Is Carlo Ancelotti's Brazil ready to compete in the FIFA World Cup 2026?

Brazil have beaten Paraguay at home 1-0 and qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Remember, we haven't had a single World Cup without Brazil, and 2026 won't be different. However, if the five-time champions want to win the competition, newly appointed foreign coach and serial winner Carlo Ancelotti has a lot of work to do, as he needs to find the right balance quickly with only one year left.

The Ecuador stalemate

The Italian's first match against Ecuador was truly a painful watch for all Brazilians and neutrals, as it ended in a boring goalless stalemate in Ecuador. Brazil managed just three shots, two of which came from Manchester United midfielder Casemiro, who had been called up to the national team for the first time since 2023. Ancelotti brought back a few familiar names to the lineup for the game.

Richarlison got a chance to lead the line in a 4-3-3 formation with Vinicius on the left and young talent Estevão Willian on the right, whom Chelsea paid a fortune. In the midfield, Bruno Guimarães, Gerson, and Casemiro started. At the back, former Juventus left-back and veteran Alex Sandro got the nod, with Marquinhos paired alongside Lille's 25-year-old Alexsandro Ribeiro and Vanderson at right-back.

Ecuador are a solid unit who work tirelessly off the ball, and Brazil struggled to create anything meaningful throughout the game. Even the substitutes couldn't change the game for them.

The Paraguay victory

Ancelotti tweaked his approach against Paraguay, opting to play four attackers and two midfielders in a 4-2-2-2 system where he deployed Vini and Cunha through the centre, with Raphinha and Martinelli providing width when needed from either flank. There were rotations between the attackers, and it was far better than what we had seen in the previous game.

They created a few good chances where Vini squandered a sitter from a cross that came from the right side. Cunha's headder was off target when it was easier to score, but he was a livewire. Even Martinelli provided a spark on the left-hand side. The midfield duo of Casemiro and Bruno Guimarães were relatively comfortable in the first half. The defence remained the same as the previous game.

Paraguay were in good form, but they lack goals in them—though they are a bunch of fighters. They have defeated Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay all in this qualifying campaign, but all those wins came at their home ground. Their away form isn't great, and here we all expected Brazil to show up in front of the Seleção's home fans. The Paraguayan team has the likes of Enciso, Almirón, and Alderete, who play their football in top leagues in Europe.

Vini scored the only goal in the game, which came right before the first half ended. That goal was created by Cunha, who showed aggression to pounce on the loose ball on the right-hand side of the box and crossed into the box — similar to the one Vini received earlier from Vanderson, but this time Vini could stretch his legs and score.

Second half concerns

However, in the second half, Brazil slowed down. Their build-up and midfield crumbled under Paraguay's pressing. They lacked control in midfield and even made a mistake in the build-up, which didn't cost them a goal, fortunately, as Sanabria's shot went directly to keeper Alisson. Set-piece vulnerability remains, as they are not comfortable defending long throw-ins or corners.

Ancelotti brought on another midfielder in Gerson instead of Cunha and tried to defend that one-goal lead. The likes of Richarlison also got some minutes, which might worry some fans as he is nowhere near the quality to warrant minutes in a Brazilian shirt — but the Italian knows him very well from his Everton days.

Assessment and looking forward

It wasn't a pretty or convincing win, but Ancelotti's reign has kicked off. He has a lot of work to do. If they play a similar second half against a capable side — be it South American, European, or African — it might not end up the same way.

They have shown defensive stability in the last two games, but you have to consider that those games were against teams who really struggle to score goals in the qualifiers, as Ecuador and Paraguay have scored just 13 goals in 16 games. So a better attacking unit can dismantle them, which we have seen when they played against Argentina recently. It's too early to make an assessment, as the Italian has been in the dugout for only two games, but he will take positives from this: two clean sheets, Vini scoring again, and Cunha making an impact.

Key areas for improvement

Bruno Guimarães has to find his Newcastle form in a Brazilian shirt. Casemiro has to roll back the years, or else Ancelotti might have to find a different midfield combination, as all the top teams have technically sound midfielders who can control the game when needed. Brazil lack that. Is it time to integrate Chelsea midfielder Andrey Santos into the midfield? He had a stellar year at Ligue 1 club Strasbourg on loan in the just-finished season.

The full-back area is also a concern for me. Vanderson is good, but they don't produce the likes of Cafú, Marcelo, and Maicon anymore. Centre-back Marquinhos has experience and won the treble with PSG as captain, but leading the Seleção is a different ball game altogether, I guess.

The Neymar factor

They might need Neymar to come back. Nobody has been able to replace him yet in the squad — not Vini, Rodrygo, Raphinha, or anyone. Vini's record for Brazil is disappointing, but Vini has played his best club football of his career so far under Ancelotti during their time together at Real Madrid. However, Neymar is Brazil's top scorer and has never once had the weight of that shirt burden him. He has always embraced the challenge. When he is on the pitch, he is the reference point for his teammates. But he isn't the same anymore. His body isn't the same anymore. However, if he can stay fit, his presence itself will have a big impact on this side both on and off the pitch. Can they rally behind him just like Argentina did with Messi in the last World Cup? Argentine manager Lionel Scaloni found a balance there.

Can Ancelotti work the same magic here in such a limited time? We have to wait and see

— From code to kick-off: Gulf News’ Mohammed Shamsheer spends his weekdays in DevOps and weekends watching football — a proud Chelsea supporter through and through.