on Ancelotti’s 66th birthday.
He drew a blank in his first game, a goalless draw against Ecuador, who have the same points and are also qualified. Ancelotti found humor in the fact that his team hasn’t conceded a goal yet. “I’m Italian, don’t forget,” he joked. “The team didn’t concede because everyone worked well, especially the midfielders like Casemiro and Bruno. They made an extraordinary effort, and the forwards helped a lot.”
DEFESA SÓLIDA É COM O ANCELOTTI! 🇮🇹🇧🇷 The Brazilian coach commented on not conceding goals in his first qualifying round. pic.twitter.com/iBo2WAmuJT
70 Players on the Radar
The team doesn’t play again until September, so Ancelotti was asked about his plans for the next three months. “First, I need to find a place to live,” he said. “Second, I’ll attend the Club World Cup. Third, I have a long list of about 70 players from around the world, including Brazil and Europe. We’ll have time to evaluate each one, as they could all potentially go to the World Cup. There’s no definitive list of 25 or 26 players yet. And maybe I’ll even get some vacation time – I don’t remember the last time I had a break.”
Neymar, Rodrygo, and Raphinha
Ancelotti left the door open for Rodrygo and Neymar, who missed this call-up. “I saw Neymar at the hotel, and we hugged. When he’s fit, he can play anywhere on the field. Today, he could have played the same role as Matheus Cunha, as a number 10. He’s very dangerous in that position. We played with four attackers today, and the team had balance. It’s not a problem to play with four, three, or two strikers – it’s about having 10 players who run and sacrifice themselves. Rodrygo has done that many times, and we know him well. Neymar can do it too, no problem.” Ancelotti also praised Raphinha, from Barcelona, saying, “He’s an spectacular, modern player who combines enormous quality with extraordinary physical work.”