It is February 2026, and the Brazil national team slumbers still through international football’s comically long (northern hemisphere) winter hibernation. The memories of the Seleção’s last games in November have begun to fade; it is still a little too early to be thinking too hard about the upcoming end-of-March games against France and Croatia. And yet, it is beyond time to be worrying about what the heck will happen at the World Cup in June.
More so than in the leadup to any other World Cup I can remember, it is wildly unclear what, if anything, we should expect from Brazil this summer. The entire cycle since Qatar 2022 has been an unmitigated disaster, with the scandal-ridden CBF administration thrusting one incompetent coach after another into the Seleção job1 to the tune of several historic losses—right up until, somehow, just before his rampant corruption and comical mismanagement finally toppled him, federation president Ednaldo Rodrigues actually managed to sign Carlo Ancelotti as Brazil’s new coach.
Signing one of the best coaches of the 21st century understandably lifted the general mood. Brazil’s results have improved since Ancelotti took over, the team officially qualified for the World Cup with games to spare (though things might still have been hairy if not for the expansion of the World Cup to 48 teams, which increased the number of automatic qualifying spots in CONMEBOL from four to six), and the draw put us in a very winnable group with a potentially clear path through the knockout rounds until (checks notes) oh great, a possible quarterfinal rematch with Croatia.
But I want to delay worrying about that for just a little longer. Instead, I’ll be kicking off 2026 by digging into the current state of the Seleção and the burning questions still surrounding the team ahead of the World Cup.
And what better place to begin than:
So how is Carlo Ancelotti doing?
Is it fair to feel a bit concerned?
Continue reading
Recent Comments