Ancelotti begins Brazil tenure without Neymar against Morocco, 24 years of hurt in tow
Ancelotti faces Morocco in his opener without Neymar and with 24 years of hurt in his luggage. What does the story of 1994 tell us about this World Cup on US soil?
Is there greater pressure than carrying 24 years of hurt into a World Cup held in the very same country where that drought was last broken? Carlo Ancelotti is about to find out.
The Italian manager takes charge of Brazil on a mission that The Guardian describes as having "more pressure than the president" — and the opener already comes with a built-in complication: Neymar out, Morocco straight ahead.
This is no ordinary opponent. Morocco became the first African side to reach the semi-finals of a World Cup, in 2022. Kicking off against them, without the iconic No. 10, is exactly the kind of fixture that turns into a nightmare before a ball is even kicked.
History weighs heavily on both sides. Brazil have not made it past the quarter-finals since Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Rivaldo claimed the pentacampeonato in 2002. And anyone who lived through 2014 knows what happened when the Seleção came too close to glory on home soil — the 7–1 against Germany, the Mineirazo, still hurts. Neymar is the only survivor from that squad, and he watched the nightmare unfold from the stands, injured.
Marcio Santos, centre-back of the 1994 tetracampeonato side, captures what supporters feel perfectly: "We hadn't won in 24 years. Too long for the Brazilian people," he said in the Netflix documentary about the 1994 World Cup. Now another 24 years have passed — and the tournament returns to American soil.
Ancelotti, according to The Guardian, arrives in the role bringing "joy and enthusiasm." The Golmetria model gives Brazil a 91% chance of advancing from the group stage — but lifting the trophy is a different conversation entirely: the probability stands at 4.68%. Enough to dream, not enough to guarantee.
The story of 1994 says Brazil has broken this cycle before, on this very stage. But history doesn't play. Ancelotti plays. And the opener against Morocco will say a great deal about whether this Brazil has the soul of a champion — or just the memory of longing.