2026 World Cup, Italy: It’s Time to Give It Another Shot with Carlo Ancelotti

Brazil’s failure—its earliest exit from the World Cup finals since 1990—could open up new possibilities for the future of Carlo Ancelotti, the Selecao’s head coach.

The coach from Emilia is under contract with the CBF, Brazil’s soccer federation, through 2030, but contracts are just pieces of paper. And if an opportunity were to arise, the FIGC must not be caught unprepared: Carletto will be eager for redemption, and seeing him at the helm of the Azzurri could be the solution to the ills plaguing Italian soccer. Not for everyone, of course, but returning to the World Cup after three consecutive absences is crucial.

The debacle against Norway in the round of 16 sparked a full-blown media uproar in Brazil. Brazil’s leading media outlets tore Ancelotti’s tactical decisions to shreds, accusing him of adopting an overly passive approach, letting the Scandinavians control the game while relying on counterattacks. This philosophy clashes with the Seleção’s historic identity, and Globoesporte dismissed it in no uncertain terms: “Ancelotti’s plan failed—it failed spectacularly. You can’t even say the defeat came from playing like Brazil.”

The handling of the first-half penalty also caused a stir, when Bruno Guimarães was mesmerized by goalkeeper Nyland. Vinicius clarified that the decision had been made by the coach: “The coach chooses in advance who will take the penalty. He chose Bruno. I’ve never backed out.” Ancelotti defended himself by explaining that he based the decision on statistics collected throughout the year, but the justification failed to convince Brazilian fans, who flooded social media with scathing comments.