Carlo Ancelotti suffered his first defeat as Brazil's head coach since taking over in May. With it, the Selecao ended their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign as their worst in history, finishing fifth in the table, with just 28 points from 18 games.
Despite their lacklustre performance against Bolivia and in their qualifying campaign as a whole, Ancelotti was confident of their chances at the World Cup.
“It’s been an intense period but also very special, especially the atmosphere in the dressing room. I think the team is on the right path, and we’ll continue working in that direction. What the team has done gives me maximum confidence — in the squad, in the players. I believe we are going to play a successful World Cup, to fight for it, to compete in every game,” he said in the post-match press conference.
The five-time champions, who came into this game on the back of a thumping 3-0 win against Chile on September 5, now have 2 wins, a draw, and a defeat under the Italian’s tutelage. Without mulling too much over the result, Ancelotti chose to focus on the positives from the game:
“The positives come from these 10 days in which I got to know the players, and where I think the team improved in certain aspects of the game. Today’s match has to be considered in that sense. But yes, it was a very complicated match.”
Having already qualified for the showpiece event next year, Brazil perhaps had little incentive to play their best football. However, the circumstances couldn't have been more different for their opponents, who still had the chance to enter the play-off round of World Cup qualification with a win. Acknowledging the magnitude of the win for Bolivia, Ancelotti said:
”For Bolivia, the objective was very big, so congratulations to them.”
Óscar Villegas’s Bolivia were the brighter and showed more intent throughout the game, testing Allison at every opportunity. They were rewarded for their efforts in the 43rd minute, when Bruno Guimarães brought down Roberto Fernandez inside the box and earned his side a penalty. Miguel Tercaros, who pushed and probed the Brazilian defense all game, stepped up and slotted the ball home to put the hosts in front.
Apart from Guimarães weaving a couple of half-chances for Brazil, they were largely unimpressive in the first half, while their opponents went into the break with a deserved lead. The nature of the second half was similar to the first, with Bolivia on the front foot and Brazil resisting. Bolivia had 23 shots to Brazil's 10, showcasing their desperation to get a result in El Alto.
While this will go down as a historic win for Bolivia, there were reportedly a few safety concerns before the game, which Ancelotti was asked about.
“It’s the officials’ responsibility to control these things — not the players, not the coach, not the president, but the officials on and off the field.”
Ancelotti made four substitutions on the hour mark. It wasn't enough to change the trajectory of the game, but the former Real Madrid manager stressed it was important to give all his players game-time. When the reporter pointed out that four Brazilians made their debut in this match, Ancelotti said:
“I want to give minutes to everyone. They’ve worked really well, had a fantastic performance against Chile at Maracanã too. I wanted to use this match to give chances to those who have trained hard, and obviously, they’ll have more opportunities.”
As Brazil chase their sixth World Cup trophy next year, Ancelotti, a master in knockout competitions, was asked who his biggest rivals will be.
“Always the same. I don’t think it will change much — the same teams will be the favorites at the World Cup. I don’t need to list them all, but it will be the usual ones.”
Next, Brazil will play two friendlies against South Korea and Japan in October, while Bolivia will have their eyes set on March 2026 for the playoff round.
