Brazil manager Ancelotti promises ‘carnival’ style football on pitch for FIFA WC

BRASILIA (Brazil): Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti has promised that his side will play a ‘carnival’ style of football during this year’s FIFA World Cup, saying that the DNA of the Brazilian team is “talent, energy and joy” and he wants to put all of this with correct organisation in his side’s game for the marquee event.

Brazil, the five-time champions, are yet to win a FIFA World Cup since their 2002 triumph in Japan and South Korea. Since then, the ‘Canarinho’ has struggled to live up to its mighty standards in the sport, making it to the quarterfinals in the 2006, 2010, 2018, and 2022 editions and a fourth-place finish in 2014. While these results are good enough for any side, they simply do not do justice to Brazil’s massive talent pool and its football-crazy culture.

Ahead of the World Cup, Ancelotti was full of praise for his side’s attacking talent and promised that they would bring the entertainment they are known for. But he was also concerned about the lack of depth in traditional full-back positions.

Carlo Ancelotti compares Brazilian football to Carnival and says the national team must bring exactly that same spirit.

“I want to compare Brazilian football with Carnival. In Carnival, I saw a lot of energy, a lot of joy, a lot of talent, and a lot of organization.… pic.twitter.com/mQfNTz77ww

— Topskills Sports UK (@topskillsportuk) March 24, 2026

During an interview on SBT, as quoted by Goal.com, Ancelotti talked about how mixing with Brazilian culture shaped his tactical approach on the pitch. Having been a part of the local festivities earlier this year, Ancelotti wants to bring the same festivities for the fans and players on the pitch.

Ancelotti said, “Very important is the DNA of the national team. The DNA of Brazil is talent, energy, and joy. I want to compare Brazilian football with carnival. Carnival was new to me, I understood that it has a lot of energy, joy, art, talent. And a lot of organisation. Organising all the floats, with the correct timing, all of this we have to put into the national team. Joy, energy, talent, and organisation”, he said.

The manager wants to play four players up front and is focusing on a top-heavy tactical set-up. He said the final squad is almost complete, but a few spots are not finalised, and there are “doubts” about them.

“There are four or five spots and in that sense we have many doubts. That is why I called up players I do not know very well. I want one defender, two for the midfield, and two more for the attack. The competition is very high. The luck of the national team is that the players have a lot of talent,” he added.

While the team has a flourishing, rich attacking unit, the wide defensive roles are a massive challenge, with the talent pool in this particular area running thin. He praised a young Wesley, who has been performing well for Roma.

Addressing the wide defence role issue, Ancelotti said, “I have no problem putting a centre-back at full-back. The most important thing for the team is balance. If you have a winger who supports a lot, you do not need a full-back who supports as much. Eder Militao played very well against Senegal in that position, Marquinhos has also done it. In this call-up, I want to test Roger Ibanez. We can find profiles that can help the team have good balance on the field.”

Brazil is in Group C during the tournament alongside Morocco, Haiti and Scotland, and will start against Morocco at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium on June 13. (ANI)