Ancelotti leads the first training session for the Brazil

New Brazilian national team coach Carlo Ancelotti led his first official training session with the Selecao in preparation for Thursday's match against Ecuador in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in South America. Ancelotti arrived in São Paulo wearing his official training kit and began working at the Corinthians stadium amidst considerable interest and scrutiny from Brazilian fans, who view his appointment as a crucial step towards restoring the team's glory on the continental and global stage. During the first minutes of the training session, cameras captured a private meeting between Ancelotti and two prominent players who had returned to the national team after long absences, Casemiro and Richarlison, a clear indication of his confidence in them and his desire to have them back in the team's plans. One of the funny things that happened was that Ancelotti expressed his surprise at the media's presence at the first training session, which is unusual for him, but he quickly accepted the situation and allowed these important moments to be documented. Before the start of training, Ancelotti held a meeting with the players at the residence, where he explained his vision and objectives for his project with the national team. Three players were absent from the training session due to their participation in last Saturday's Champions League final: Marquinhos and Beraldo from Paris Saint-Germain, and Carlos Augusto from Inter Milan. The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) gave Ancelotti broad powers in selecting players and managing the team, with his team accompanying him on every detail of the process. The coach even used his visit to present a positive image by touring Rio de Janeiro and visiting the Christ the Redeemer statue. The Brazilian national team hopes that Ancelotti will lead them to the 2026 World Cup final, where they would achieve their sixth title and their first since 2002. Despite the technical challenges facing the team after the 2022 World Cup, they still occupy fourth place in the qualifying round with 21 points, 10 points behind leaders Argentina. Six teams qualify directly for the World Cup, while the seventh-placed team enters a continental playoff, the position currently occupied by Venezuela.