Carlo Ancelotti to Leave Real Madrid for Brazil Head Coach Role

Carlo Ancelotti is set to step down as Real Madrid’s coach and take the reins of Brazil’s national team, according to an announcement by the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) on Monday. The 65-year-old Italian tactician, currently still under contract with Madrid, will become Brazil’s first full-time foreign coach in nearly a century. His transition will officially take place the day after the Spanish league wraps on May 25.

“Bringing Carlo Ancelotti to coach Brazil is more than a strategic movement. It is a statement to the world that we are determined to recover the top of the podium,” said CBF President Ednaldo Rodrigues. “He is the greatest coach in history and, now, he will be with the greatest national team on the planet.”

Ancelotti is expected to debut with the Seleção on June 5 against Ecuador in World Cup qualifying, followed by a home match against Paraguay in São Paulo on June 10. His move marks a pivotal shift for both Real Madrid and Brazil, with Ancelotti’s current contract with Madrid likely to be terminated early.

He will succeed Dorival Júnior, dismissed in March following a 4-1 defeat to Argentina. Brazil is currently in fourth place in the World Cup qualifying standings with 14 matches played. Star forward Neymar, 33, continues his recovery from an ACL injury suffered in 2023, and questions remain about his return to form. The top six South American teams will qualify directly for the 2026 tournament.

Ancelotti’s departure comes after a lackluster season for Madrid. The club failed to defend its Champions League crown and lost ground in La Liga, trailing Barcelona—who just secured a 4-3 win over Madrid—by seven points with only three rounds remaining. Neither Ancelotti nor the club has issued a statement in response to CBF’s announcement.

Brazil’s coaching seat has been a carousel since Tite stepped down following the 2022 World Cup exit to Croatia. In the interim, Ramon Menezes and Fernando Diniz led the squad, both delivering underwhelming results. Despite Ancelotti initially renewing his deal with Madrid, Brazil eventually appointed Dorival Júnior in 2024—only to let him go less than a year later after continued poor performances.

Portuguese coach Jorge Jesus, who guided Flamengo to multiple trophies in 2019 and now coaches Al-Hilal, had been a frontrunner for the job before Madrid’s Champions League elimination. Reports suggest Neymar’s father may have influenced the CBF’s decision to reject Jesus’s appointment.

This will be Ancelotti’s first full-time international coaching role. He previously served as assistant to Arrigo Sacchi during Italy’s 1994 World Cup campaign, which ended in a penalty shootout loss to Brazil. That tournament brought Brazil its fourth world title—its most recent as the nation approaches another 24-year drought ahead of the 2026 World Cup in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada.

Ancelotti’s decorated résumé includes playing stints with Roma and AC Milan and coaching roles at Reggiana, Parma, Juventus, Milan, Chelsea, PSG, Bayern Munich, Napoli, and Everton. He’s won domestic titles in five countries and lifted the Champions League trophy five times—twice with Milan and three times with Madrid in 2014, 2022, and 2023.

Only once before has Brazil handed over its team to a foreign coach for a major competition. In 1925, Uruguayan Ramón Platero oversaw Brazil’s South American championship campaign, securing two wins, one draw, and one loss. Since then, only brief caretaker roles have been handed to foreign coaches—Portuguese Jorge Gomes de Lima in 1944 and Argentine Filpo Núñez in 1965, who managed Brazil for a single match using Palmeiras players in national team kits.

Ancelotti’s move was confirmed just one day after Madrid’s fourth consecutive loss to Barcelona this season, effectively ending their title hopes. Speculation already surrounds his successor, with former Madrid midfielder Xabi Alonso expected to take charge. Alonso, who recently led Bayer Leverkusen to a historic German double, is admired for his rapid transformation of the team and for his earlier success with Madrid and Bayern as a player.

Real Madrid is still slated to compete in the upcoming FIFA Club World Cup next month, likely without Ancelotti on the touchline.