Brazil’s national team coach, Carlo Ancelotti, has spent this weekend on a tour of Europe, attending matches in the French and English leagues to scout potential players for the friendlies Brazil will play in September against Australia and India.
The former Real Madrid manager attended Friday’s match between Lille and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in the second round of the French Championship. He was particularly keeping an eye on Alexsandro Ribeiro, Marquinhos, and Beraldo.
On Friday, with his son Davide
Ancelotti was also accompanied by his son, Davide Ancelotti, who is Lille’s head coach. Davide came very close to beating PSG, but two stoppage-time goals from Vitinha and Marquinhos rescued a 2–2 draw for PSG.
Saturday: Tottenham vs Newcastle
On Saturday, the Brazilian coach traveled to London to watch Tottenham play Newcastle in the Premier League. He wanted to observe Richarlison and Savinho, two players currently on his radar, although neither of them played in the match.
Sunday: Chelsea vs Brighton
This Sunday, Ancelotti is expected to attend another Premier League match, Chelsea vs Brighton at Stamford Bridge. He will be looking closely at Chelsea attackers João Pedro and Estêvão, as well as Brighton defender Igor Julio.
Estêvão had been a regular starter under Ancelotti but suffered an injury before the World Cup, while João Pedro lost his place in the squad at the last moment.
The Italian coach is expected to send FIFA a preliminary list of 50 potential players for the September friendlies in the coming days. He must then announce the final squad of 23 players by September 11.
Against Australia and India
These will be Brazil’s first friendly matches following their World Cup elimination. Brazil will travel to Australia to play in Townsville on September 25 and Brisbane four days later. On October 3, they will face India in Kolkata.
These will be the first matches for the five-time world champions since they were knocked out of the 2026 World Cup in the Round of 16 by Norway, losing 2–1.
Despite Brazil’s early elimination, Ancelotti was confirmed as Brazil’s head coach and is expected to remain in charge at least until the 2030 World Cup.
“These days in Europe are important for our work as we prepare for our upcoming commitments. We are watching the start of the major European leagues and want to use this opportunity to closely observe Brazilian players, follow their current form at their clubs, and maintain close contact with them and their teams,” Ancelotti said.
The Italian coach, quoted in a statement from the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF), added that he is already working on his next squad selection and therefore wants to closely monitor the development of the players he is considering.
“We want to have as much information as possible before selecting the squad and continue building our team. Every opportunity to be close to the players is part of that process,” he said.
While Ancelotti is scouting players in Europe, members of his coaching staff are doing the same in Brazil, watching matches in the Brazilian Championship, Copa do Brasil, Copa Libertadores, and Copa Sudamericana, according to the CBF.
On Sunday, Ancelotti’s assistants are scheduled to attend three Brazilian league matches: Corinthians vs Santos, Athletico Paranaense vs Fluminense, and Flamengo vs Botafogo, all part of the 25th round of the Brazilian Championship.