Ancelotti beats Florentino to the punch and finds a job before he's fired

The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) has announced that Carlo Ancelotti will be its new national team coach starting May 26th. The Italian will finish La Liga (three matches remaining) with Real Madrid before packing his bags. Pending official confirmation, Xabi Alonso, who has managed German side Bayer Leverkusen for the last two seasons, will be the new Real Madrid coach. The former Basque midfielder was one of José Mourinho's most loyal students fifteen years ago. Florentino Pérez's plan is for him to coach Real Madrid as soon as this summer's Club World Cup.

The announcement comes after Barça's 4-3 victory in the Clásico at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys on Sunday, securing the La Liga title, and Alonso's final coaching role with Leverkusen. The change in the Real Madrid bench was taken for granted, but the Barça victory has accelerated the pace. Ancelotti has signed a contract until the 2026 World Cup with an option to extend it until 2030. The national team canarinha hasn't won a World Cup since 2002. Back then, the team was led by Rivaldo, Ronaldo, and Ronaldinho. It's been a while.

"The best national team in the history of football will now be led by the most successful coach in the world. Carlo Ancelotti, synonymous with historic achievements, was announced this Monday by CBF President Ednaldo Rodrigues as the new coach of the Brazilian national team," the confederation itself stated. The leader also appeared in a recording to proclaim the arrival of Carletto"He's the only coach in the history of football to have won five Champions League titles and all five of Europe's top leagues [...] I want to thank Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez for his understanding and support, which has made this transaction possible."

Two games to start

The first thing Ancelotti will do as Brazil's coach is announce the squad for the next two World Cup qualifiers in 2026. The debut will be on June 6 against Ecuador away from home. Five days later, the Seleçao will visit the always awkward Paraguay. The five-time world champions are currently fourth in their South American qualifying group for next year's summer tournament, behind Argentina, Ecuador, and Uruguay. The possibility of Brazil failing in this pre-World Cup race is not in the cards.

Ancelotti, 65, will coach a national team for the first time in his career. Aside from his two spells at Real Madrid (2013-2015 and 2021-2025), he has also managed AC Milan, Chelsea, PSG, and Bayern Munich, among others. "I've never heard that Real Madrid doesn't love me. Real Madrid has always shown me affection. That's the way life goes. I couldn't be Real Madrid's manager forever. There's no need to make a big deal out of it. A thousand thanks to the club, to this team... I'll always be a Real Madrid fan. The period that's coming to an end is spectacular. Six years coaching Real Madrid and 11 titles!" the Italian said at the press conference before the La Liga match against Mallorca at the Santiago Bernabéu.