Courtesy: Google
In the aftermath of Brazil's latest 1-4 loss to Argentina in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, the national team’s head coach Dorival Jr. has been sacked by the Brazilian federation. The official news was released by the Brazilian Football Federation (CBF) as this is the third coach that they have sacked after the FIFA World Cup 2022. The decision is rather understandable as Brazil's stats look bleak with only nine wins, eight draws, and six losses after the last World Cup. Dorival, who has been in-charge for the longest period amongst the two other coaches, doesn’t have a good record to boast about either.
After being in charge of the national team since January 2024, Dorival has managed the team for 16 matches, with only seven wins, which is a win-percentage of less than 50%. The latest loss against Argentina has put Brazil in fourth place in the World Cup qualifiers table below Argentina, Ecuador and Uruguay. This humiliating loss against their South-American rivals has really driven the decision of the sacking of Dorival Jr.
Who will be Brazil’s next manager?
While Real Madrid’s Carlo Ancelotti remains the most sought after candidate for the role, it has been recently clarified that Ancelotti is not considering the national team role right now. In a recent pre-match conference, Ancelotti spoke out about the same by saying, “I appreciate Brazil but there has been no contact between the federation and myself in the recent days. My full focus is on Real Madrid.”
In light of this news, Al-Hilal’s Jorge Jesus is understood to be the top candidate for the job. Having returned to Al-Hilal in 2023 and winning the Saudi Pro League title with the club in that season itself, Jorge’s resume as a coach is quite impressive. His stint at Brazilian club Flamengo is one where he had left his mark by winning 5 titles and had revitalized the club with his attacking and disciplined play-style.
