World Cup-winning coach Carlos Alberto Parreira has been hospitalized as he battles cancer, Samaritano Barra Hospital said on Wednesday.
Parreira, 83, who oversaw Brazil’s run to the 1994 World Cup title, was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2023.
The hospital said in a statement that it would not provide details about Parreira’s health or when the former Brazilian coach arrived for treatment.
Former footballer Zinho, a member of the 1994 squad who is close friends with Parreira, told journalists that the former Brazil coach “is not in good shape” and “had lung problems that have left him in hospital on a ventilator.”
«He is stable, we have to wait. Doctors are giving him the best care, all we can do is pray for Parreira,» Zinho said.
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Parreira also coached Brazil at the 2006 World Cup and won the 2004 Copa America and the 2005 Confederations’ Cup with the team. The Brazilian Football Federation says he has coached Brazil 177 matches, with 124 wins, 39 draws and 14 losses.
Parreira also served on the national team’s coaching staff during the 1970 World Cup, which Brazil also won, and as coordinator for Luiz Felipe Scolari in the 2014 edition of the tournament.
The Brazilian also coached several other teams at World Cups, including Kuwait (1982), United Arab Emirates (1990), Saudi Arabia (1998) and South Africa (2010).
Published on June 18, 2026
