Carlo Ancelotti will not be the national coach of Brazil after all. He has extended his contract with Real Madrid for two years.
As the Spanish football record champions Real Madrid announced on Friday (December 29th, 2023), the new working paper is valid until June 30th, 2026. Ancelotti’s previous contract would have expired at the end of this season; he has been training the Royal team since the summer of 2021. In five seasons Ancelotti has won ten titles at Real so far.
This means that a change for Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso, who has already been considered Ancelotti’s successor by various media in Madrid, is no longer an issue, at least next summer. Alonso’s contract also runs until 2026.
End of speculation about a job in Brazil
There had previously been speculation that Ancelotti should leave Madrid and become Brazil’s national coach instead. In July, Ednaldo Rodrigues, president of the Brazilian association CBF based in Barra da Tijuca, a suburb of Rio de Janeiro, told the broadcaster “TV Globo” that Ancelotti should become the Copa América national coach from summer 2024.
The “Selecao” is currently having big problems. The five-time title holder only finished sixth in qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. Recently there were three defeats in a row for the selection trained by interim coach Fernando Diniz, who is employed full-time at Fluminese Rio de Janeiro.