Carlo Ancelotti has become Italy’s only hope for glory at the 2026 World Cup, in an edition where the Italian national team is absent following a painful elimination in the playoff against Bosnia and Herzegovina. While the final round of the group stage is taking place in North America, the attention of Italian fans has now turned to the coach leading Brazil, in a desperate attempt to keep any transalpine connection alive to the world’s largest national team competition.
The absence of the “azzurri” in this edition of the World Cup has left Italy off the grand stages, but Italian representation persists outside the pitch. Carlo Ancelotti, at the helm of the Brazilian national team, is the only one with a real chance of lifting the trophy, following the early elimination of the other Italian figures present in the tournament: Vincenzo Montella, coach of Turkey, and Fabio Cannavaro, coach of Uzbekistan and legendary captain of the World Cup-winning team in 2006. Montella has already returned to Europe after Turkey became the first team to be mathematically eliminated, having suffered defeats against Australia (0-2) and Paraguay (0-1) in their first two matches of Group D. Even if they defeat the United States, leaders of the group, Turkey will inevitably finish last due to the head-to-head results against their opponents.
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Despite the disastrous performance, Vincenzo Montella is not expected to leave his position anytime soon, as revealed by the president of the Turkish Football Federation following the elimination: “We will support our coach and our players. This is not a club team, and even failures happen due to a lack of consistency. You cannot dismiss 15 players and hire another 15, or swap one coach for another,” assured the official, in an attempt to convey stability and confidence to the working group. Turkey’s elimination was met with disappointment, but the federation refuses to enter panic mode.
Regarding Fabio Cannavaro, his adventure in Uzbekistan is also practically doomed to failure. The team lost its first two matches in the group stage and, even after defeating the Democratic Republic of Congo in their last challenge, can only finish in third place, accumulating a maximum of three points. The only mathematical hope for Uzbekistan hinges on an unlikely combination of results and an epic recovery from their current negative goal difference (-7), which seems, at first glance, to be an impossible mission. Cannavaro, who has faced complicated challenges throughout his career, now sees his future in the competition dependent on external factors and a miraculous performance.
Thus, all Italian hope rests on Carlo Ancelotti, who leads a strong Brazil, currently tied at the top of Group C with Morocco, both on four points, ahead of the decisive clash against Scott McTominay’s Scotland. Although they are not yet mathematically qualified for the round of 16, the Brazilian team is clearly favored to secure progression to the next stage, fueling Ancelotti’s aspirations to become the first Italian coach to win a World Cup with a foreign country.
The importance of this situation goes far beyond simple national pride. Italy’s consecutive failure to qualify for major international tournaments has sparked intense debate in the media and among former players, raising questions about the renewal of Italian football and the investment in youth development. At the same time, Ancelotti’s success could serve as both inspiration and a warning for Italian football, demonstrating that there is still top talent and leadership capacity in the country, albeit currently serving other national teams.
In a World Cup that has also stood out for interest beyond the pitch — from fervent tactical discussions to the rise of online entertainment platforms — Ancelotti’s performance is capturing the attention of fans not only in Italy but around the world. Brazil’s next match will be crucial: a victory against Scotland will solidify the national team’s title candidacy and reinforce Ancelotti’s status as a symbol of resilience and technical excellence on the international stage.
The immediate future will hinge on whether Ancelotti’s Brazil can confirm its favoritism and advance smoothly to the knockout stage. If this happens, the chances of an unprecedented triumph for the Italian coach will increase substantially, becoming the last lifeline for the pride of Italian football in a World Cup where the national team has not even had the opportunity to compete. The outcome is about to be revealed: will Ancelotti be able to give Italy a reason to smile, even from a distance?
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