The Brazilian national team has long awaited Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti. Though their first attempt to bring him in failed, this time Brazil has succeeded. Ancelotti is set to officially take charge of the Seleção in May, with full responsibilities beginning in June. From then, players like Vinícius Júnior and Rodrygo will be led by the experienced Italian in their national team campaign.
Respected journalist Fabrizio Romano, known for his reports on BBC and Sky Italia, confirmed that Ancelotti will become Brazil’s head coach from May 26. He has signed a contract to lead the team until the 2026 World Cup. This appointment makes Ancelotti the first full-time foreign coach in the history of Brazilian football.
The last time Brazil had a foreign coach was back in 1965, when Argentine Filpo Núñez took temporary charge. That means Brazil will play under a foreign coach after nearly 60 years. Ancelotti will start his journey as Brazil coach with two World Cup qualifying matches against Ecuador and Paraguay in June.
Carlo Ancelotti
He is also set to become the highest-paid national team coach in history. According to Spanish outlet Diario AS and Brazilian outlet Globo, Ancelotti will earn $85,000 per month equivalent to $10 million a year. In Bangladeshi currency, that’s around 121 crore taka annually, or over 10 crore taka monthly.
If he can guide Brazil to World Cup victory in 2026, he’ll receive an additional $5 million in bonuses. According to ESPN, his salary is more than double that of his predecessors Tite and Dorival Júnior making this one of the biggest national team contracts in football history.
Though he has never coached a national team before, Ancelotti brings an exceptional club-level record. He is the only manager to have won league titles in all of Europe’s top five leagues, and he holds the record for five UEFA Champions League trophies as a coach.