It hasn't been pretty, but Carlo Ancelotti has officially ushered Brazil into the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The former Real Madrid head coach secured his first win in charge of the national team as Vinicius Jr's late first-half goal downed Paraguay at home by a 1-0 score, securing mathematical qualification to next summer's FIFA competition.
Brazil put forth a much better effort than Saturday's drab scoreless draw on the road at Ecuador, spurred on by Matheus Cunha and Raphinha, both of whom were brought into the starting lineup. They helped down an in-form Paraguay, who suffered their first defeat since the end of last summer's Copa America.
The Sporting News followed the Brazil vs. Paraguay match live, providing score updates and highlights.
Goals and key highlights | Kickoff time & how to watch | CONMEBOL qualifying standings
Brazil vs. Paraguay final score
| Score | Goal scorers | |
| Brazil | 1 | Vinicius Jr (44') |
| Paraguay | 0 | – |
Location: Neo Quimica Arena (Sao Paulo, Brazil)
Referee: Facundo Raul Tello Figueroa
Starting lineups:
Brazil starting lineup (4-2-3-1, right to left): 1. Alisson (GK) — 13. Vanderson, 4. Marquinhos, 3. Ribeiro, 6. Sandro — 5. Casemiro, 8. B. Guimaraes — 10. Vinicius Jr, 11. Raphinha, 22. Martinelli — 21. Cunha.
Paraguay starting lineup (4-4-2, right to left): 12. R. Fernandez (GK) — 4. Caceres, 15. G. Gomez, 3. Alderete, 6. Alonso — 8. D. Gomez, 14. Cubas, 20. Villasanti, 10. Almiron — 19. Enciso, 9. Sanabria.
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Brazil vs. Paraguay goals and key highlights
The Sporting News will update this section as key highlights become available.
44th min: GOAL! BRAZIL! VINICIUS JR SCORES THE FIRST GOAL OF THE CARLO ANCELOTTI ERA! It's just a fifth international goal for the Real Madrid star!
It's a quick move forward as the ball is fed up to Bruno Guimaraes who does fantastically to keep the ball under pressure from three defenders, allowing Matheus Cunha to race forward and snatch it down to the byline, where he fizzes a cross to Vinicius to smash it home on the doorstep!
El gol de Vini Jr. desde adentro de la cancha 🇧🇷⚽️
— CONMEBOL.com (@CONMEBOL) June 11, 2025
O gol de Vini Jr. de dentro do campo 🇧🇷⚽️#EliminatoriasSudamericanas pic.twitter.com/GvNbT7trqy
Kickoff: They're under way in Sao Paulo, as Carlo Ancelotti makes his home debut in charge!
Prematch: Carlo Ancelotti seeks his first win as head coach of Brazil, but it will be a difficult task against a Paraguay side in good form, without a single World Cup qualifying defeat in their last nine matches, which dates back to their exit from the 2024 Copa America.
Ancelotti will have Raphinha back from yellow-card suspension, which should give the side's attack a serious jolt, but he will also consider starting Matheus Cunha to help with the front line's ability to create chances. Last time out, with Raphinha out and Cunha starting on the bench, Brazil generated just a paltry three shots through the entire match against Ecuador.
Matheus Cunha scored 15 goals in the Premier League last season. Raphinha is the only Brazilian across Europe’s top five leagues who scored more (18).
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) June 8, 2025
The best of Brazil. 🔝🇧🇷 pic.twitter.com/d3qooRt0IC
MORE: Latest team news and who's in Brazil roster for World Cup qualifiers this month
Brazil vs. Paraguay kick off time, live stream, TV channel
This CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying match kicks off from Neo Quimica Arena on Tuesday, June 10 at 8:45 p.m. local time in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Here's how that time translates across some of the major territories around the globe, as well as how to watch in each locale:
| Country | Date | Time | TV | Streaming |
| USA | Tue, Jun. 10 | 8:45 p.m. ET / 5:45 p.m. PT | Universo | Fubo, ViX, Universo NOW, Telemundo Deportes en Vivo |
| Canada | Tue, Jun. 10 | 8:45 p.m. ET / 5:45 p.m. PT | — | Fanatiz, Onefootball |
| UK | Wed, Jun. 11 | 1:45 a.m. BST | Premier Sports 2 | Premier Player |
| Australia | Wed, Jun. 11 | 12:45 p.m. AEST | — | SBS On Demand |
| India | Wed, Jun. 11 | 6:15 a.m. IST | — | Fanatiz, Onefootball |
CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying standings
| Pos. | Team | GP | Points | W-D-L | Goal Diff. | GF-GA |
| 1. | Argentina | 16 | 35 | 11-2-3 | +19 | 28-9 |
| 2. | Ecuador | 16 | 25 | 7-7-2 | +8 | 13-5 |
| 3. | Brazil | 16 | 25 | 7-4-5 | +5 | 21-16 |
| 4. | Uruguay | 16 | 24 | 6-6-4 | +7 | 19-12 |
| 5. | Paraguay | 16 | 24 | 6-6-4 | +3 | 13-10 |
| 6. | Colombia | 16 | 22 | 5-7-4 | +4 | 19-15 |