FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
Albania's elimination after a 2-1 loss to Poland did not only mark the end of the red and black team's journey to the 2026 World Cup. This result also produced a development of historic importance in international football: the interruption of a 92-year tradition of the presence of Brazilian coaches in the final stages of the World Cup.
Albania, led by Brazilian coach Silvinho, was the last chance to maintain this continuity that dates back to the first World Cup in 1930. The loss to Poland ended this series, making it the first time a World Cup has taken place without a Brazilian coach on the finalists' benches.
The development is linked to a broader trend in modern football: the decline in the dominance of "national schools" of coaches. International media such as the BBC, The Athletic and L'Équipe have long highlighted this phenomenon, linking it to globalization and the increasing turnover of coaches between different national teams.
A significant example is Brazil itself, which is now managed by Italian Carlo Ancelotti, a development that would once have been unusual for one of football's most traditional national teams.
Historically, Brazilian coaches have had a strong presence on the world stage. At the 1998 World Cup, four Brazilian coaches led different teams, while a similar situation was seen in 2006.
In contrast, the current panorama is more diverse. Of the 48 teams participating in the 2026 World Cup, 42 have already qualified:
20 are led by local coaches (such as Argentina with Lionel Scaloni and France with Didier Deschamps)
22 teams are led by foreign coaches (including Brazil with Carlo Ancelotti, England with Thomas Tuchel and the USA with Mauricio Pochettino)
The end of this record is not seen as a coincidence, but as a reflection of a new era in football, where the nationality of the coach is losing the importance it once had. Symbolically, it was Albania led by a Brazilian that sealed this historic change.
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