Syndicated reporting provided by Stats Perform and reviewed by the SoccerNews editorial team.
Carlo Ancelotti says Brazil’s friendlies during this international break should serve as the beginning for a “new generation”, following their disappointing World Cup campaign.
Brazil were dumped out of the last 16 at this summer’s World Cup by Norway, which was the earliest they had been eliminated from FIFA’s flagship tournament since 1990.
Ancelotti has responded by making a raft of changes to his 26-man squad to face Australia (twice) and India, with Casemiro and Fabinho among the big names to miss out.
In fact, only Gabriel Magalhaes, Marquinhos, Bruno Guimaraes, Danilo Santos, Vinicius Junior, Raphinha, Endrick and Rayan remain from Brazil’s World Cup contingent.
Ancelotti’s selection is partly built around players who are also eligible for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, hoping he can use them as the spine of his squad for the 2030 World Cup.
The Brazil boss is expecting a tough test in Brazil’s two friendlies against Australia, and he hopes they mark the start of the new era for the Selecao.
“It’s difficult to say it’s a friendly. For Brazil, it will never be a friendly game,” Ancelotti said. “It will be an important game.
“A new season, we have a goal to find new players, to find a new generation of players for the World Cup and the Copa America. And we start the game tomorrow.
“I know that soccer in Australia is not the biggest sport. But they did really well [at the World Cup], and Tony [Popovic, Australia’s coach] did a fantastic job.
“He organised a fantastic team, really compact, strong defensively, with a fantastic counter-attack. They won a fantastic game against Turkiye, then lost on penalties against Egypt.
“I think that in modern football, there are no easy games. You have to prepare well for the game; you have to respect the rival and do your best.”
Primeiro treino com o grupo completo em Brisbane.
Trabalho intenso, preparação em dia e a torcida brasileira já fazendo barulho por aqui!
Austrália x Brasil
7h (de Brasília)
Queensland Country Bank Stadium
TV Globo, SporTV e GeTV… pic.twitter.com/FRcPA7MjdT
— brasil (@CBF_Futebol) September 23, 2026
Australia come into the game fresh from reaching the World Cup knockout stages for the third time in their history, having lost on penalties to Egypt in the round of 32.
Tony Popovic is preparing Australia for the Asian Cup next January, at which point his contract is set to conclude.
It will be the first time that Ancelotti has managed a match in Australia, and he is looking forward to reuniting with Popovic, with whom he has a friendship with off the pitch.
“We are good friends,” Ancelotti said of his relationship with Popovic. “Sometimes we have the possibility to meet to talk about football.
“We spent time together when I was in Milan; we spent time together in Brisbane. It’s a pleasure to talk about football with him. He’s doing a fantastic job here.
“A really passionate manager. I hope the best for him. I think the World Cup he had was a really good World Cup. The team showed strong quality, a compact team.
“We’ve had a fantastic reception, not only from the Brazilian community, but from all the people.
“The national team of Brazil is really respected everywhere in the world. [It’s] my first time in Australia, so I’m trying my best to enjoy this beautiful country.”
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