Brazil have announced that Carlo Ancelotti will be taking over as their next manager ahead of the next round of Fifa World Cup qualifiers in June.
Ancelotti is currently in his second spell in charge of Real Madrid but will be leaving the Spanish side after the final game the current campaign against Real Sociedad.
The 65-year-old is still under contract with Madrid until the last round of the La Liga campaign on May 25 and the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) said in a statement that he will officially take over Brazil the following day.
The CBF also thanked Real president Florentino Perez for “facilitating the coach's release during his contract term” with his current deal not due to end until 2026.
Brazil’s next two fixtures are World Cup qualifiers away to Ecuador on June 5 and then five days later against Paraguay in Sao Paulo.
“The CBF is proud to confirm that Carlo Ancelotti will become the next head coach of the Brazilian national football team,” the official statement read.
“Mr Ancelotti is a legend of the game as the most successful manager in football history, will officially take charge following the conclusion of the 2024/25 La Liga season, ahead of Brazil's Fifa World Cup qualifying campaign in June.
“Carlo Ancelotti arrives as the first foreign manager in the history of the Selecao.
“This landmark moment sees the coming together of two icons – the only five-time Fifa World Cup champions, and a coach with an unmatched record across Europe’s elite competitions.
“The CBF warmly welcomes Mr Ancelotti and looks forward to a new era of success under his leadership.”
Ancelotti is the only coach to win the Uefa Champions League on five occasions, three times while in charge of Real with the other two coming with AC Milan.
He has also won domestic titles with both of those clubs as well as with Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich.
But after the securing the Champions League and La Liga double last season, Madrid are set to finish the current campaign without a trophy, barring an unlikely collapse by bitter rivals Barcelona with three league games to go.
Barca secured a fourth clasico victory in a row on Sunday when they defeated Real 4-3 in a breathless battle at the Olympic Stadium which mean's Hansi Flick's side enjoy a seven-point lead at the top.
Ancelotti, though, will now be replacing Dorival Junior as Brazil coach following his sacking after a humiliating World Cup qualifying defeat to rivals Argentina in March.
CBF president Ednaldo Rodrigues initially delayed naming a successor after Tite's 2022 departure in the hope of persuading Ancelotti to take the role.
But the fact that the wait for him to leave Madrid initially proved too long for Ednaldo is testament to Ancelotti's success in the Spanish capital.
Dorival was named head coach in January 2024, but Brazil have stuttered their way towards next year's World Cup in North America, stumbling to five defeats and three draws from their 14 qualifiers so far.
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Real Madrid, meanwhile, are expected to announce former player Xabi Alonso as Ancleotti's replacement in the coming days.
Alonso confirmed last Friday that he would be leaving Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen at the end of the season, just 12 months after guiding their club to a first ever domestic title.
He took charge of his final home game at the BayArena on Sunday and while Leverkusen fell to a 4-2 defeat by Borussia Dortmund, Alonso was given a rousing reception by supporters before, during and after the match.
“This club will stay forever in my heart,” Alonso said after the game. “The result doesn't matter, it wasn't the most important thing.”
