Brazil gets 1st win under Ancelotti to clinch World Cup spot

Brazil punched its ticket to the 2026 World Cup with a 1-0 win over Paraguay on Tuesday.

Vinicius Junior scored the lone goal of the game, giving new head coach Carlo Ancelotti his first win as Selecao boss in his second match in charge.

"We needed to win here for our people. Now we have more time to work, see what we can improve," Vinicius said after the match, according to Mauricio Savarese of The Associated Press. "We need to celebrate this. After September it is all about the World Cup."

Brazil, the all-time leader with five World Cup titles, now sits third in CONMEBOL qualifying on 25 points with two rounds of fixtures remaining. The team is mathematically assured of one of South America's six automatic berths for next summer's tournament in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

The Brazilians have still never failed to qualify for a men's World Cup.

Argentina, Brazil's eternal rival, and Ecuador are the top two teams in the CONMEBOL standings after 16 games, and have also secured their World Cup places.

Ancelotti, hired by Brazil to replace Dorival Junior, began his tenure with a goalless draw against Ecuador last week. The team showed more willingness to get forward Tuesday, which has been a major concern for supporters who've grown tired of a conservative style of play during this qualifying cycle.

Brazil will close out its qualification campaign with matches against Chile and Bolivia in September.

With a World Cup spot now secured, Ancelotti's focus will be on bringing verve and joyfulness back to a Brazilian attack that has stagnated; Brazil has only managed more than one goal in one of its last six matches.