Brazil’s first outing after the 2026 World Cup ended with a late escape rather than a fresh start, as Carlo Ancelotti’s side drew 1-1 with Australia and faced sharp criticism over the performance.
The friendly marked Brazil’s return following their round-of-16 elimination by Norway at the World Cup. A young squad found little attacking rhythm for most of the evening and needed Rayan’s last-gasp header to avoid defeat after Australia had taken the lead in the second half.
A difficult opening to the new cycle
- Brazil struggled throughout the match to impose themselves against Australia, with their midfield offering limited creativity and the team spending long periods under defensive pressure.
- Australia moved ahead after the interval when Irankunda scored from a free kick.
- Brazil left their response until the final action of the match, when Rayan headed in the equaliser to make it 1-1.
Former Brazil international Denilson said the display left a poor initial impression as the national team begin preparations for the 2030 World Cup.
“The weight of playing for Brazil does not change; if anything, the responsibility of representing the country becomes even greater,” he said. “It is a shirt with enormous meaning around the world. These are very young players, and we can see that Rayan has a bright future with Brazil. But the impression from today was very bad.”
Ancelotti faces a rebuilding task
Denilson argued that Ancelotti has substantial work ahead if Brazil are to develop a more convincing identity. He called for a different approach, greater invention through midfield and less reliance on defending deep.
“Ancelotti will have a great deal of work to make this team play differently, with another system, more creation in midfield and without sinking so deeply into a defensive shape,” he said. “For me, it was a very bad impression.”
Brazil and Australia will meet again on Tuesday. The next fixture after that comes on 3 October, when Brazil are scheduled to face India.
