The Brazilian team ended their participation in the South American qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup on Tuesday (9) with a 1-0 loss to Bolivia in El Alto, in a game under the strong influence of the altitude of the Bolivian city-4,150 meters above sea level.
The only goal of the match came 48 minutes into the first half, a penalty converted by striker Miguelito, who defends América-MG, as a result that marked Carlo Ancelotti’s first defeat at the head of the Brazilian team, after two wins and a draw.
With the result, Carlo Ancelotti’s team ended the regional qualifying fifth in the classification table, with 29 points. It was exceeded in the last round by Ecuador, Colombia and Uruguay.
Already Bolivia exceeded Venezuela, which lost 6 to 3 to Colombia, and, with 21 points, secured the seventh place in the classification table, which entitles to the dispute of the Cup recap in March 2026, against five other selections from North America (two representatives), Africa, Asia and Oceania.
The last Bolivian participation in the World Cup was in 1994, in the United States.
It was the fifth match of the Bolivian team in El Alto in the qualifiers. Undefeated playing in the city, Bolivia had already won wins against Colombia, Chile and Venezuela, and tied with Paraguay and Uruguay.
From South America, the Uruguay, Ecuador, Colombia and Paraguayan selections had also secured place in the World Cup.
With an expanded format with 48 teams, South America has six direct vacancies and one for the recap. In the 2022 World Cup, there were four selections classified directly, with the fifth going to the recap.
In 18 matches in the current edition of the qualifier, there were eight wins from Brazil, with five draws and five losses. The team scored 16 goals and conceded eight.
Announced in May, Ancelotti debuted with the team in a goalless draw with Ecuador, amending 1-0 win over Paraguay, when Brazil secured a place in the World Cup, and 3-0 against Chile in the previous round.
The first defeat came with the coach betting on a rested team, with nine changes to the starting lineup compared to the eleven that started against Chile.
Seeking to cadence the rhythm of the game at altitude, the Brazilian team had few opportunities in the first half making their debut in the Bolivian city, with the home team creating the main chances with Miguelito, by the right end.
The first kick to the Bolivian goal came only at 39, with Luiz Henrique, again highlighting the attack of the national team.
When the game was already approaching the break, Chilean referee Cristian Garay, after consulting the VAR, scored a lack of Bruno Guimarães on top of the defender Roberto Fernandéz inside the area. Miguelito hit Alison’s right corner and opened the scoring for Bolivia.
In the second half, the first time of the first remained, with the most worn -out Brazilian players and Bolivia most present in the attacking field and also using wax to slow the match.
At 15, Ancelotti promoted three exchanges in front, with the entrances of Raphinha, Stephen and João Pedro, to the exits of Luiz Henrique, Samuel Lino and Richarlison, respectively.
Brazil improved with the changes and began to press Bolivia, increasingly back in its field. It was the Bolivian national team, however, that it took more danger again, first with kick from midfielder Robson Matheus, forcing Alisson to spread out at 25, and again at 40, with Algarañaz hitting a firm head to the new good defense of Liverpool Brazilian archer.
In the last move, Raphinha took a free kick at the entrance of the area in the middle of the goal, to the easy defense of the goalkeeper Lampe.
Three technicians and Neymar injury mark Brazilian trajectory in the qualifiers
Since the start of the qualifiers, in September 2023, the Brazilian team was led by three different technicians, was without its main player and lived with criticism of the backstage fans and crisis, with exchange in the presidency of the CBF (Brazilian Football Confederation).
Reconciling the work with the national team with the command of Fluminense, Fernando Diniz was the team coach at the beginning of the competition, with victories in the first two matches, against Bolivia and Peru.
Following, the team failed to get out of a draw with Venezuela, and lost 2-0 to Uruguay in Montevideo, in a match marked by the serious injury that left Neymar away from the pitch for about a year.
Diniz would command the national team in just two more qualifying matches, in losses to Colombia and Argentina, with bad performances of the team on the pitch that ended up resigning in their resignation weeks later.
Dorival Júnior took over, standing in the head of the national team in eight matches in the qualifier, with four wins, two draws and two losses. The last defeat, the 4-1 defeat by Argentina in Buenos Aires, completely dominated by the opposing team throughout the match, resulted in the coach’s fall.
In his last act before being removed from the presidency of the CBF (Brazilian Football Confederation) for irregularities in the process that resulted in his election, Ednaldo Rodrigues managed to make the old desire to hire Italian Carlo Ancelotti, coming from Real Madrid, with just over a year to the beginning of the World Cup.
In this early work, Ancelotti promoted a series of tests to get to know the group of players better, but has signaled some preferences, such as the steering wheels Casemiro and Bruno Guimarães holding midfield and Alisson in the goal.
The first months of Italian in Brazil were also marked by the non -call of Neymar. The coach cited the physical condition still far from the ideal of the player, in the evaluation of the coaching staff, as a criterion to leave him out of the team.
With the end of participating in the qualifiers, Brazil returns to the field in October, in friendly preparatory against South Korea, Seoul, and Japan, in Tokyo.
First edition with 48 selections —16 more than at Qatar, in 2022 – the World Cup will have 104 matches, with the teams divided into 12 groups with four teams each. The first two of each key advances, with the 32 selections, facing the knockout matches.
The group stage draw is scheduled for December 5 in Washington.
The competition starts on June 11, 2026, at the Azteca Stadium, Mexico City, with the final on July 19 at Metlife Stadium in New Jersey.
The ticket sales process begins this Wednesday (10), at noon (Brasília time).
Bolivia x Brazil
Competition: World Cup qualifiers
Local: El Alto Municipal Stadium, in El Alto
Arbitrator: Cristian Garay (CHL)
Goals: Miguelito (Bolivia), 48 minutes into the first half
Brazil: Alisson; Vitinho (Marquinhos), Fabrício Bruno, Alex and Caio Henrique; Andrey Santos (Jean Lucas), Bruno Guimarães and Lucas Paquetá; Luiz Henrique (Raphinha), Samuel Lino (Stephen) and Richarlison (João Pedro)
Technical: Carlo Ancelotti
Bolivia: Lampe; Diego Medina (yomar rocha), haquín, Morales and Roberto Fernandez; Villamel, Ervin Vaca (Hector Cuélar), Robson Matheus; Miguelito, Enzo Monteiro (Algarañaz) and Moisés Paniagua
Technical: Óscar Villegas
