Brazil is in Group C and will open its campaign against Morocco at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. | Photo Credit: AFP

Less than a month before the World Cup begins, the Italian said Brazil must learn to turn pressure into fuel as the record five-time champion tries to end a 24-year wait to lift the trophy again.

“What I’ve noticed this year, to be honest, is that there’s a lot of pressure; there’s a lot of pressure on the players,” Ancelotti told Reuters in an interview at the Brazilian FA’s headquarters in Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday.

“What I think is that the players also put a lot of pressure on themselves, sometimes too much. So, the pressure and worry outweigh the joy, the energy that the Brazilians have, the creativity that the Brazilians have.”

Brazil’s recent World Cup exits have often been picked over as much for emotional fragility as for tactical flaws, and Ancelotti said he had seen signs of that burden even in friendlies.

“I’ve seen it in some friendlies... a mistake by a teammate in a friendly match seems like a tragedy,” he said.

“We need to establish a routine to avoid all this, because pressure is obviously a very important factor. Managing pressure well means having more motivation and more camaraderie, because you can share the pressure. Then it weighs less heavily on you.”

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For Ancelotti, the answer is not to drain Brazil of its identity but to give it a frame sturdy enough to survive modern football’s intensity. The old question of whether Brazil should entertain or simply win is not one he accepts as a choice.

“What Brazilian players and Brazilian football must not lose is their greatest quality: creativity, joy and energy,” he said.

CARNIVAL ENERGY

Ancelotti said he found the clearest version of what he wants from Brazil not on a pitch, but at Carnival.

“It was my first Carnival here this year,” he said. “I noticed a lot of joy, a lot of energy, because people were dancing until the sun came up, but also a great deal of commitment from everyone in a popular festival that everyone feels part of.

“If you go to watch the parade here in Rio, everything is perfectly organised, the timing, the music, everything is perfect. These are characteristics of the Brazilian people that I saw at the Carnival and that I want to bring to the national team: the joy, the energy, the organisation, the commitment, the attitude.”

The Italian rejected the idea that Brazil has lost its aura, saying its footballing mystique, built over generations, could not disappear because of recent disappointments.

“Brazil has something special, and always will,” he said. “Brazil has, and always has had, the ability to produce great talent. Even now this country produces more talent than other countries.”

However, Ancelotti said Brazil had been slower than some nations to adapt to a game increasingly shaped by intensity, structure and collective work.

“Brazil has the same qualities as always but you have to support that creativity with organisation, commitment and attitude,” he said.

“Talent is important, but to beat talent, you need organisation. And yes, we’re going to make it happen because you can teach organisation, but you can’t teach talent.”

Ancelotti also offered his own definition of “jogo bonito”.

“It can be a piece of skill, it can also be teamwork, a collective commitment, a spectacular team attitude when in possession, and everyone working hard,” he said.

Brazil may not arrive as favourite, but Ancelotti said he was comfortable with that.

“I like it,” he said of Brazil being viewed as a dark horse. “I think it’s a World Cup where there isn’t a clear favourite because every team has its problems.

“There is no perfect team. I believe the most resilient team will win the World Cup.”

And if Brazil wants to recover any status it may have surrendered, Ancelotti has the answer: “There is only one way to regain hierarchy in football, and that is to win the World Cup.”

Published on May 13, 2026