Carlo Ancelotti looks to Brazil’s future in Japan rematch

File photo: Carlo Ancelotti was appointed Brazil's head coach in May 2025. | Photo Credit: PTI

Brazil head coach Carlo Ancelotti has his sights on the future as the Selecao prepare to face Japan again in Singapore on Saturday, five months after the dramatic win that sent them into the FIFA World Cup 2026 last 16.

That June meeting in Houston ended 2-1, with Gabriel Martinelli scoring in the fifth minute of added time. Brazil’s World Cup run was disappointing overall, and Norway knocked it out in the quarterfinals.

Ancelotti is now rebuilding. His 26-man squad for this weekend’s game against Japan and Tuesday’s match against Singapore has 15 players under 23.

“The World Cup closed a cycle for a generation of players,” Ancelotti told reporters Friday.

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“We are now building a new generation to be focused and competitive in our next official competitions: the Copa America in 2028 and the World Cup in 2030. I think we have a lot of potential. We are looking at young players, including some new players here, and we are very satisfied with what we are seeing. We have young players with a lot of quality and talent, so we look to the future with confidence,” he added.

The 67-year-old did not want to name any one player for special praise. “You see their attitude in training and how focused they are. All of them have given us a lot of confidence for the future because we can see that we have players with a lot of quality. They may lack some experience, but that is normal for young players,” he said.

Barcelona striker Raphinha, in good form, will captain Brazil against Japan.

“My expectations are good. Obviously, we are going through a period of rebuilding with new players, but I see players with a lot of quality and a great desire to give everything they can for the national team shirt,” said Raphinha, who played only two World Cup matches because of a hamstring injury.

“This is a match of World Cup calibre, as we saw at the last World Cup. It will be a very difficult game because we know the quality of Japan’s national team,” he added.