Carlo Ancelotti Refuses to Be Involved in Japanese Mind Games

JAKARTA - Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti said he refused to engage in mind games ahead of the 2026 World Cup 1/8 final against Japan on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, early morning WIB.

Selecao will face Japan in one of the most balanced knockout matches on paper. Both teams are unbeaten in their respective groups.

Brazil drew 1-1 against Morocco then beat Haiti and Scotland 3-0 to qualify as Group C champions.

Meanwhile, Japan drew 2-2 against the Netherlands before winning 4-0 over Tunisia and drawing 1-1 with Sweden to finish second in Group F.

Brazil will be the favourites in the match, but Japan have not lost since a 0-2 defeat to the United States in September 2025.

Since then, Japan have recorded 10 matches without defeat, including impressive wins over England at Wembley Stadium and Brazil in Tokyo.

It is against this background that Kento Shiogai, the 21-year-old Wolfsburg striker who played just six minutes for Japan at the 2026 World Cup, hinted that Brazil is a giant in decline.

However, Ancelotti was reluctant to respond to the psywar and preferred to focus on the match later.

"I'm not going to repeat what others have said. We focus on the game, on the quality of the opponent, on good preparation to avoid problems."

"That's the essence of match preparation. We don't do what they call in England as a mind game. How do you say it in Portuguese? Mind game. We won't do that," said Ancelotti.

One of the big moments of Brazil's victory over Scotland was the return of Neymar, who made his first appearance for Brazil after more than three years.

Neymar was included in the 2026 World Cup squad before he missed the friendly matches against Panama and Egypt due to a right calf injury. The Santos striker was also absent in Brazil's first two matches in the 2026 World Cup group stage.

However, he returned to play against Scotland in the final group match and was impressive, which was very encouraging for Ancelotti.

The Italian coach also said that Neymar was fit to play more than 15 minutes as he showed against Scotland.

"Neymar has developed very well. I think he improved a lot last week. It's a shame he couldn't train all the time when he was with us."

"He can play more than 15 minutes. He's in good shape. However, it depends very much on the context of the match and how he develops tomorrow," said Ancelotti.