SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil's biggest hope to end a 24-year World Cup title drought is not a clinical striker, a creative midfielder or a dribbling winger. This time, Brazilians are pinning their hopes on a 66-year-old Italian manager.
Ancelotti Takes Over Brazil
Carlo Ancelotti, one of the most successful coaches of his generation, left Real Madrid to take over Brazil's national team last year. He becomes a rare foreign coach in charge of the Seleção.
Even though his results have been mixed — five wins, three losses and two draws — the country is optimistic he can elevate a squad seen as less star-studded than Brazil's iconic teams of the past. High-profile players like Neymar and Vinicius Júnior remain key figures.
"It is allowed to believe," Ancelotti said in a World Cup-themed advertising campaign, acknowledging the self-doubt that has crawled into Brazil's national soccer psyche.
Brazil's Long Wait for Glory
While Brazil has won the World Cup five times — more than any other team — it hasn't lifted the trophy since 2002. That's an eternity for a soccer-obsessed nation that produced legends like Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Pelé.
Since 2002, Brazil has only gotten beyond the quarterfinals once — as World Cup host in 2014. That tournament ended in disappointment after an embarrassing 7-1 semifinal loss to Germany.
Brazil's self-confidence hasn't been helped by archrival Argentina's success. The defending World Cup champions are also back-to-back Copa America winners.
World Cup Campaign Begins
Brazil begins its World Cup campaign at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on June 13 against Morocco, semifinalist in the 2022 World Cup. Other Group C opponents are Haiti and Scotland.
Surviving the group stage is taken for granted in Brazil — anything else would be disaster in a World Cup expanded from 32 to 48 teams. How deep Brazil can go against stronger opponents in the knockout phase remains less obvious.
"I am aware this team can compete against the best in the world. Can we win the World Cup and reach the final? Yes, we can reach the final. But I don't know if that is enough — it is best for us to get there and win the final," Ancelotti said on May 18.
Neymar Included Despite Fitness Concerns
One of the biggest questions facing Ancelotti is what to do with 34-year-old Neymar. He was Brazil's brightest star until he moved to the Saudi league in 2023. He hardly played there due to a string of knee injuries and returned to boyhood club Santos in Brazil, where he dealt with even more injuries.
Ancelotti included Neymar in his World Cup squad despite concerns about his fitness, calling him an "important player" for the team. Barcelona winger Raphinha also sees Neymar as key, recently describing him as "the man of our sixth World Cup title."
Tactical Approach
If that happens, it will be with a more structured approach than the free-flowing style of play that once made Brazil stand out. With a reputation as a master tactician, Ancelotti has made Brazil a team happy to sit back and wait for moments to attack rather than dominate ball possession.
He often opts for a compact 4-4-2 formation that can quickly turn into an attacking 4-2-4.
Recent Results
Brazilians are generally satisfied with Ancelotti, even though his record so far is uneven. After he took over, Brazil won two World Cup qualifiers, drew one and lost one, finishing fifth in South American qualifying behind Argentina, Ecuador, Colombia and Uruguay.
In friendlies more recently, Brazil beat Croatia — which eliminated Brazil from the 2022 World Cup in a quarterfinal shootout — but lost to 2022 runner-up France.