Ancelotti has to settle for a draw on his Brazil debut

Carlo Ancelotti had to settle for a goalless draw in his debut as Brazil coach. In the South American qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the Seleção could only manage a 0-0 draw against Ecuador.

The Italian coach, who officially took over last week, was greeted with high expectations. However, Brazil barely created any clear chances against Ecuador's defensively well-organized team at the Estadio Monumental Banco Pichincha in the city of Guayaquil.

Ancelotti spoke afterward of a difficult game for his three strikers, but was not dissatisfied and promised more attacking play for the upcoming matches. "We'll have more opportunities to control the game, more movement and intensity," said the 65-year-old, who joined from Real Madrid. "It was a good draw. We're going home satisfied, with confidence for the next game."

The draw leaves Brazil in fourth place in the South American qualifiers with 22 points from 15 matches. The top six of ten teams qualify directly for the tournament in the USA, Canada, and Mexico, while the seventh-place finisher will face a relegation play-off. Next Tuesday (local time), Brazil will face Paraguay, while Ecuador will play Peru.

Superstar Neymar, who is still recovering from injury, was not included in the squad. However, the new coach emphasized that he "naturally" wanted to rely on the 33-year-old in the future—Neymar hasn't played an international match since October 2023 due to injury. Instead, talented players like 18-year-old Estêvão were given a chance—he made his first start for the national team. Veterans like Casemiro also returned to the team.

A lot had changed recently for the out-of-form record world champions: After the 4-1 defeat in the last World Cup qualifier against arch-rivals Argentina at the end of March and the subsequent sacking of Dorival Júnior, Ancelotti took over the reins on the sidelines. "Of course, he hasn't had time to show his work, his game plan, because we've only had two or three days of training," said striker Vinicius Júnior after the final whistle. He knows Ancelotti very well from their time together at Real Madrid.