World Cup 2026: Brazil Preview – Can Carlo Ancelotti’s Attack-Heavy Seleção Finally End the World Cup Drought?

Brazil always enter a World Cup cycle hoping to win it all. But this time around, the expectations are more a reflection of their historic reputation and the number of stars on their yellow jersey than any kind of solid preparation for the tournament.

The Seleção have had four different coaches and 84 different players make at least one appearance since 2023. After plenty of changes in direction, they finally found their manager for this tournament in Carlo Ancelotti, who arrived in June 2025.

That means ‘Carletto’ had only four competitive matches in charge in the CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers — and two of those were dead rubbers, with Brazil already having clinched qualification. Most of his actual work came across seven friendlies since qualifying finished. It is a remarkably thin foundation from which to build a World Cup challenge.

The System: Four Forwards, Two Midfielders

Ancelotti has generally favoured an attack-minded 4-2-4 system with two midfielders and four forwards — a formation that reflects both his philosophy and the clear imbalance in the quality of players available to him across different positions.

Casemiro (10 starts) and Bruno Guimarães (9) have made the most appearances under Ancelotti in midfield, while Vinícius Júnior (9) has been the most consistent attacking presence. The midfield pair appears settled. The four attacking spots, however, remain far more open — particularly following injuries to Rodrygo (Brazil’s top scorer since 2023, with eight goals) and Estêvão (top scorer under Ancelotti, with five goals).

The Star Power Question: Why Europe Doesn’t Automatically Transfer

Vinícius and Raphinha are the most prolific attacking players in the squad — but their remarkable output for their clubs has not consistently translated to the international stage.

Both players produce at less than half their club rate for Brazil. That drop-off is significant and reflects a broader challenge for Ancelotti: building a cohesive system around players whose brilliance is often dependent on the structures and teammates they have at club level.

With no obvious centre-forward choice aside from Brentford’s Igor Thiago — who is not expected to start — there is a real chance that either Vinícius or Raphinha plays centrally. Vinícius has already spent 57% of his minutes under Ancelotti for Brazil as a striker, while Raphinha has played 43% of his minutes as a central attacking midfielder.

The Competition for the Remaining Spots

The remaining attacking positions will be fiercely contested. The candidates — Matheus Cunha, Luiz Henrique, Rayan, Gabriel Martinelli, Endrick, Igor Thiago, and, after his surprise inclusion, Neymar — each carry their own case.

Cunha is currently the frontrunner, having created 11 chances while playing for Brazil under Ancelotti — a tally bested only by Vinícius (18), Bruno Guimarães (15), and Casemiro (14), all of whom have played considerably more football. Cunha has also primarily played in central areas, giving him a positional flexibility that suits the system.

Luiz Henrique has been equally eye-catching. He has completed almost as many dribbles (14) in just 344 Brazil minutes as Vinícius has (18) in 685 minutes during the Ancelotti era.

Teenagers Rayan (Bournemouth) and Endrick (Real Madrid) have both already scored for the Seleção — and both did so at iconic venues. Rayan found the net in his second appearance, against Panama at the Maracanã. Endrick scored in his third match, against England at Wembley. Both carry the kind of youthful fearlessness that major tournaments can reward.

The Neymar Factor

No player, however, carries greater expectation in the streets of Brazil than Neymar. The all-time leading scorer for the Seleção in official matches (79 goals) has not played for his national side since October 2023. After returning to his boyhood club Santos in 2025, he did enough to convince Ancelotti to call him up.

The numbers from his Santos return are remarkable for a player who had been out of the game at the highest level:

All of this while playing for a Santos side battling relegation — and while making less than half the appearances of the club’s most-used player, Gabriel Brazão (85 matches). His influence per minute was extraordinary.

His inclusion gives him the chance to become just the second Brazilian to score in four different World Cups, after Pelé — a historic milestone that would cement his legacy in the football’s most celebrated nation.

Neymar’s ability to connect midfield and attack, and his capacity to decide moments that other players cannot, is unquestioned. The decision facing Ancelotti is whether he becomes the focal point of the team or a match-changing substitute deployed when Brazil need something to turn a game.

He has never quite managed to take Brazil to their first World Cup win since 2002. This is his final chance.

The Attacking Style: Direct and Fast

With an abundance of forwards and relatively few midfielders, Brazil under Ancelotti are built to threaten through fast-paced, direct attacks.

In their two matches against European opposition under Ancelotti, they actually had less possession than their opponents — 45% in a win over Croatia and 46% in a loss to France (notably, France had a player sent off in the 55th minute, at which point Brazil had only 40% possession). This is not a team that dominates through patient build-up.

The balance of 25 direct attacks to 30 build-up attacks shows a team that is almost as likely to attack quickly as through patient possession play. With Vinícius, Luiz Henrique, Rayan, and Cunha all possessing exceptional pace and directness, this style makes sense — and against European sides who expect Brazil to have the ball, it can be genuinely disorienting.

The Settled Defence: Champions League Finalists at Centre-Back

While the attack carries uncertainty and intrigue, the defence is the most settled component of Ancelotti’s side.

Both centre-backs were UEFA Champions League finalists this season. Marquinhos (PSG) and Gabriel Magalhães (Arsenal) bring the highest possible level of European club experience to the heart of Brazil’s backline.

Marquinhos will captain the side. His 122 Champions League appearances leave him second only to Lionel Messi (163) among non-European players in the competition’s history. Gabriel was a central figure in the Arsenal defence that kept the most clean sheets in both the Champions League (9) and the Premier League (19) this season.

They have started only two matches together under Ancelotti — but both ended in clean sheets and wins: 3-0 against Chile and 2-0 against Senegal. The early evidence is encouraging.

Having a defensive partnership of this quality — capable of withstanding matches in which Brazil may not dominate possession — could be Brazil’s most important structural asset. The plan appears clear: defend solidly, break fast, and let the forwards decide.

Can It Work?

The honest answer is: possibly, but there are real vulnerabilities.

The attacking depth is extraordinary — Vinícius, Raphinha, Cunha, Luiz Henrique, Rayan, Endrick, Neymar. On any given night, this group can destroy any defence in the tournament. The pace, the dribbling, the directness — it is a collection of attacking talent that few nations can match.

But the midfield is thin. The cohesion — after four coaches and 84 players in three years — is uncertain. The translation of club brilliance to international football has been inconsistent for the headline names. And Ancelotti has had minimal competitive time to build any real tactical identity.

If the defence holds and the forwards find their form together, Brazil can win this World Cup. If the midfield is overrun or the attack’s star power fails to translate — as it so often has — they will exit earlier than the nation can accept.

The wild card, as ever, is Neymar. Not as the main event — that time may have passed — but as the last resort. The player who gets in there and makes something happen. He has done it at three previous World Cups.

This is his fourth. And his last.

Read More: World Cup 2026: Group C Predictions and Preview
Also Read: World Cup 2026: Group B Predictions and Preview

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