World Cup 2026: Brazil Carlo Ancelotti gamble and why 'cursed' Selecao must win ugly

For over two decades, the yellow shirt of Brazil has carried a weight that feels increasingly heavy. It's been 24 years since Ronaldo's shorn head and clinical finishing delivered the Seleo's fifth World Cup title in Yokohama and for a nation that views second place as "the first of the losers," the drought is becoming unbearable.

Brazil head into the 2026 World Cup as the ultimate sleeping giant - a team defined by a glorious, dazzling past but haunted by a pragmatic, frustrating present. Having failed to progress beyond the quarter-final stage since their 2002 triumph, the quest for the Hexa (the sixth title) has never felt more daunting.

At the heart of this struggle lies a fundamental identity crisis. The free-flowing flair and individual brilliance that once allowed Brazil to sweep teams aside now feel increasingly obsolete in a modern footballing landscape defined by hyper-structured, collectivist systems.

To turn the tide, the Brazilian FA has made a historic move, appointing their first foreign manager in over 60 years. They haven't just hired anyone; they've hired serial winner and cup competition extraordinaire Carlo Ancelotti - a man now tasked with restoring the world's most iconic footballing nation to its former glory.

To understand the mood in Rio and So Paulo ahead of this summer's showpiece, we spoke to veteran commentator and author Jon Cotterill in the latest episode of Mirror Football's Make Football Great Again podcast. Based in Brazil for years, Cotterill provides an unfiltered perspective on the reality of 'modern' Brazilian football, why the Ancelotti appointment is a gamble and why a nation once obsessed with flair is now ready to win ugly.

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The death of 'Joga Bonito'

For fans expecting a carnival of flamboyancy this summer, Cotterill has a reality check: Joga Bonito ['the Beautiful Game' - often used a synonym for Brazilian flair] is dead. The idea of Brazil as a team of dancing magicians is, in his view, a product of clever TV editing and deep nostalgia.

"I'm sorry to tell you, but it died decades ago," Cotterill admits. "People watch Brazil every four years and the TV companies drag out images from 50 years ago. The reality is a lot more pragmatic."

He traces this shift back as far as 1966, noting that even the celebrated winners of 1994 and 2002 were built on steel rather than silk. "1994 was pretty grim - the final against Italy was an awful 0-0 draw. 2002 was under [Luis Felipe] Scolari and was very pragmatic," Cotterill adds.

"The 'Beautiful Game' has been buried for decades, though the squad they have now is arguably the best they've had since 1970."

[Brazil squad poses]

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Brazil will be one of the favourites heading into the tournament(Image: Getty Images)

End of the Neymar era

Perhaps the biggest shock from within the Brazilian camp is the total decline of their long-time poster boy and all-time goalscorer Neymar. For Cotterill, the chances of the former Barcelona and PSG superstar, now 34, making a meaningful impact - or even the squad - are non-existent.

"The days of depending on Neymar are long over. There's absolutely no chance [he goes to the World Cup]. He's 34, he's been injured and he looks completely out of shape. I saw him recently and he looked like someone who had just played a Sunday League game.

"Under a Brazilian coach, politics might have got him in, but under Ancelotti, I don't think there's any chance. Hed be in danger of embarrassing himself against elite players."

New heroes and 'next big thing'

With Neymar out of the picture, Brazil are looking for a new talisman. While Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior is the global star, Cotterill points to Barcelona's Raphinha as a key figure - albeit a volatile one.

[ Vinicius Junior and Raphinha ]

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Vinicius Junior and Raphinha will lead Brazil's attack this summer(Image: Getty Images)

"Raphinha is a real wind-up merchant," Cotterill laughs. "He's in the faces of the opposition and the referees. But if he can control himself, he's a leading light."

As for Brazil's 'next big thing,' the hype is centred on Chelsea's Estevao - who, unfortunately for Ancelotti and Co. looks set to miss the tournament after picking up a serious hamstring injury in the Blues' 1-0 defeat to Manchester United this month.

But whether or not we see Estevao in North America this summer, Cotterill believes the sky is the limit for the teenager. "I've spoken to many scouts here in Brazil and they've always said that Estevao has no ceiling," Cotterill says. "There are no limits on what he can achieve. He's got the pace, he's got the balance, he has belief, he's a problem solver.

"He can find ways of getting around the opposition. But he's only going to be 19 in April, still very young. And I don't think he's at that level - yet - to carry Brazil on a regular basis."

[Estevao Willian of Brazil]

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Estevao is the next big thing of Brazilian football - but looks set to miss the World Cup through injury(Image: Getty Images)

The Ancelotti gamble

The appointment of Carlo Ancelotti is the ultimate "win or bust" move. While the Italian is popular with the media, the pressure of being the first foreign boss in the modern era is immense.

"There is still resistance to having foreign coaches here," Cotterill notes. "If he wins, it's fantastic. If he loses, he's going to get thrown under the bus. Brazil will likely cruise the group stages - they always do - but as soon as they hit a half-decent European side, they've crashed out for 20 years.

"Ancelotti's job isn't tactics; it's more about managing the personnel because you've got so many fantastic players. His problem will be finding the right blend of who to bring in at the right time."

[Brazil head coach Carlo Ancelotti]

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Carlo Ancelotti is under pressure to perform(Image: Getty Images)

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Pressure and past trauma

In Brazil, the pressure to secure a sixth star isn't just sporting; it's cultural. To understand the Brazilian psyche, one must understand that the trauma of their 7-1 semi-final drubbing by Germany in 2014 never truly left. In fact, it changed the way the country speaks.

"The phrase in Portuguese now is: 'Every day is a 7-1,'" Cotterill reveals. "If you've got many problems, that's how you describe it. In 1950, when they lost the final to Uruguay, few people actually saw it. But in 2014, millions saw it worldwide. It was a hammer blow."

This lingering scar has created a "win-at-all-costs" mentality that leaves no room for silver medals - and a mantra for the nation to live by. "It's like Ayrton Senna, the Formula 1 legend, used to say: finishing second is just being the first of the losers," Cotterill explains. "That is the attitude here. Anything less than winning the trophy is considered a total failure."

While every major footballing nation carries baggage, Brazil's burden is uniquely psychological. We saw the cracks at their home World Cup of 2014 when players were reduced to tears during the national anthem. "In 2014, the pressure was amplified, and even experienced players could not cope. They let their emotions get to them," says Cotterill.

"Nowadays, they have psychologists and a full backroom staff to help them use those emotions positively. They'll need it, because the fans don't care about the 'Beautiful Game' anymore - if they park the bus and win, the country will be ecstatic."

Expectations

On paper, Brazil's path through the opening round looks relatively smooth. They find themselves in a group alongside Morocco, Haiti and Scotland. While those fixtures might provide some 'banana skin' potential for others, Cotterill expects the usual script to play out - at least initially.

"It's going to be the same old, same old," he predicts. "Brazil have become rather predictable over the last 20 years. They'll cruise through the group stage - or they should do - and probably through the next phase too. But the major problem is that as soon as they come up against any half-decent side, they crash out."

For a generation of Brazilian players, European opposition has become a mental block. "In the last 20 years, they've consistently gone out to European sides," Cotterill notes. "I remember one of the defenders complaining that there were too many European teams in the tournament!

"They'll navigate the early phases with ease but the real test is whether Ancelotti can stop the rot when they meet the heavy hitters in the business end of the summer."

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