Carlo Ancelotti has been appointed as the head coach of the Brazil national football team, effective May 26, following the conclusion of the current season with Real Madrid. The 65-year-old Italian will be the first permanent foreign head coach in the history of the Brazilian team.

Ancelotti’s inaugural assignment will include overseeing Brazil’s World Cup qualifiers against Paraguay and Ecuador next month. The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) celebrated this appointment as a “landmark moment,” recognizing the synergy between two giants of football, emphasized by Brazil’s five World Cup victories and Ancelotti’s illustrious record in European competitions.

While this marks Ancelotti’s first venture into international management, he arrives with an impressive track record as one of the most decorated managers in club football history. He is notably the only coach to have secured league titles in each of Europe’s top five leagues.

The Brazilian team, revered as the world’s most successful international squad, has been in search of its fifth head coach within the last two-and-a-half years, following the departure of Dorival Junior at the end of March.

Since returning to Real Madrid for a second spell in 2021, Ancelotti has led the club to two LaLiga and UEFA Champions League doubles. However, following a defeat to Barcelona in Sunday’s El Clasico, it has become evident that Madrid will conclude his final season without additional silverware.