List of Brazil managers all-time: Will Carlo Ancelotti be Selecao's first foreign coach?

10-07-2023
8 min read
Sporting News

Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) president Ednaldo Rodrigues has announced that Carlo Ancelotti will be the next manager of the national team.

The Real Madrid boss will leave the La Liga giants at the end of his contract in June 2024. Ancelotti won multiple domestic and European titles over the court of two spells with Los Blancos, making him a popular choice for the Brazil role.

Fluminense head coach Fernando Diniz will be in charge of the Selecao until then as Rodrigues believes his style of football is very similar to Ancelotti's vision. 

The Sporting News looks at some of Brazil's most successful managers as Ancelotti looks to bring them a sixth World Cup.

MORE: Brazil match schedule 2023: What's next for the five-time champions?

List of Brazil managers all-time

Ruben Selles and Sylvio Lagreca were the first managers of the Brazil national team back in July 1914, with the latter managing the team two further times. Brothers Zeze and Aymore Moreira have both coached the Selecao before while Mario Zagallo has managed the most games for the country.

Ancelotti is set to become just the fourth foreign coach to be appointed as the manager of Brazil. Ramon Platero (Uruguay), Joreca (Portugal) and Filpo Nunez (Argentina) have previously been in the dugout on at least one occasion. 

*Caretaker or stand-in managers

Manager(s) Start Date End Date Win %
Sylvio Lagreca, Ruben Selles July 1914 September 1914 75
Sylvio Lagreca July 1916 July 1916 50
Chico Netto Janaury 1917 October 1917 40
Amilcar Barbuy January 1918 June 1919 66
Fortes September 1920 September 1920 33
Ferreira Vianna Neto October 1921 October 1921 33
Amilcar Barbuy September 1922 October 1922 75
Clodo October 1922 October 1922 100
Chico Netto November 1923 December 1923 43
Ramon Platero December 1925 December 1925 58
Lais June 1928 July 1929 100
Pindaro de Carvalho July 1930 August 1930 80
Luiz Vinhaes July 1931 July 1934 53
Armindo Nobs Ferreira September 1934 February 1935 92
Adhemar Pimenta December 1936 June 1938 68
Carlos Nascimento January 1939 January 1939 50
Sylvio Lagreca February 1940 February 1940 25
Jayme Barcelos March 1940 March 1940 30
Adhemar Pimenta January 1942 February 1942 50
Flavio Costa, Joreca May 1944 May 1944 100
Flavio Costa May 1944 July 1950 72
Zeze Moreira April 1952 April 1952 80
Aymore Moreira March 1953 April 1953 57
Zeze Moreira February 1954 September 1955 70
Vicente Feola September 1955 September 1955 100
Flavio Costa November 1955 November 1955 100
Osvaldo Brandao November 1955 February 1956 16
Sylvio Pirillo June 1957 July 1957 75
Pedrinho September 1957 September 1957 0
Vicente Feola May 1958 July 1960 80
Gentil Cardoso December 1959 December 1959 60
Foguinho March 1960 March 1960 50
Aymore Moreira April 1961 May 1963 63
Vicente Feola May 1964 July 1966 69
Filpo Nunez* September 1965 September 1965 100
Osvaldo Brandao* November 1965 November 1965 0
Aymore Moreira* November 1965 November 1965 100
Carlos Froner April 1966 April 1966 50
Aymore Moreira June 1967 July 1967 0
Mario Zagallo* September 1967 September 1967 100
Aymore Moreira June 1968 July 1968 73
Antoninho July 1968 July 1968 50
Mario Zagallo* August 1968 August 1968 100
Biju, Jota Junior* August 1968 August 1968 100
Aymore Moreira October 1968 December 1968 50
Yustrich* December 1968 December 1968 100
Joao Saldanha April 1969 March 1970 82
Mario Zagallo March 1970 July 1974 67
Osvaldo Brandao July 1975 February 1977 83
Mario Travaglini* October 1976 October 1976 0
Claudio Coutinho March 1977 October 1979 60
Tele Santana April 1980 July 1982 76
Carlos Alberto Parreira April 1983 November 1983 36
Edu Coimbra June 1984 June 1984 33
Evaristo de Macedo April 1985 May 1985 50
Tele Santana June 1985 June 1986 65
Carlos Alberto Silva May 1987 October 1988 65
Sebastiao Lazaroni March 1989 June 1990 60
Paulo Roberto Falcao September 1990 July 1991 35
Ernesto Paulo* September 1991 September 1991 0
Carlos Alberto Parreira October 1991 July 1994 60
Mario Zagallo December 1994 July 1998 74
Vanderlei Luxemburgo September 1998 September 2000 62
Candinho* November 1999 October 2000 50
Pedro Santilli* November 2000 November 2000 100
Emerson Leao March 2001 June 2001 30
Luiz Felipe Scolari July 2001 August 2002 76
Mario Zagallo* November 2002 November 2002 100
Carlos Alberto Parreira February 2003 July 2006 55
Ricardo Gomes July 2003 July 2003 40
Dunga August 2006 July 2010 69
Jorginho* December 2008 March 2009 100
Mano Menezes August 2010 December 2012 64
Luiz Felipe Scolari February 2013 July 2014 66
Dunga September 2014 June 2016 69
Tite September 2016 December 2022 74
Ramon Menezes* February 2023 July 2023 33
Fernando Diniz* July 2023 Present -

Best Brazil national team coaches in history

Brazil are the most successful team in international football history. They have won the FIFA World Cup a record five times, most recently in 2002, and lifted the Copa America trophy nine times. Here are some of their best coaches who led to them to success:

Carlos Alberto Parreira

Parreira holds the record for most World Cup final appearances as a manager, reaching the tournament six times with five different countries. He won the 1994 World Cup and 2004 Copa America with Brazil while players such as Romario and Adriano thrived under his leadership.

Mario Zagallo

Zagallo is considered to be one of the biggest legends in football history. He won two World Cups as a player before coaching Brazil to global success in 1970. His Selecao side defeated a strong Italy team 4-1 in a final. Led on the field by the inimitable Pele they captured the imagination of a generation of football fans.

Vincente Feola

Feola was the first Brazil manager to win the World Cup. He led the South Americans to glory in 1958 with his game-changing 4-2-4 formation. Feola trusted a 17-year-old Pele, who scored a semifinal hat-trick against France before his brace helped to down hosts Sweden in the final.