What is the connection between Spain and Argentina? Ancelotti leads a complete revolution in Brazil

Only around 20 of the 26 players who featured at the 2026 World Cup will carry on with the national team, depending on how the next phase unfolds, after Neymar, Casemiro, Danilo, Weverton, Alex Sandro and Fabinho all confirmed their international retirements.

Alisson and Ederson face uncertain futures too, with no obvious heir to the Liverpool legend. Marquinhos sits in the same bracket at the back.

Carlo Ancelotti's project already has a clear spine. Five men form it: Éder Militão, Gabriel Magalhães, Bruno Guimarães, Raphinha and Vinícius Júnior.

Once Marquinhos steps aside, the plan is to hand Bruno Guimarães the captain's armband in the medium term, a move Ancelotti himself has approved. Raphinha and Vinícius will serve as second and third captains respectively.

Brazil's new side will be built around that quintet, and the coaching staff want players with experience at the highest level to strengthen the project. The preliminary list features Bremer, Matheus Cunha, Igor Thiago, João Pedro, Ederson, Luiz Henrique, Gabriel Martinelli and Wesley, while the staff await the return to form of Savinho and Yan Couto.

The average age is 26. The Brazilian federation hopes these players kick on and help the new leaders guide the next generation.

Brazil are pinning their hopes on a new generation led by Estevao, Rayan, Andre Santos, Vitor Reis and Endrick.

The Brazilian federation wants to ease these players into Ancelotti's plans in the near future. It may even hand them leading roles sooner than expected, especially the two Palmeiras academy talents, Estevao and Endrick.

Doubts still linger. The federation has no intention of exposing them to early pressure, as happened with Endrick after the defeat to Norway, yet it sees the future of the Samba national team lying at their feet.

This won't stop with them. Across last season, the Brazilian federation tracked the progress of several players tipped to join the project, among them Kaua Prates, who moved to Borussia Dortmund this summer, Souza (Tottenham), Arthur (Bayer Leverkusen), Kevin (Fulham) and Allison Santos (Napoli). Marlon Gomes (Shakhtar Donetsk) is another.

Nor should we forget the players still plying their trade in the Brazilian league, such as Gabriel Mec, Eduardo Conceicao, Del, Ze Lucas, Ruan Pablo, Vitinho, Andre and Breno Bidon.

At Ancelotti's request, the Brazilian federation has begun a comprehensive reorganisation of its youth sector.

The plan is simple: adopt a unified style of play and tactical system across every youth national team. That way players find the step up to the senior side far smoother, while the standout talents can skip age categories altogether and go straight to the Italian's squad.

Realism drives the whole approach. Competing for titles overnight would be a fantasy, especially after nearly seven years without a trophy since the Copa América triumph of 2019.

The 2028 Copa América offers this new generation its first real test. Some voices inside the federation want the South American crown reclaimed there and then, but the same realism holds them back. Officials refuse to inflate expectations.

Spain and Argentina serve as the models to follow. Both endured periods of steep decline and rebuilt through long-term projects lasting years before they climbed back onto the podium.

Brazil want to walk that same path. The first aim is a strong squad that no longer leans on individual stars. The second is cultural: football in the country works against patience, with media and fans demanding instant success, and the federation wants to change that mindset.

Since Samir Xaud took over as president, modernising the structure of both the federation and Brazilian football has been one of his headline goals. That means professionalising refereeing, launching the federation's own coaching academy and other projects, all inspired by the success the Spanish federation built at the start of this century.

Reclaiming the World Cup begins with reinvention. A sixth world title won't arrive quickly. It demands long work and patience, with the 2030 World Cup marking the real target of the entire project.