Carlo Ancelotti to Leave Real Madrid and Become Brazil’s Head Coach on May 26

Carlo Ancelotti, one of football’s most famous managers, will leave Real Madrid at the end of this season. He will become the new head coach of the Brazil national football team. This was confirmed on Monday, May 6, 2025. He will officially start his new job on May 26.

This is a historic move. Ancelotti will become the first foreign head coach of Brazil. The Brazil Football Confederation (CBF) said they are happy to welcome him. They thanked Real Madrid and their president, Florentino Perez, for allowing Ancelotti to leave his contract early.

Ancelotti, 65, had one year left on his Real Madrid contract. But after friendly talks, both sides agreed to end it early. The CBF also thanked Diego Fernandes for handling the talks with Real Madrid.

Ancelotti will manage three more matches with Real Madrid. His final game will be on May 25 at the Santiago Bernabeu against Real Sociedad. He will then join Brazil just in time for their World Cup 2026 qualifying matches.

His first match as Brazil’s head coach will be against Ecuador on June 6. Brazil’s team captain is Casemiro, who plays for Manchester United.

Ancelotti takes over from Dorival Junior. Dorival was sacked in March due to poor results. Ancelotti will try to bring success back to Brazil. The team has not won a World Cup since 2002. They have also only won one of the last six Copa America tournaments.

Ancelotti is the most successful manager in UEFA Champions League history. He has won five titles—three with Real Madrid and two with AC Milan. He also managed big clubs like Chelsea and Everton in the Premier League.

This season, Ancelotti failed to win any major trophies with Real Madrid. The team lost to Arsenal in the Champions League and were defeated by Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final. Real still have a chance to win La Liga, but after a 4-3 loss to Barcelona, they are seven points behind.

It is expected that Xabi Alonso, a former Real Madrid and Liverpool player, will replace Ancelotti. Alonso recently said he will leave his current club, Bayer Leverkusen, at the end of the season.