Brazil are facing a revolution under Carlo Ancelotti after an early exit in the World Cup against Norway.
The Italian faced huge backlash in the Brazilian media for his approach in the loss that knocked the five-time champions out of the 2026 World Cup.
He gave up on keeping possession completely, spending just 34% of the time with the ball. The strategy did make sense, knowing that Norway excelled in counter-attacks and fast breaks. And Brazil did have five big chances to the Vikings’ three, including a missed penalty by Bruno Guimaraes early on.
But the reactive nature of his tactics that day did not sit well with Brazilian fans and media. They were also unhappy with senior players’ performances, like Neymar, Casemiro and Danilo. And, by the looks of things, so was Ancelotti.
What has changed in Carlo Ancelotti’s Brazil squad from the World Cup to the current international break?
Injury caveat
It’s important to start off by saying Ancelotti has yet to name his fully ideal, preferred squad. Injuries have plagued his whole stint as Brazil manager so far.
Neymar has been a shell of himself ever since tearing his ACL in 2023, and has never looked completely fit since returning to Santos. Rodrygo missed out on the Italian’s first call-up with a minor injury and has been out for the past six months, also due to an ACL tear.
Estevao and Wesley picked up injuries just before the World Cup and were left out of it entirely. Lucas Paqueta and Raphinha both got hurt during the tournament and couldn’t finish it off. Joao Pedro and Wesley, again, dropped out during the current international break as well.
Average age
What stands out the most when looking at the team that drew 1-1 with Australia is the age. Brazil’s starting XI had an average age of 25.8 years. It’s a considerable drop to the team that started their final game at the World Cup, against Norway: 28.8.
Ancelotti’s idea is to look for a complete renovation of the Brazil national team. International breaks are already short as it is, and he didn’t have the proper time to assess his options in the lead-up to the World Cup. Now, having renewed his contract until the 2030, he will have complete control over this new cycle.
As previously mentioned, he went away from the most ‘senior’ players, indicating that their international careers could be over. Neymar, Casemiro, Fabinho, Ederson, Danilo, Alex Sandro and so on. Even Liverpool’s Alisson missed out this last call-up, though he is expected to be in the mix over the next few fixtures.
As a result, only two players over 30 are currently representing Brazil: captain Marquinhos and left-back Douglas Santos, both 32. The latter is likely due to the lack of top-end options in the position.
So much so that Ancelotti looked past the likes of Caio Henrique, Renan Lodi, Alex Telles and Guilherme Arana. Instead, he handed PSV’s Mauro Junior the first senior cap of his career.
Domestic talents
The 67-year-old has also given more attention to players from the Brazilian Serie A. A whopping 11 received call-ups this time – by far the most of the Ancelotti Era. He had never named more than seven players from their domestic league in his squads.
| Player | Position | Age | Club |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hugo Souza | GK | 27 | Corinthians |
| Pedro Morisco | GK | 22 | Coritiba |
| Otavio | GK | 20 | Cruzeiro |
| Matheuzinho | RB | 26 | Corinthians |
| Arthur Dias | CB | 19 | Athletico Paranaense |
| Danilo | CM | 25 | Botafogo |
| Gabriel Bontempo | CM | 21 | Santos |
| Breno Bidon | CM | 21 | Corinthians |
| Matheus Martinelli | CM | 24 | Fluminense |
| Samuel Lino | LW | 26 | Flamengo |
| Pedro | ST | 29 | Flamengo |
Granted, not all of them were first choice. Martinelli, for instance, replaced Joao Pedro. It is an odd replacement, given the former is a central midfielder and the latter a striker. But that is not the first time Ancelotti chose a central midfielder when a player from a different position got injured. In the World Cup, for instance, Atalanta’s Ederson was the one who replaced Roma’s Wesley, a full-back.
It’s also odd to see this many Corinthians players in the current squad, as opposed to Flamengo – or even Palmeiras. The Timao sit 14th in the table, just three points above the relegation zone. They have also lost each of their last six league games and could face a tough battle against the drop.
Not only has Ancelotti looked at the Brazilian Serie A more carefully, but he has done the opposite with the Saudi league. He selected a total of zero players currently playing in the Middle East.
Gabriel Martinelli left Arsenal to join Al Hilal and, despite cameos off the bench during the World Cup, didn’t make the cut this time. Al Ahli’s Roger Ibanez played the first 45 minutes of the WC opener against Morocco and was never seen again. Also left out of Ancelotti’s call-up. Fabinho the same.
It’s a valid attempt to test different players and see what they can deliver. It has been just one game so far – a 1-1 draw with Australia, obviously not enough to draw big conclusions. But based on the names, a few of them simply do not move the needle and wouldn’t solve any problems.
All youngsters make sense, considering they have huge potential and will likely be in the top-five European leagues at some point. But Hugo Souza is more of a penalty shootout specialist than a top-tier goalkeeper. Matheuzinho is solid at national level, but out of his depth to represent the country.
Samuel Lino will likely be out of contention due to the heavy competition in his position, while Pedro has enormous talent but lacks focus and work rate to make it work at international level. He spent six months at Fiorentina in 2019 but couldn’t convince them, returning to Brazil six months later.