Botafogo announced on Tuesday, 8 July 2025, that Davide Ancelotti has signed a contract running to December 2026 to become the club’s new head coach. The 35-year-old Italian, son of Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti, succeeds Renato Paiva, who was dismissed after the side’s elimination in the FIFA Club World Cup round of 16. The job is Ancelotti’s first as a head coach after more than a decade working alongside his father as a fitness coach and assistant at Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich, Napoli, Everton, Real Madrid and, most recently, with the Brazilian national team. His deal includes a clause allowing him to rejoin Brazil’s back-room staff for the 2026 World Cup. He arrived in Rio on Tuesday accompanied by assistants Luis Tevenet and Andy Mangan and fitness coach Luca Guerra. Owner John Textor described the appointment as central to establishing the club’s so-called “Botafogo Way”, a more expansive style of play. Botafogo, reigning Libertadores champion but eighth in Brazil’s Série A and six points behind leaders Flamengo, return to league action on 12 July against Vasco da Gama in Brasília, when Ancelotti could make his debut on the touchline.