In the 15th round of the South American qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, Brazil, the "Samba Army", missed scoring opportunities in both the first and second half, but ended up drawing 0-0 with Ecuador. Ancelotti, the former Real Madrid coach who made his debut as Brazil coach, said that coaching the Brazilian national team was like a gift, and that the team would face the next game with confidence.

After 1 win, 3 draws and 1 loss in the last 5 rounds, Brazil is currently ranked 4th in the standings with 22 points. In the next game, Brazil will host Paraguay at home.

"I have coached more than 1,800 games, but this one is special," said Ancelotti, who is coaching Brazil for the first time. "I think I can make an assessment of this early experience. I am very happy with the welcome I have received and I am very happy to work with the Brazilian Football Association. For me, this is a gift."

"It was a good game from a defensive point of view. I saw an improvement in the team's possession of the ball and the flow of the game was a little bit better. It was a good draw and we are satisfied and will prepare for the next game with confidence."

In addition, Ancelotti also said, "We have very good players. Although we don't have much time to run in, we have room for improvement with the strength of the players. I believe we will get better and better in offense, and we are missing an important player, Rafinha, in this game."

"We have to play with more pace, more movement and more intensity, and I believe the team will do that at home."