The Brazilian Soccer Confederation (CBF) is still struggling to find a direction for its national team after firing Dorival Júnior. The dismissal came after a resounding 4-1 defeat to Argentina at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires during Matchday 14 of the South American Conmebol Qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
Time is running out because in just one month they will have to play their matches against Ecuador in Guayaquil and against Paraguay at home. Both games will be crucial because, in reality, they have not yet qualified for the tournament to be held in North America next year (they are fourth in the table with 21 points).
Therefore, the setback that the CBF received from Carlo Ancelotti, the top target for the job, increased the nervousness. The plan was for him to take over as soon as his work in LaLiga ends in late May, since, although he has a contract with Real Madrid until mid-2026, Florentino Pérez is reportedly determined to end his cycle in a few weeks due to recent results in the Champions League (where they were eliminated in the Quarterfinals) and against Barcelona (with whom they lost the Spanish Super Cup and Copa del Rey finals).
However, the Italian replied that he has no definition by the Casa Blanca and that he will not make the decision to leave. Thus, he could not provide an immediate answer. Faced with this scenario, Ednaldo Rodrigues, president of the Brazilian federation, straightened negotiations towards the other options.
The main one, behind Carletto, was Jorge Jesús. Brazilian media even reported that there were already ongoing conversations for him to take the reins of the Scratch, since he terminated his contract with Al Hilal. This meant that he would have everything to take over the last four games of the Qualifiers (in addition to Ecuador and Paraguay, in September he will face the games with Chile at home and with Bolivia in El Alto).
This alternative was not considered the best, but, given the circumstances, they did not rule it out. However, according to O Globo, Jorge Jesús was vetoed by Neymar. The father of the Santos soccer player had a meeting with Rodrigues for the sole purpose of displacing the former Flamengo coach from the path of the Brazilian National Team, since it was one of the reasons why Ney Jr. decided to leave Al Hilal.
Abel Ferreira emerges as frontrunner
With this new scenario, the aforementioned media outlet shows that Abel Ferreira, two-time Copa Libertadores champion with Palmeiras in 2020 and 2021, emerges as the CBF’s favorite to lead the Brazilian National Team on the road to the 2026 World Cup.
