Awakening the giant: Inside Brazil’s & Ancelotti’s plan to restore the Selecao’s glory
By Luke Oluoch, September 25, 2026Football fans who witnessed the Seleção’s golden eras—from the late 1950 to 1970 through to their dominance between 1994 and 2002—have never doubted Brazil’s perennial supremacy on the global stage.
Two decades down the line, however, that enduring dominance of the national heroes and stars appears to be waning.
In response, the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) has initiated a plan to curb the trend of standout youngsters leaving the country for European leagues at too young an age.
The CBF’s decision to pursue Carlo Ancelotti through a multi-year saga signalled a shift toward long-term planning.
Brazil’s dwindling football fortunes
Citing high-profile cases like Endrick and Estêvão, who left Brazilian clubs at just 18, Ancelotti highlighted that the technical staff believes the primary issue preventing Brazil’s youngsters from fully maturing is a lack of playing time.
“The Brazilian national team’s technical staff believes the issue with Brazil’s young players is that they don’t mature because they don’t play. They don’t play here, and they don’t play abroad. Take the cases of Endrick or Estêvão, for example: they leave at 18 or 19, arrive at a top European club, and don’t get playing time,” he stated.
Brazil’s stars in European leagues
Because nearly all of Brazil’s elite player pool plies its trade in Europe’s top leagues, the national team has also frequently suffered from a disjointed transition between club-level tactical habits and national team duties.
Consequently, the federation is looking to implement measures to reduce the early departure of major talent, a factor they argue directly stalls player development.
The South American giants are set to play two international friendlies against Australia and one against India during this September/October 2026 international window. As part of his new path forward following World Cup heartbreak, Carlo Ancelotti has called up 11 Brazilian players aged 23 or under for the national team.
The youthful squad features Premier League talents such as defender Vitor Reis and Jair Cunha with Manchester City and Nottingham Forest, alongside 19-year-olds Estêvão at Chelsea and Allan Elias at Manchester City, as well as 20-year-old Endrick, who spent last season on loan at Lyon.
Ancelotti is already looking beyond 2026, handing Brazil’s next generation a platform to establish themselves ahead of the 2028 Copa América and the 2030 World Cup.
Whether early departures are the root cause of the problem or simply a reflection of modern football’s evolving landscape, it remains to be seen how the federation’s latest plans will ultimately pan out.