Brazil head coach Dorival Junior made an early claim of Selecao reaching the 2026 World Cup final. Despite holding the record with five titles, Brazil has struggled to repeat that feat since Ronaldo’s brace against Germany helped them lift the trophy in 2002.
There was no holding back in Dorival Junior’s bold prediction a couple of years ahead of the tournament. “We will be in the 2026 World Cup final. I have no doubts that we will be finalists,” stressed the underfired coach.
But he might not be with the team by that time. Since Tite stepped down following Brazil’s quarter-final elimination in the 2022 World Cup, the Confederation of Brazilian Football (CBF) has been working hard to convince Carlo Ancelotti.
The five-time Champions League winner has extended his contract at Real Madrid until 2026. That shouldn’t rule out a timely commitment to Brazil if they find common ground to balance the two jobs.
If that happens, Ancelotti will be Brazil’s first foreign coach. With the recent struggles under prominent names, soccer’s most decorated nation might be ready for outside help.
The expectation was higher when Fernando Diniz took over from Ramon Menezes at the start of this year. He came as an interim solution and didn’t leave his post at Fluminense. The Copa Libertadores champion could bring back the Selecao’s heyday.
Fast forward to the present day, Diniz not only missed the chance to get permanently appointed by CBF. Fluminense dismissed him after a poor start to the Brasileiro season.
Dorival Junior has remained undefeated in his first eight games, but they only won on three occasions. In particular, he was heavily criticized for his lack of asserting authority before the penalty shootout against Uruguay in the Copa America.
To be fair to Dorival, he was unlucky to miss out on the country’s all-time top-scorer. Neymar is yet to return to full training since a serious knee injury in the defeat at Uruguay last year.
His absence has been felt by his teammates. In an interview with ESPN Brazil, Rodrygo confirmed that everyone misses his presence in the national team. “He’s our best player. To win a World Cup, we want him back as soon as possible,” Rodrygo stressed.
Vinicius Junior has yet to crack the formula of repeating his club form on the international scene. And that means Brazil desperately lacked Neymar’s influence on the pitch. Unfortunately, his long-awaited return has been postponed further.
There is nothing that stops Dorival from making big promises, however. He’ll now hope to have a different outcome to Jurgen Klopp’s “Where is next season’s Champions League final? Istanbul? Book the hotel!”
The charismatic coach fancied his chances after losing to Real Madrid in the 2022 final. But that quote came back to haunt him. Liverpool fell in the Round of 16, losing 5-2 at home to the same opponent in the process.
For Dorival, the task is even more difficult. Unlike Klopp’s Kops, a World Cup final is unchartered territory for this generation of players. As he said, in one way or another, the video of him making the valiant remark will once again be a headline story when the time comes.
PHOTOS: IMAGO.
