Brazil has confirmed its new coach: Dorival Júnior replaces Fernando Diniz

The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) confirmed this on Wednesday. Dorival Júnior as new coach of the Brazil’s selectionreplacing interim Fernando Diniz, who was fired last week due to poor results in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in which the five-time world champion sits in sixth place.

“Dorival Júnior is the new coach of the Brazilian men’s national team,” read a short statement from the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF), which is facing a political crisis. Furthermore, he announced that he will be the coach with a recent past at San Pablo formally presented this Thursdayat a press conference.

Diniz’s contract expired a few days before the Copa América which will be played in June in the United States, and in which the new coach will not be able to count on Neymar due to injury. The now former Brazil coach held his position without leaving the reins of Fluminense, the club he led to the Copa Libertadores crown.

Júnior, 61, and San Pablo, his previous club, had reported on Sunday that the coach would be leaving to coach Canarinha, so only official ratification from the CBF was missing. The new coach felt that holding this position was “a dream come true”.

The main achievements in Junior’s CV are recent. He won the Copa Libertadores with Flamengo in 2022 and last year won his first Brazilian Cup title with San Pablo.

His players often describe him as calm, adaptable and inclined to form well-balanced teams.

He also worked with Neymar at the start of the striker’s career at Santos, 14 years ago.

The Junior’s first matches in Brazil will arrive in March, in the friendlies against England and Spain.

Brazil is currently in sixth place in the South American World Cup qualifiers, with seven points from six dates. The top six go directly to the competition which will take place in the United States, Mexico and Canada. The seventh will play the intercontinental playoffs.

The announcement of Brazil’s new coach was postponed after the death of Mario Zagallo, a four-time World Cup winner with Brazil, in the early hours of Saturday.

Ednaldo Rodrigues, president of the CBF, expected Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti to take over as coach for the 2026 World Cup. However, the Italian strategist extended his contract with the Merengue team in December.