Carlo Ancelotti extends contract as Brazil manager

Carlo Ancelotti extended his contract as Brazil manager until the 2030 World Cup, the Brazilian soccer federation (CBF) said in a statement on Thursday.

Ancelotti joined Brazil in 2025 and will lead the team at this year's World Cup, which kicks off on June 11 in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

Ancelotti arrived in Brazil with five Champions League titles as a manager, league trophies from Europe's big five competitions and a reputation for making elite dressing rooms breathe a little easier.

One year on, he knows this job is something different: less club grind, more national obsession and perhaps his final gig. In an interview with Reuters on Tuesday, he said he was close to signing a contract extension until 2030.

"It's all sorted, we just have to sign it. I'd like to stay," he said.

Two days later, the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) confirmed the four-year extension.

“Ancelotti’s continued tenure at the helm of the Brazilian national team — the most successful side in the history of world football — reflects not only the CBF’s backing for the work carried out by the manager, but also the trust he has earned from the squad and Brazilian fans since his arrival in late May 2025,” CBF said in a statement.

"I see a squad with great potential for the future. We have top-class young players, a new generation coming through here, who are of a very high standard," Carlo Ancelotti told Reuters on Tuesday to explain why he wanted to stay.

The 66-year-old Italian took charge of Brazil after a glittering club career but preparing for the World Cup has brought a different kind of test - fewer training sessions, more emotion and the agony of choosing 26 names in a country where the iconic yellow jersey represents more than just a team.

Brazil will be missing key players including Rodrygo, Estevao and Eder Militao through injury, adding another layer of psychological strain before Ancelotti announces his squad in Rio de Janeiro on Monday. And there is also Neymar, whose inclusion (or not) in the squad has the country holding its breath.

Brazil, who are joint-fourth favourites with holders Argentina to win the World Cup behind European champions Spain, France and England, face Morocco, Haiti and Scotland in Group C.

"It weighs heavily on me," Ancelotti said when asked about the human cost of cutting players from his squad.

"I have to make a professional judgement about a player, a person with whom I get on very well personally, players who have been with us but who I might not be able to call up; ultimately, this has an impact. It affects my emotions.

"It's a relief, to present the squad list. Although more than the relief you feel for having done your job, it's something tinged with the sadness you feel at having to make this decision."

That understanding of suffering may be useful in Brazil, where recent World Cup failures have been treated as national autopsies. It is now 24 years since they last won the title.

Ancelotti said he wants to create an atmosphere in the squad that is calm, humble and serious enough to carry the pressure rather than be crushed by it.