Now it’s official: Dorival Junior will be Brazil’s new national soccer coach. The CBF association confirmed this on Wednesday and announced the coach’s introduction on Thursday in Rio de Janeiro.
The 61-year-old succeeds Fernando Diniz at the record world champion, who was only released at the end of last week after three defeats in a row. Nothing is known about the length of the contract, but according to media reports it will run until the 2026 World Cup.
Dorival Junior’s former club, FC Sao Paulo, had already announced its commitment on Sunday. Accordingly, the veteran coach had asked for a release to take over the Selecao. It is “a personal dream that has come true.”
Dorival Junior won the national cup with Sao Paulo last year. With Flamengo he also triumphed in the Copa Libertadores in 2022, the South American equivalent of the Champions League.
Brazil is only in sixth place in South America’s World Cup qualification with seven points after six games. Diniz also didn’t get the hang of the five-time world champion.
Since successful coach Tite was fired after the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the association has been looking for a long-term solution. Neither Tite’s successor Ramon Menezes nor Diniz turned out to be this. Most recently, Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti was considered the new national coach, but the Italian recently extended his contract with the Royals.