The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) confirmed Dorival Junior as the new coach of the Seleçao on Wednesday, thus officially ending the soap opera over who would take charge of the destiny of the five-time world champions.
“Dorival Junior is the new coach of the Brazilian men’s national team,” said the CBF in a press release, announcing the presentation of the former coach of São Paulo FC for Thursday in Rio de Janeiro. The duration of the contract was not specified. According to local media, she is expected to run until the end of the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The formalization of the position left vacant since the dismissal of Fernando Diniz last week was expected after the announcement by São Paulo FC of the departure of Dorival Jr, its coach since April 2023, to join the national team.
Dorival Jr, 61, will succeed his compatriot Fernando Diniz, 49, who since July 2023 has combined the functions of coach of the national team and Fluminense of Rio de Janeiro, with whom he won the 2023 Copa Libertadores. Italian Carlo Ancelotti was the CBF’s first choice to replace Diniz at the end of his contract with Real Madrid and take the reins of Brazil for the Copa America in July in the United States.
But Ancelotti renewed his lease with the Merengues, pushing the CBF to urgently find a new suitor: one year after the elimination in the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar by Croatia, the “canarinha” is not sixth out of ten in the South American qualifying rankings for the 2026 World Cup, with only two points ahead of the play-off place. An unworthy rank for the only nation to have participated in 22 editions of the World Cup, with five titles, a record. Dorival Jr is expected to make his debut on the Brazil bench in March, in European friendlies against England and Spain.
