Dorival Junior, current Sao Paulo coach, is considered the main candidate to lead the Brazilian team. His goal is the Copa América in the USA this year and qualification for the 2026 World Cup.
The dismissal of previous interim coach Fernando Diniz, who also coached Copa America champions Fluminense, was announced by Ednaldo Rodrigues, the recently reinstated president of the Brazilian Football Association. Diniz left after six games, with just two wins, a draw against Venezuela and losses to Uruguay, Colombia and Argentina in CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying.
Dorival, the number 1 candidate
Although the Italian Carlo Ancelotti was initially considered as a successor, the Real Madrid coach showed doubts and ultimately extended his contract with the Madrid club. Rodrigues has already expressed his interest in Dorival Junior and communicated his intentions to Sao Paulo president Julio Caseres.
At 61, Dorival Junior has extensive experience and has coached 20 teams including Flamengo, Palmeiras, Santos and Athletico Paranaense. With Flamengo he achieved the feat of winning the Copa Libertadores against Paranaense and the Brazilian Cup in 2022.
As for Sao Paulo's performance under the leadership of Dorival Junior, the 2023 season began with an unexpected surprise in the Paulista Championship when it was eliminated in the quarterfinals by Agua Santa, which then lost the final to Palmeiras. However, in the Copa do Brasil, Dorival led the team to victory against Flamengo, thereby securing their place in the next Copa Libertadores. In the Brasileirao, the team finished 11th with 14 wins, 11 draws and 13 losses.