Carlo Ancelotti to Brazil: Italian manager signs with Brazil on reported one-year deal through 2026 World Cup

Carlo Ancelotti has been appointed as the new head coach of Brazil with the Italian head coach leaving Real Madrid at the end of the current 2024-25 season in a move that has been widely anticipated by multiple reports. The CBF, the Brazilian FA, has announced it on Monday: "The CBF is proud to confirm that Carlo Ancelotti will become the next head coach of the Brazilian national football team. Mr. Ancelotti is a legend of the game as the most successful manager in football history, will officially take charge following the conclusion of the 2024/25 La Liga season, ahead of Brazil's FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign in June. His official start date May 26th, 2025. Carlo Ancelotti arrives as the first foreign manager in the history of the Selecao. This landmark moment sees the coming together of two icons - the only five-time FIFA World Cup champions, and a coach with an unmatched record across Europe's elite competitions. The CBF warmly welcomes Mr. Ancelotti and looks forward to a new era of success under his leadership."

The Spanish giants are expected to appoint Xabi Alonso in the summer ahead of the FIFA Club World Cup, after the manager announced last week that he will leave Bayer Leverkusen. Alonso will likely start his new role after the last weekend of La Liga's season and Ancelotti is also expected to start his new managerial chapter, the first one at a national team in his career, ahead of the FIFA 2026 World Cup qualifiers when the Brazilian national team will face Ecuador and Paraguay in June.

Ancelotti has already signed the contract with Brazil, after the negotiations between the parties were conducted by Brazilian businessman Diego Fernandes over the past weeks, according to the Athletic. It will be one-year deal, valid until the end of the FIFA 2026 World Cup that will take place next summer in the United States, Mexico and Canada according to Italian journalist Matteo Moretto. It's been a rocky road to get to this point as the deal reportedly almost fell through when the Brazilian FA decided to end negotiations, but then things seemed to calm down in the days that followed, and Ancelotti is now ready to start a new chapter at Brazil.

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Real Madrid were knocked out by Arsenal in the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals and lost 3-2 in the Copa del Rey final against FC Barcelona, and also lost 4-3 the in the La Liga Clasico against Barcelona on Sunday, which effectively, though not mathematically, ended the dreams of Real Madrid to make a late comeback in the league.

Ancelotti is one of the most successful managers in the history of the sport, as the Italian has won 31 major trophies in his career in Italy, France, Germany, Spain, and England. He is the only manager to win league titles in all five major European leagues and holds the record for the most Champions League titles (five) and UEFA Super Cup titles (five) as a coach. Winning a major trophy with a national team like Brazil would be another milestone in the career of one of the most influential soccer managers in history as Brazil are the only national team to qualify for every World Cup.