Ancelotti Considers Brazil Squad Changes After Poor World Cup 2026 Start

Brazil's head coach, Carlo Ancelotti, is planning squad changes and is confident the Seleção will deliver a stronger performance against Haiti in their second World Cup group stage match, following a lackluster start. The five-time world champions kicked off the tournament with a 1-1 draw against Morocco and will be aiming for a victory against Haiti on Friday.

“We can improve the team, and we will improve it,” Ancelotti stated at the pre-match press conference. “The team wasn't happy because the first match wasn't good, especially the first half. But tomorrow we will play a different game, with much higher quality.” The Italian coach confirmed he would make changes to the starting lineup. Danilo and Matheus Cunha are expected to replace Ibañez and Igor Thiago, respectively. Neymar, meanwhile, will not travel to Philadelphia with the squad as he is still recovering from injury and training individually. Brazil is under pressure after the opening match, but Ancelotti emphasized the need to cope with it, highlighting the privilege of coaching Brazil.

“You don't win a World Cup in the first match. We need to find a solution. We've worked over the past few days to find it, and I believe we have. I'm still confident the team will be competitive,” he said. When asked if fans should be concerned about Brazil lacking a clear tactical identity under his leadership, Ancelotti responded that he prefers his team to be flexible and utilize various tactical setups. “I don't want a single identity,” he stated. “I want my team to have multiple identities.”