Carlo Ancelotti takes over as Brazil's highest-paid national team coach

Published on May 12, 2025 at 5:09 pm

Carlo Ancelotti is the new coach of the Brazilian national team. After back and forth negotiations that dragged on for more than two years, the CBF announced the hiring of the Italian on Monday morning (12). The contract is valid until the 2026 World Cup. The confirmation came even before the announcement of the coach's departure from Real Madrid. He will give an interview today, in which he will give details of his farewell to the white club.

Carlo Ancelotti is the new coach of the Brazilian national team . After back and forth negotiations that dragged on for more than two years, the CBF announced the hiring of the Italian on Monday morning (12). The commitment is valid until the 2026 World Cup. The confirmation came even before the announcement of the coach's departure from Real Madrid. He will give an interview today, in which he will give details of his farewell to the white club.

Still, Ancelotti will lead the Merengue team in the final three rounds of LaLiga. The last one will be on the weekend of May 24th and 25th. The following day, the 26th, he will make his first call-up to the national team , for the matches against Ecuador, on June 5th, in Guayaquil, and Paraguay, on June 10th, in São Paulo.

In order to count on the experienced coach for the final stages of the Qualifiers and, above all, for the 2026 World Cup, the CBF agreed to offer him a salary of R$5 million per month , something close to what he currently earns at Real Madrid. The amount is almost double what Tite received. This should position Ancelotti, at 65 years of age, as the highest-paid professional among those who manage national teams.

"Bringing Carlo Ancelotti to lead Brazil is more than a strategic move. It is a statement to the world that we are determined to reclaim the top spot on the podium. He is the greatest coach in history and now he is leading the greatest team on the planet. Together, we will write new glorious chapters in Brazilian football," said CBF president Ednaldo Rodrigues when announcing the new head of the dugout.

The Italian was Ednaldo's dream for the position . The attempts began in 2023. At the time, in July, the entity announced Fernando Diniz, then coach of Fluminense, as interim coach of Brazil. The intention was to wait for the European. However, the hiring was not confirmed and Dorival Júnior took the position. Now at Corinthians, he was fired after a 4-1 defeat to Argentina.

Talks for the new coach were resumed in April and required intense negotiations by the CBF . The entity received two negative responses from the coach and saw Real Madrid make the deal difficult. However, with the European season coming to an end, the negotiations evolved to a happy ending.

The trend is that Spaniard Xabi Alonso will take over the team from the Spanish capital . An idol of the club as a player, he comes from an impressive trajectory with Bayer Leverkusen, from Germany, where he won the Bundesliga undefeated in the 2023/2024 season.