Brazil has officially qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, set to be held in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, following a 1–0 victory over Paraguay. Under the leadership of Carlo Ancelotti, the Seleção secured its 23rd World Cup appearance, maintaining its perfect record of participating in every edition of the tournament.
In the 44th minute of the first half, Brazil launched a fluid, multi-player attack. After a cross attempt from Raphinha, Mateus Cunha—recently signed by Manchester United—delivered a precise assist to Vinícius Júnior, who stretched to connect and slotted the ball into the net.
With this goal, Brazil sealed qualification with two matchdays still to go in the CONMEBOL qualifiers, where they’ll face Chile and Bolivia.
This achievement also marks Carlo Ancelotti’s first World Cup as a head coach. The Italian icon came close to playing in the 1990 World Cup with Italy, but was ultimately not selected for the final squad.
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Video: Vinicius scores for Brazil, first goal in Ancelotti’s era, and close to the FIFA World Cup 2026
